Idaho Calcine Retrieval Crews Use Full-Scale Model to Test Technologies; Cell Cleanout, Saw Testing Mark Progress in Hanford 324 Building Project; and much more!
DOE Office of Environmental Management sent this bulletin at 05/28/2019 02:40 PM EDT
The bin set mockup, located in a clean processing cell at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center, is being used to test several proposed calcine retrieval technologies.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – EM and cleanup contractor Fluor Idaho began demonstrations this month simulating the retrieval of a radioactive waste known as calcine.
About 4,400 cubic meters of calcine are in storage in six separate bin sets inside concrete vaults. The bins are a series of long cylinders, and the number of bins in each set varies. Workers are using a full-scale mock-up of a bin for the demonstrations.
The calcine is a dry, granular byproduct from converting liquid waste generated during historic spent nuclear fuel reprocessing into a more stable solid. It must be retrieved and ready to leave the state of Idaho by 2035, in compliance with the 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement. Demonstrating retrieval is an important step toward that milestone.
The demonstrations are occurring at the former Fuel Reprocessing Restoration Facility (CPP-691), which was constructed in the late 1980s to reprocess spent nuclear fuel and recover unused uranium. The building was not completed since the U.S. stopped reprocessing in 1992 due to nuclear proliferation concerns.
“We’ve done some testing on our retrieval technologies at a local fabrication shop, but this is the first time that we’ve brought this equipment to the site to be tested on the full-scale model,” Fluor Idaho Project Manager Howard Forsythe said. “We’ll get to see how effective each piece of equipment is and its effectiveness at operating in concert with another technology.”
A full-scale model of the CSSF 1 bin was constructed to simulate retrieval of calcined waste from the CSSF 1 bin set — the oldest of the six bin sets — for transfer to a newer one with storage capacity. This process will provide the regulatory framework for closing the remaining bin sets after the calcine is removed for treatment and disposition.
Retrieving calcined waste from the CSSF 1 bin set will be the most challenging of all six bin sets because the bins were not designed for retrieval and lack access risers. Also, the CSSF 1 bin set has internal obstructions that could limit access within the bins.
Crews transported and installed the CSSF 1 bin replica in a below-grade cell at CPP-691, and they installed bulk retrieval equipment and associated instrument control systems on the main level. The bin model will be used to test the bulk retrieval equipment and waste retrieval components, such as the residual cleanout and visual equipment systems.
Forsythe’s team spent six months rehabilitating CPP-691 by removing excess equipment and supplies, establishing permanent electrical power, and installing required safety equipment. The building will serve as the demonstration area to test retrieval designs and operations.
Initial system testing is complete, and project engineers and operators are preparing for the first surrogate material transfer.
A 4,500-pound floor saw prototype tested in 2017 at Hanford’s Maintenance and Storage Facility is now being remotely tested at the 324 Building mock-up after incorporating lessons learned into the final design. The mock-up tests are the next step toward deployment in one of the 324 Building's hot cells.
RICHLAND, Wash. – Hanford Site workers continue to make significant progress removing radioactive soil under a former engineering laboratory.
Removing the debris paves the way for installing an industrial saw to cut through the steel-lined hot cell and concrete floor to remotely access and excavate contaminated soil under the hot cell. Operators are currently training on the floor saw at the 324 Building mock-up. The mock-up includes a replica of the hot cell, which allows workers to test equipment and techniques in a clean environment before performing work at the 324 Building.
“The development and deployment of key equipment — such as the remote excavator and the floor saw — is driving significant progress toward the eventual remediation of hazardous material under the hot cell,” said Ben Vannah, EM project manager. “Remediation of this facility will reduce a significant risk to the Columbia River.”
A recently installed network of lights and cameras gives workers a better look inside the radioactive B Cell at the Hanford Site’s 324 Building. The setup allows operators to safely remove debris and install equipment to prepare for the eventual remote excavation and removal of contaminated soil beneath the B Cell floor.
