Operations Begin for Tank Closure Demonstration Project at Savannah River Site; EM Rehabilitates Idaho Site Well Using Innovative Technology; and much more!

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EM Update | Vol. 11, Issue 3 | Jan. 22, 2019

Operations Begin for Tank Closure Demonstration Project at Savannah River Site
EM Rehabilitates Idaho Site Well Using Innovative Technology
Oak Ridge Crews to Enhance Safety, Reduce Cost at Former Reactor
SRS Facility Produces 30 Million Gallons of Decontaminated Mixture
Crews Safely Deliver Large Vessels to Hanford Waste Treatment Plant
DUF6 Conversion Project Off to Strong Start Following Improvements
Multipurpose Facility Prepares New Hanford Workers for Cleanup Challenges
Keeping SRS Workers Safe in Highly Enriched Uranium Campaign
Hanford Site Contractor Uses Unique Method to Examine Building Safety

Operations Begin for Tank Closure Demonstration Project at Savannah River Site

The Tank Closure Cesium Removal unit, stationed near Tanks 10 and 11 in the SRS H Tank Farm, consists of three modular skids: a main process enclosure housing all systems and components to treat the radioactive salt waste, a separate ventilation skid to provide environmental conditioning and contamination control for the main process enclosure, and a control skid to house the operating and video monitoring systems and provide for operator interface.

AIKEN, S.C. – EM has begun operating a significant tank closure project at the Savannah River Site (SRS), representing a major step forward in the liquid waste cleanup mission at SRS and across the DOE complex.

EM and its SRS liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation (SRR) this month initiated operations for the Tank Closure Cesium Removal (TCCR), a demonstration project designed to accelerate removal of radioactive waste from the SRS underground tanks to support tank closure.

The process involves 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. Salt waste accounts for more than 90 percent of waste in the SRS tank farms.

DOE-Savannah River Manager Mike Budney said the TCCR operation, if proven feasible, will be key to accelerating EM’s waste retrieval and tank closure efforts.

“The Tank Closure Cesium Removal project will supplement existing and planned facilities in the removal of radioactive cesium from liquid waste stored at the site, keeping with the DOE priority of protecting people and the environment,” Budney said.

The modular enclosure is deployed at Tanks 10 and 11 in H Tank Farm. The waste from Tank 10 will pass through the TCCR process, including a set of pre-filters and multiple ion exchange columns. The waste stream is treated with an engineered resin inside the ion exchange columns to remove the cesium. The cesium-rich resin and ion exchange columns will then be dried and sent to an interim safe storage area onsite and monitored prior to future disposal. The decontaminated salt solution will be transferred to Tank 11 and on to the Saltstone Production Facility for disposal at SRS.

The high-level waste constituents, such as cesium, must be removed from the tanks before the tanks can be operationally closed and removed from service. Cesium’s characteristics make it a top priority for removal.

TCCR will process several batches during this demonstration period. The first step in batch processing is salt dissolution, where water is used to dissolve the solid salt waste in the tank, called salt cake. After salt dissolution, but prior to processing the waste through TCCR, the batches of material will be sampled and analyzed, and its chemical constituents verified to be within the safety basis requirements before sending it through the TCCR process.

TCCR is expected to process 600,000 to 750,000 gallons of dissolved salt waste over a nine-month operating period. At the end of the demonstration period, DOE and SRR will evaluate the effectiveness of the TCCR system to decontaminate radioactive salt waste for disposal and the feasibility of continued TCCR operation and future units.

EM’s Savannah River National Laboratory contributed to research and development of ion exchange technology at SRS in support of the TCCR program. Westinghouse Electric Co. and Columbia Energy and Environmental Services supplied the TCCR unit.

-Contributor: Colleen Hart

EM Rehabilitates Idaho Site Well Using Innovative Technology

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – EM has rehabilitated a deep aquifer monitoring well at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory Site and will return it to service after it tested positive for an industrial solvent three years ago.

Known as Middle-2051, the well is located in the south-central portion of the 890-square-mile site. It first tested positive for perchloroethylene (PCE) in November 2015. Because the 1,110-foot-deep well is sealed off from the surrounding aquifer, scientists with EM cleanup contractor Fluor Idaho were able to determine that the solvent originated in the well’s tubing fluid and was not present in the groundwater.

In an ensuing investigation, researchers determined two similar wells in different areas of the site also contained PCE in their tubing fluid. Engineers found that only the tubing fluid isolated within the wells was contaminated. Investigators deduced an isolated event likely led to the contamination of the wells.

