EM Update | Vol. 11, Issue 1 | Jan. 8, 2019

• Waste Removal for Tank Closure Project Underway at Savannah River Site
• Hanford Team Successfully Installs Tank Farm Barriers
• Los Alamos Contractor Earns 83 Percent of Available Fee in FY18 Period
• West Valley Crews Safely Demolish Vitrification Facility Support Buildings
• Nevada Program’s Contractor Earns 94 Percent of Available Fee in FY18
• EM Reaches Milestone in Deactivation of Paducah’s C-400 Building
• Oak Ridge Employee Achieves Highest Engineering Honor
• ORP Contractor Earns Nearly 98 Percent of Available Fee for One-Year Period
• Crane Weighing 150 Tons to Support Hanford Cleanup for Years to Come
• Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Receives Fuel to Power Utilities

Waste Removal for Tank Closure Project Underway at Savannah River Site

The Tank Closure Cesium Removal project at the H Tank Farm at the Savannah River Site.

AIKEN, S.C. – EM is taking a significant step in the startup of Tank Closure Cesium Removal (TCCR) at the Savannah River Site (SRS).

   Crews have initiated salt dissolution, the first phase of TCCR operations, in the waste feed tank for the TCCR process. Low-level salt waste accounts for more than 90 percent of waste in the SRS tank farms.

   TCCR is a pilot project designed to accelerate removal of radioactive waste from the SRS underground tanks to support tank closures. Liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation (SRR) is tasked with completing this work.

   Salt dissolution began with the addition of 150,000 gallons of water to Tank 10, signifying the start of bulk waste removal efforts — the first phase of tank closure and a federal facility agreement milestone. A recirculating system, installed on the tank by the TCCR project, uses the water to dissolve the solid salt waste in the tank, called saltcake.

   Crews will sample, analyze, and verify chemical constituents in the dissolved salt waste before sending it to the TCCR process enclosure for cesium removal.

   Initiating salt dissolution is a major preparation step prior to commissioning TCCR, according to Jim Folk, DOE-Savannah River assistant manager for waste disposition.

   “Tank Closure Cesium Removal startup continues to be a priority for EM,” Folk said. “It is expected to be an innovative addition to the waste treatment process.”

The exterior of the Tank Closure Cesium Removal process enclosure.

   TCCR is a waste treatment technology that uses filters, ion exchange columns, and a specially engineered resin to remove cesium — a radioactive chemical element — from the salt waste.

   Preparing for salt dissolution included replacing the transfer pump, installing new transfer lines and radiological shielding, deploying in-tank cameras, and completing modifications to allow for leak detection.

   Workers completed TCCR pre-commissioning activities, such as safety basis implementation, procedure development, and operator training. Additional work, such as final safety verifications and preparing the ion exchange columns for hot operations, continues.

-Contributor: Colleen Hart

Back to Top

Hanford Team Successfully Installs Tank Farm Barriers

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Office of River Protection (ORP) and tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) recently finished installing two interim surface barriers in Hanford’s SX Tank Farm.

   The two barriers cover nine tanks and portions of three more in the tank farm. The barriers consist of a layer of gravel covered with four inches of compacted high-density asphalt. Crews used about 4,500 tons of gravel and 3,300 tons of asphalt covering about 170,000 square feet.

   About 300 people worked on the project, including engineers, project management professionals, construction crews, health physics technicians, industrial hygiene personnel, nuclear chemical operators, and employees from several support organizations.

   “We could not have done it without so many people working together,” said Jeff Jansen, WRPS project manager. “Their efforts to complete the job safely and efficiently while dealing with changing conditions and time restrictions have been recognized not only by WRPS management, but also by ORP and the state (Department of Ecology).”

   Surface barriers are temporary structures constructed under terms of the Tri-Party Agreement and will remain in place until a final farm closure plan is determined.

   The barriers play a critical role in protecting the environment by preventing rain and snowmelt from intruding into the underground tanks and percolating into the soil and driving contaminants toward groundwater. They improve the tank and soil stability, significantly reduce surveillance and maintenance costs, and create a clean and stable platform for field crews doing work in the tank farm.

   The SX farm, located in Hanford’s 200 West Area, contains 16 tanks, each with a capacity of 1 million gallons. It is the third Hanford tank farm to have surface barriers, joining the T and TY farms. The barrier in T farm, constructed in 2008, covers all or part of nine of the farm’s 16 tanks. The TY farm barrier, completed in 2011, covers its six tanks. The SX farm barriers are similar in design to the TY farm barrier.