To protect the building during remediation and keep workers safe, crews recently modified drilling equipment to improve contamination control after they discovered higher than expected contamination during drilling in the building’s basement mid-March.
The project team stopped drilling activities, evaluated the conditions, and implemented the enhancements necessary before restarting the activities this month. The controls will keep workers safe as they drill and install micropiles to strengthen the building’s foundation while remote equipment is used to excavate contaminated soil below B Cell.
“I would like to thank the workers and project management for following safety protocols and working together to modify the equipment and safety controls,” said Brian Vance, Hanford Site manager. “We will continue to take a conservative approach to contamination controls and safety to ensure our workforce is protected.”
After removing the highly radioactive soil, the 324 Building can safely be demolished, eliminating one of the last remaining facilities in the 300 Area.
Freestone Environmental Services geologists Zack McGuire, left, and Lindsey Getchell deploy a sensor the firm developed under the Small Business Innovation Research Program to monitor a treatability test for hexavalent chromium contamination in groundwater at the Hanford Site.
RICHLAND, Wash. – A local small business supporting the EMRichland Operations Office (RL) soil and groundwater program has made history as the first company outside the U.S. Department of Defense to receive a contract under the final phase of the federal government’s Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR).
Richland-based Freestone Environmental Services has begun using a tool it developed under that program that could transform the way RL collects data to monitor hexavalent chromium. Nearly 550 extraction wells on the Hanford Site are available for workers to draw samples to monitor this contaminant of concern.
The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) awarded Freestone a contract to implement its remote chromium monitoring sensor after the company successfully developed and demonstrated the product through multiple SBIR phases. The system automatically detects, samples, analyzes, and relays data on the concentration of hexavalent chromium at the moment the contaminant reaches a groundwater monitoring well.
“This is real-time data collection rather than much-delayed monitoring and waiting for the manually collected sample results to come back from the laboratories, which can take from seven to 30 days,” said Ellwood Glossbrenner, RL project scientist. “This technology will tell us exactly when it gets there, what the extent of contamination is, and the dynamic nature of the plume in the groundwater aquifer.”
A process called soil flushing is being tested in the area of a known continuing source of hexavalent chrome contamination in the soil column. The water will dissolve the chromium source and push the contaminant down to the groundwater, at which point the monitor will immediately alert workers to an increase in contaminant concentration, which is transmitted to a web-based data management platform. The hexavalent chromium will be captured using the existing groundwater pump-and-treat system.
“This will be better for the environment over the long term, because it’s getting done more quickly, which will speed up the cleanup process,” said Heidi Weber, the RL contract specialist who worked with the U.S. Small Business Administration and GSA, which have purview over the SBIR and awarded the contract, respectively.
“This has the potential to be used across the site and especially at locations where there is a known or suspected continuing source in the soil column,” Glossbrenner said. “The sensor technology can provide real-time input to help optimize groundwater cleanup and lifecycle costs for the pump-and-treat systems.”
RICHLAND, Wash. – Earlier this month, crews at Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) turned over to startup the last of 14 infrastructure support buildings necessary for the plant’s Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) operation. The achievement marks the substantial completion of engineering, procurement, construction, and transition to the startup testing phase. The recently completed building, which houses a standby diesel generator, is one of 14 structures that will eventually supply site-wide utilities to support WTP’s low-activity waste vitrification process. The generator will next undergo functional testing as part of its startup phase. As construction is completed, the systems and buildings are transferred to the startup team, which performs testing to verify the equipment functions as intended. After the startup phase, a commissioning phase ensures the utilities and process systems are integrated and ready to support future plant operations. So far, five buildings are in the commissioning phase, while the remaining nine building are undergoing startup testing. The support infrastructure includes an electrical power distribution system, backup power, water purification, compressed air, steam, communication and control, and fire water systems. Through the DFLAW vitrification approach, EM's Office of River Protection will begin treating tank waste no later than 2023.