Fluor Idaho’s Environmental Restoration (ER) Program developed an innovative, custom-made device called a “filter-swab” to capture the PCE contamination in the tubing fluid. The device is a stainless steel, screened sleeve filled with granulated activated carbon. Workers lowered the device more than 1,000 feet into the wells, and the PCE attached to the carbon as the water passed through the sleeve.

A custom-made “filter-swab” is used to capture perchloroethylene contamination in the tubing fluid of a deep aquifer monitoring well at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory Site.

With each pass in the well column, PCE concentrations were reduced,” Fluor Idaho ER Program Director Mark Jewett said. “Tubing fluid samples that were analyzed by an independent lab showed that PCE levels in Middle-2051 were reduced to such a level that we can return the well to service and begin collecting aquifer samples in the immediate future.”

Rehabilitation of the other two wells using the same technology is scheduled for completion by this summer.

“We’re very encouraged by what we’ve observed thus far,” Jewett said. “If all goes well, we should be able to use these additional two wells for aquifer sampling once again.”

The wells are important for understanding how deep site-generated contaminants are located within the aquifer and the speed at which they move in water.

-Contributor: Erik Simpson

Oak Ridge Crews to Enhance Safety, Reduce Cost at Former Reactor

A view of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – EM crews this month began a $4.7 million project that will reduce maintenance and operations costs at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s (ORNL) Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) and relocate employees stationed at this decades-old facility.

The project, expected to result in cost savings of nearly $25 million, will enhance the facilities’ electrical distribution, sump pump, fire suppression, and monitoring systems. Personnel currently housed in the building will move to other site locations to help with other projects.

MSRE only operated for four years in the 1960s, but it earned an enduring legacy as an innovative technology concept. Although it was shut down 50 years ago, certain systems within the reactor building have continued to operate to keep the facility safe and stable until it can be demolished. EM is responsible for the facility’s safety until decommissioning — scheduled to start in the 2030s — begins.

EM defueled the reactor by removing uranium from its fuel salts in 2007. The cleanup program is working to identify the best approach to address remaining fuel salts in the building.

“We are improving the reliability of systems that perform safety functions in the facility, which will result in a reduction of operations and maintenance costs that EM can direct to other important deactivation activities across ORNL,” ORNL Portfolio Federal Project Director Bill McMillan said. “The project will also relocate approximately 30 employees currently housed at MSRE, allowing them to assist other projects.”

Crews will replace existing electrical systems with a new conduit-based electrical system to power essential systems. This change will minimize maintenance costs, reduce risk of injury to workers, and provide reliable electrical service.

The new sump pump system, which removes groundwater from the building’s basement and foundation, will provide more reliable operations, improve safety, and reduce risks during maintenance activities.

Workers will design and install the new dry fire suppression system, which will eliminate costs associated with purchasing and providing steam from the laboratory.

EM and cleanup contractor UCOR are scheduled to complete the project in April 2020.

-Contributor: Mike Butler

SRS Facility Produces 30 Million Gallons of Decontaminated Mixture

Savannah River Remediation engineers Jay McCrary and Connie Yung work in front of the silos at the Saltstone Production Facility, where decontaminated salt solution is mixed with a cement-like grout for safe and permanent storage in the EM's Saltstone Disposal Units.

AIKEN, S.C. – A Savannah River Site (SRS) facility has produced more than 30 million gallons of decontaminated salt solution mixed with a cement-like grout since beginning operations in 1990, a vital cog in the system that removes waste from tanks and moves it ultimately into safe storage.

The Saltstone Production Facility (SPF) is the last stop for this solution after it is sent from the site’s 43 remaining underground waste tanks — eight have been closed — to other SRS liquid waste facilities for processing. Sludge and salt are the two forms of radioactive liquid waste inside the tanks, and salt waste accounts for 90 percent of the tanks’ contents.

Processing salt waste to achieve tank closure is critical to reducing the risk the waste poses, said Jim Folk, DOE-Savannah River Assistant Manager for Waste Disposition.

“Innovation, together with hard work, has brought us to where we are today in producing over 30 million gallons of saltstone,” said Folk. “DOE is committed to safely executing the liquid waste mission at SRS, and this milestone continues to demonstrate the long-term success of this process.”

The salt waste is treated at interim salt processing facilities known as the Actinide Removal Process and Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit. This integrated system removes radionuclides from the salt, resulting in the decontaminated salt solution. This solution is the sent to the SPF to create the saltstone, a safe and permanent disposal solution for decontaminated salt waste at SRS.

Saltstone is stored in the Saltstone Disposal Units, which are reinforced concrete tanks that are modeled after commercial water storage tanks.