-Contributor: Mark McKenna

Back to Top

Los Alamos Contractor Earns 83 Percent of Available Fee in FY18 Period

Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos waste management staff prepare a waste shipment for transport to EM's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – EM’s legacy cleanup contractor at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) earned approximately 83 percent of the fee available during its five-month performance evaluation period in fiscal 2018, according to a recently released scorecard.

   Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos (N3B) received more than $2.4 million of the $2.9 million fee available for the period of April 30, 2018 through Sept. 30, 2018.

   “The contractor successfully stood up its operations while meeting regulatory commitments and making significant progress in key legacy cleanup and waste management campaigns,” said Doug Hintze, manager of the EM Los Alamos Field Office and the fee determining official.

   EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing the work called for in their contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program.

   N3B’s performance for the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Contract’s fiscal 2018 period was evaluated for quality, schedule, cost control, regulatory compliance, and management.

   The contractor realized two significant accomplishments during the period — successfully restarting and operating the chromium interim measure and completing readiness for mobile loading at Technical Area 54’s (TA-54) Area G. The chromium interim measure involves pumping and injection to control the advancement and to shrink the footprint of a plume located beneath Sandia and Mortandad canyons at LANL.

   TA-54 is LANL's waste management area. Area G is a site within TA-54 where LANL’s transuranic and low-level waste is stored, characterized, remediated, and shipped offsite. With mobile loading capabilities at Area G, N3B is able to ship waste to EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

   Other N3B accomplishments included:

• Establishing a positive safety culture and performance;
• Completing a documented safety analysis review;
• Procuring contracts for small businesses;
• Setting up business and financial systems.

   Prior to April 30, 2018, legacy cleanup and waste management in fiscal 2018 was performed by Los Alamos National Security under the Los Alamos Legacy Cleanup Bridge Contract.

   View the N3B scorecard here.

Back to Top

West Valley Crews Safely Demolish Vitrification Facility Support Buildings

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – EM crews recently demolished two of seven facilities that supported past vitrification operations at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP).

   EM WVDP Director Bryan Bower commended workers with the site’s cleanup contractor, CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV), for tearing down the two ancillary structures, together totaling 3,620 square feet in size.

   “Once again, the CHBWV team did an excellent job in their pre-planning and execution of this challenging work,” Bower said. “The completion of this work evolution further changes the landscape and footprint of the WVDP site, and is a reminder of the ongoing progress here.”

An excavator relocates a dust collector removed from one of two ancillary facilities workers recently demolished at the West Valley Demonstration Project.

   The team tore down facilities used to repair and decontaminate equipment supporting the solidification of 600,000 gallons of high-level liquid radioactive waste at the site from 1996 to 2002.

   CHBWV President Scott Anderson said his employees used their combined knowledge and expertise to safely complete the demolitions.

   “I’m proud of their accomplishment, and in the work they continue to do on this project,” Anderson said.

   WVDP crews moved their focus to the two ancillary facilities after successfully demolishing the 10,000-square-foot Vitrification Facility last year. That building removal was EM’s largest and most complex environmental cleanup achievement at the West Valley site to date.

   EM is scheduled to demolish the five remaining Vitrification Facility ancillary structures this year.

-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere

Back to Top

Nevada Program’s Contractor Earns 94 Percent of Available Fee in FY18

Navarro Research and Engineering crews conduct soil excavation activities at the Clean Slate II site on the Tonopah Test Range.

LAS VEGAS – EM’s Nevada Program recently awarded environmental characterization and remediation contractor Navarro Research and Engineering more than $942,000, or 94 percent, of the available fee for a performance evaluation period from October 2017 through September 2018.

   “Navarro continues to perform well in all areas of the EM-Nevada contract and has been very supportive of cost reduction initiatives,” EM Consolidated Business Center Associate Deputy Director Ken Armstrong said.

   EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing the work called for in their contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program.

   Navarro’s key fiscal 2018 accomplishments include dispositioning contaminated soil from the Clean Slate II site, restructuring the Rainier Mesa/Shoshone Mountain independent peer review process to emphasize closure and regulatory compliance, and cost effectively implementing the Radioactive Waste Acceptance Program.