-Contributor: Ashley Dernberger

Crews Safely Deliver Large Vessels to Hanford Waste Treatment Plant

Workers at Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) safely lower a 45-foot-tall, 24.5-ton vessel to support construction of an effluent management facility. The vessel is one of six manufactured, tested, and delivered by a Washington state-based company for WTP prime contractor Bechtel National Inc.

RICHLAND, Wash. — Four large corrosion-resistant process vessels recently arrived at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), marking a significant step in the effluent management facility (EMF) construction.

The vessels are internal components of the EMF, which serves as part of the WTP Balance of Facilities support infrastructure. The vessels will aid the process to receive, hold, and transfer liquids throughout the EMF. During low-activity waste (LAW) vitrification, secondary liquid waste is generated from the melter off-gas system and during waste transfer pipe flushing. These liquids go to the EMF where excess water is evaporated, and the remaining concentrate is sent back into the vitrification process.

“We now have 12 of 14 Balance of Facilities buildings in either the startup-and-testing phase, or fully operational to support the commissioning phase,” said Tom Fletcher, WTP project director for EM’s Office of River Protection. “The effluent management facility represents the final major WTP construction effort to support the direct feed low-activity waste (DFLAW) treatment approach.”

The effluent management facility (EMF) is the final major Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) construction effort to support the direct feed low-activity waste approach. Four large vessels recently arrived at WTP to move EMF construction forward.

The vessels range in size and have a combined weight of more than 56 tons with a total capacity of more than 73,400 gallons. The largest of the vessels stands 45 feet tall with a 14-foot diameter and weighs 24.5 tons with a 38,000-gallon capacity.

Washington state-based manufacturer Greenberry Industrial fabricated the corrosion-resistant vessels for WTP prime contractor Bechtel National Inc. (BNI). The vessels were fabricated, welded, and tested at the company’s Vancouver, Washington, and Corvallis, Oregon, facilities, then transported to WTP via a heavy-haul trailer. The largest vessel was shipped at nighttime to minimize traffic impacts and improve transportation safety.

“Receiving these large vessels is an important step in moving the effluent management facility from a civil construction phase to a mechanical and piping installation phase,” said Valerie McCain, BNI principal vice president and WTP project director. “With a majority of the concrete and structural steel work complete, we can now move forward with installing piping, equipment, and vessels.”

Work crews have already installed two vessels from Greenberry Industrial and expect to install the four new arrivals in spring 2019. Crews have also begun piping installation along with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ducting and electrical work.

The DFLAW approach initiates the treatment of low-activity Hanford tank waste, increases available double-shell tank space, and provides valuable lessons to aid startup and commissioning of other portions of the WTP.

-Contributor: George Rangel

DUF6 Conversion Project Off to Strong Start Following Improvements

Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office Manager Robert Edwards, front row, at left shaking hands with Mid-America Conversion Services Union Safety Representative Jeremy Bates, joins personnel at EM’s Portsmouth Site for a group photo to commemorate all seven DUF6 Conversion Project production lines in operation.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – EM converted 5,110 metric tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) into a more stable form from October through December last year, well over halfway to its goal of 9,000 metric tons for fiscal 2019.

The DUF6 Conversion Project returned all seven of its production lines to simultaneous operation in 2018 following several pauses for safety and maintenance purposes. The project completed facility and process improvements at both its Ohio and Kentucky facilities aimed at safety, efficiency, and improved production.

“This past year, the DUF6 project implemented facility improvements and operational efficiencies that build a foundation for sustained safe production,” said Robert Edwards, manager of EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO).

DUF6 project directors and work crews at EM’s Paducah Site commemorate all seven production lines in operation.

A new hydrogen-generation unit at the Paducah DUF6 facility was one of many upgrades to the DUF6 Conversion Project completed in 2018.

Other major achievements by the DUF6 project in 2018 include:

Operations and maintenance prime contractor Mid-America Conversion Services surpassed 3-million work hours without a lost-time injury;
Crews prepared the 100-millionth pound of aqueous hydrofluoric acid coproduct for recycling;
Cylinder transfer systems and cylinder evacuation rooms began operations to address non-standard DUF6 storage cylinders;
New systems for generating hydrogen, key to the conversion process, were installed at both sites, replacing less-reliable systems.

The DUF6 project has converted more than 70,000 metric tons of DOE’s more than 800,000-metric-ton inventory of DUF6 since the conversion facilities were commissioned in 2010 at the former Portsmouth and Paducah gaseous diffusion plant sites.