   Navarro earned the fee based on the EM Nevada Program’s evaluation of criteria for award fee and performance incentive fee pools.

   Navarro received excellent ratings for all award fee evaluation criteria including business relations, management of key personnel, cost control, schedule, quality, and health and safety. The associated award fee percentage earned was 92 percent.

   The incentive fee portion included objective performance measures in the areas of program integration, industrial sites, underground test area, soils, and the radioactive waste acceptance program. Navarro earned 96 percent of the available associated incentive fee.

   There were no significant or notable deficiencies identified during the rating period.

   View the fee scorecard for Navarro here.

-Contributor: John Myers

Back to Top

EM Reaches Milestone in Deactivation of Paducah’s C-400 Building

Equipment for the criticality accident alarm system (shown above) was permanently shut off in the C-400 Cleaning Building.

PADUCAH, Ky. – Workers have cleaned up legacy materials in the C-400 Cleaning Building at EM’s Paducah Site so they no longer pose a potential threat to the public and environment, a key milestone in the project’s deactivation and remediation stages.

   With that milestone achieved, there is no longer a need for the criticality accident alarm system (CAAS) in the facility, EM officials said.

   “Reaching this stage is an important step towards the safe demolition of the C-400 Cleaning Building next year. It’s a testament to our skilled workers who have dedicated their time and expertise to making sure we were able to safely accomplish this task,” said Jennifer Woodard, Paducah Site lead for EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office.

Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership workers remove instrument lines and electrical conduit from the C-400 Cleaning Building.

   Installed in C-400 around 1999, the CAAS was required in buildings where a potential radiological event could occur. It functioned much in the same way as a residential smoke detector. For instance, if abnormal levels of certain chemicals were detected in the building, an alarm would sound, alerting site personnel to the threat. The CAAS served as a safety feature at the site, but never had to be sounded in such an event in C-400.

   With the CAAS deactivated, EM cleanup contractor Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership (FRNP) can now take steps toward final demolition, FRNP Deputy Program Manager Myrna Redfield said.

   “I commend the crew for working safely to remove these legacy materials,” Redfield said. “There is still much work to be done, but this is a significant step toward getting the building demolition-ready.”

   C-400 was built in 1952 and served as the primary facility for cleaning and decontaminating parts and equipment used in uranium enrichment. Demolition is slated to be completed next fall.

-Contributors: Jerome Ellington, Jessica Vasseur

Back to Top

Oak Ridge Employee Achieves Highest Engineering Honor

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – When it comes to leadership roles in DOE projects, Harold Conner is something of a legend. Over the span of 50 years, his talent, knowledge, and expertise have led to a diverse career across the DOE complex.

   Now, he is using his vast experience to support the cleanup mission in Oak Ridge — where his career began.

   Conner has worked at the gaseous diffusion plants in Paducah, Kentucky and Portsmouth, Ohio as well as the Idaho National Laboratory, the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

   “Harold’s insight and perspective is incredibly valuable to our cleanup mission,” said Jay Mullis, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of EM. “We are very fortunate to have people with his level of experience and qualifications supporting our efforts locally.”

Harold Conner, who has worked in the DOE complex for 50 years, was recently named an American Institute of Chemical Engineers Fellow.

   After working at other DOE sites, Conner returned to Tennessee, where he was recently named an American Institute of Chemical Engineers Fellow. Fellow represents the highest level of membership, and it is achieved only through election by the board of directors based on lifetime career achievements.

   The son of school teachers, Harold was the first African-American student to enroll in engineering at the University of Tennessee–Martin, and in 1968, he became the first African-American to earn a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the college. He later earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering and a doctorate in industrial and systems engineering.

   While pursuing his undergraduate degree, Conner began his career as a co-op student at the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (K-25 Site), now known as the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). His entry-level co-op routine of working one quarter and going to school the next eventually earned him a fulltime job at Oak Ridge after graduating from the university.

   Conner spent the next 33 years working in almost every facility at ETTP, eventually being named K-25 site manager and later vice president of environmental management and enrichment facilities. In that latter role, Conner managed 3,000 workers and a $500 million budget for operations in Oak Ridge, Paducah, and Portsmouth.

   A career veteran of multiple nuclear projects, Conner currently serves as senior adviser to UCOR President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Rueter. UCOR is the Oak Ridge cleanup contractor.

   In addition to his recent Fellow designation, Conner has been awarded the prestigious University of Tennessee Alumni Professional Achievement Award and the Secretary of Energy Award of Achievement. He is also a member of the advisory board of the University of Tennessee Nuclear Engineering Department.

-Contributor: Mike Butler

Back to Top

ORP Contractor Earns Nearly 98 Percent of Available Fee for One-Year Period

A Wastren Advantage Inc., employee tests a sample of tank waste at the 222-S Laboratory on the Hanford Site.

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Office of River Protection awarded its Analytical Laboratory contractor nearly $212,000, or 98 percent, of the available award fee for its work at the Hanford Site during a performance evaluation period from Sept. 21, 2017 through Sept. 20, 2018.

   EM releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing the work called for in their contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program.

   Each year, technicians at Wastren Advantage Inc., test some 25,000 samples of materials at the 222-S Laboratory in the 200 West area in support of the Hanford cleanup. The lab receives, handles, tests, analyzes, and stores samples from numerous projects on the site. Wastren workers have expertise in fields including nuclear engineering, nuclear physics, organic and inorganic chemistry, waste management, biology, and ecology.

   The contractor met the full fee criteria for all three of its performance based incentives, and achieved an average of 94 percent on the subjective criteria, known as special emphasis areas. Of that criteria, Wastren received above 95 percent in two areas and above 92 percent in the other two.

   Demonstrating active worker participation in safety and health programs, Wastren achieved the DOE Voluntary Protection Program Legacy Star status in fiscal 2018.

   Wastren significantly improved laboratory operations by initiating new project management approaches, identifying and resolving quality-affecting issues, improving the analytical instrument maintenance program, expanding the use of automated bar code reading, and identifying improvements to sample analysis and waste handling processes that have significantly improved the laboratory performance, according to the scorecard.

   Extensive external and internal assessments of Wastren’s performance revealed few programmatic or operational weaknesses. The scorecard noted four key areas of improvement, including communicating with project managers in the field and meeting original deliverable due dates.

   View the fiscal 2018 scorecard for Wastren here.

Back to Top

Crane Weighing 150 Tons to Support Hanford Cleanup for Years to Come

Mission Support Alliance crane operator David Nissen uses the 150-ton crane and a 256-foot extension to safely lift ironworkers and electricians to the work area at the Cold Test Facility.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Given the complexity of the work at the Hanford Site, special equipment is often needed to complete day-to-day activities.

   EM Richland Operations Office contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA), the site services provider, recently retrofitted a 150-ton, rough-terrain crane to access hard-to-reach locations across the site.

   MSA used the crane to safely change lights at the Cold Test Facility for tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions. The facility is a test site for new and innovative technology used to safely remove high-level radioactive and chemical waste from Hanford’s underground storage tanks. It also provides a non-radiological environment for workers to train using the tools.

   “Investing in new equipment is a win-win situation for the Department of Energy because it allows us to protect workers and keep the cleanup mission moving forward,” said Jeff Frey, RL assistant manager for mission support. “Because aging equipment can lead to delays, repair costs, and increased risk, we want to provide our workers with the tools they need.”

   Due to the unique structure and set-up of the facility, the crane’s projected arm plus an extension were needed to reach a combined length of 256 feet to give workers access to the structure.

   “This particular crane has been a valuable tool in the cleanup mission, especially in the tank farms,” said Sean McFadden, MSA crane pool coordinator. “The crane’s larger capacity, wider work radius, and greater reach allow workers to navigate through different terrain and obstacles.”

-Contributor: Renee Brooks

Back to Top

Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Receives Fuel to Power Utilities

RICHLAND, Wash. – Workers at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) recently filled a diesel fuel oil storage tank with nearly 300,000 gallons of fuel. It was the first time crews filled the tank, which required more than 30 deliveries from a fuel truck delivering 9,700 gallons per visit over three weeks. The 50-by-23-foot tank has a capacity of more than 340,000 gallons and could load the fuel tanks of 19,000 cars. The fuel oil facility is part of the WTP Balance of Facilities. It will provide storage and distribution of diesel fuel to the steam plant, which supplies steam for use in the site’s buildings for process heating and ventilation.

-Contributor: Ian Klei

Back to Top

Follow EM on Twitter at: @EMAssistantSec

Like EM on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/DOEEnvironmentalManagement