-Contributors: Kearney Ackermann, Brad Mitzelfelt

Multipurpose Facility Prepares New Hanford Workers for Cleanup Challenges

Trainers at the Hanford Site’s Maintenance and Storage Facility recently demonstrated the use of different tools, and workers practiced techniques to address complex hazards in the field.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Hands-on training in a full-scale mock-up facility is critical to about 40 new employees with EM Richland Operations Office (RL) contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC) as they prepare for work on the Hanford Site’s Central Plateau.

The 28,000-square-foot Maintenance and Storage Facility (MASF) has been used to develop tools, techniques, and processes to tackle some of the site’s most complex cleanup challenges.

Technologies first tested at MASF are now being used to remove highly radioactive sludge from a storage basin near the Columbia River. RL and CHPRC also used the facility to develop a prototype saw to cut through a concrete floor to remotely access and remove highly contaminated soil underneath a former laboratory and research building just north of the city of Richland.

Leon Stredwick, right, an employee with EM Richland Operations Office contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CHPRC), instructs a new hire on the use of a specialized drill system.

Trainers at the facility recently demonstrated the use of tools, and workers practiced techniques to address the site’s complex hazards. Training on cutting contaminated pipe or sampling contaminated ductwork in a simulated environment gives workers the chance to master processes in a contamination-free space before starting work in the field.

“The ability to replicate real-world scenarios allows trainers and supervisors to evaluate workers’ skill levels and assign them to areas where they will be most effective in contributing to our critical cleanup mission,” said Tom Bratvold, Central Plateau Risk Management Project vice president. “We look forward to these workers joining our teams in the field when they complete their training later this month.”

-Contributor: John Wilkerson

Keeping SRS Workers Safe in Highly Enriched Uranium Campaign

Radiological Protection Inspector Wanda Patterson gathers information before beginning a radiological survey.

AIKEN, S.C. – Through deliberate work, planning, and continuous monitoring, EM and the management and operations contractor at the Savannah River Site (SRS) ensure the safety of workers involved in a project to blend down liquid highly enriched uranium that is shipped offsite for use in generating electricity.

“The target residue material (TRM) posed a significant challenge to the team in designing the processes for safely handling the material, which is shipped in individual stainless-steel containers,” said Johnny Lott, facility manager with H Area Radiological Protection Department (RPD) at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS).

Lott said the containers, which have significant dose and contamination rates, need to be handled with extra care to ensure safety. That’s why SRNS devised ways to limit worker exposure to the containers and provide real-time monitoring of personnel involved in the project, he said.

One of the most successful methods for limiting personnel exposure is use of wireless computer tablets as remote controls to allow a mechanized container removal system to enter the cask in which the TRM containers are shipped. That system pulls the containers into a shielding device for initial processing, eliminating the need for operators to be in high dose rate areas.

SRNS also performs pre- and post-job reviews for employees to provide suggestions on how to improve the process in which the RPD quantifies exposure rates without being in the radiation field.

Real-time monitoring allows SRNS to make sure radiation exposure remains within acceptable levels when employees are around the containers.

“Safety is at the forefront of all we do at SRS, and I congratulate the team on doing what it takes to make this operation as safe for our workers as possible,” said Wyatt Clark, SRNS vice president of EM operations.

-Contributor: Lindsey MonBarren

Hanford Site Contractor Uses Unique Method to Examine Building Safety

High-resolution aerial photographs allowed EM Richland Operations office contractor Mission Support Alliance to inspect the condition of roofs on the Hanford Site and identify potential hazards, eliminating the need for workers to walk on them.

RICHLAND, Wash. - EM Richland Operations Office (RL) contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) crews soared to new heights to minimize safety hazards for employees working to replace roofs at the Hanford Site while avoiding costs for taxpayers.

Approximately 25 aging buildings across the center of the site were identified for roof repair or replacement. During the planning process, MSA is using aerial photography to take high-resolution photos of the roofs, enabling assessment of them without putting people on each building. The aerial photographs help clarify the scope of work and identify potential hazards.

“Reducing risk is an important aspect of safety on the Hanford Site,” said Jeff Frey, RL assistant manager for mission support. “I want to thank MSA for finding innovative ways to keep workers safe.”

MSA has used aerial photography during the procurement process for nine of the 25 roofing projects. The remaining 16 projects are expected to be bid over the next 18 months.

“This approach gave us a safe way to examine conditions on these roofs. It increased the accuracy of the bids and has already resulted in more than $40,000 in cost avoidance by reducing training and labor costs to have personnel physically check each roof,” says Mazin Kamil, MSA reliability projects manager.

-Contributor: Renee Brooks

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