DENVER – More than 45 federal and contractor employees from across the EM complex recently gathered to collaborate on information technology, operational technology, and cybersecurity in conjunction with the DOE Cyber Conference (CyberCon). Several Department leaders addressed the EM IT Collaboration group during the meeting, including DOE Chief Information Officer Max Everett (pictured).
Michael Benjamin, a Washington River Protection Solutions chemical engineer at the Hanford Site, is recognized with an award at the 45th National Society of Black Engineers convention by Mikala Windham, chair of the society’s local chapter.
Michael Benjamin, a Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) production operations engineer at the EMOffice of River Protection’s (ORP) Hanford Site, received an award for Member of the Year. He serves as the president of the Tri-Cities Professionals Chapter of the NSBE, which also won Chapter of the Year.
“This was a great opportunity to bring recognition to the Tri-Cities and the important work we do at Hanford,” Benjamin said.
Benjamin has a degree in chemical engineering and has been involved with the NSBE since 2014. At WRPS, he focuses on monitoring for chemical vapors and analyzing various forms of data.
As president of the local chapter, Benjamin has encouraged other engineers to consider moving to the Tri-Cities area and working at Hanford. He attended NSBE’s regional conference last November and helped recruit students who had not previously considered Hanford Site careers.
“I think my position as president and ability to paint a picture of the authenticity of the Hanford Site and the Tri-Cities area was a game changer,” Benjamin said.
WRPS supervisor Nick Kirch praised Benjamin’s work.
“Since joining WRPS, Michael has been evaluating how tank vapor data changes during operational activities,” Kirch said. “He recently jumped into our waste chemistry evaluations for corrosion control and has become a vital member of his team.”
Benjamin said he looks forward to continuing his work at WRPS and his involvement in NSBE, and to bringing up-and-coming engineers on board to contribute to the Hanford cleanup.
Learn how research has tracked how OREM’s projects are improving the health and diversity of the local ecosystem, and how OREM funding is expanding the lab’s facility and adding new research capabilities this fall.
Watch the second of the four-part video series here. Click here for the first segment in the series.
Left to right, Savannah River Remediation mentors David Burke, Ian Wright, Susan Lawson, and William Spurlin; and University of South Carolina-Aiken students Elizabeth Rustad, Jacob Barr, Daniel Orillac-Medica, and Yasser Alzahrani.
AIKEN, S.C. – A first-time collaboration involving data analysis between EM’s Savannah River Site (SRS) and the University of South Carolina-Aiken (USCA) has proven successful as four computer science students recently presented their work in a final step toward graduation.
Savannah River Remediation (SRR), the liquid waste contractor at SRS, launched the project to provide students with real-world, hands-on experience with the latest software. They worked with SRR employees to learn how to use a top-tier software tool for data analysis. That tool currently monitors certain equipment for preventative maintenance inside the Defense Waste Processing Facility and will help manage salt batch preparations for the Salt Waste Processing Facility.
“It’s exciting to see students have an opportunity to put new technologies to use this way,” said Patricia Allen, director of SRR environmental, safety, health, and quality assurance. “We’re excited about this new relationship with USCA and believe it can be mutually beneficial.”
USCA students Elizabeth Rustad, Jacob Barr, Yasser Alzahrani, and Daniel Orillac-Medica participated in the senior-year project, learning the rigors of the software lifecycle including requirements, design, and testing documentation. They developed a method for developing and analyzing “big data,” which USCA refers to as the abundance of information in the digital age and the speed with which it multiplies.
This SRR education outreach continues a relationship with USCA that introduces various SRS operations to students, helping them grow skillsets while opening another pipeline of potential employees to support SRS work. SRR and USCA have collaborated on hiring summer interns at SRR, mentoring students, and helping create a new engineering program at the institution.
“We believe it would have been otherwise difficult for these students to gain this level of exposure to and insights into such robust analytics,” Allen said. “The mentoring by SRR’s professional engineers offers greater understanding of applied technology. We also feel that helping to boost students’ abilities at USCA could help provide SRR future workers with valuable knowledge of today’s technology.”
Jessica Krzemien is a deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) waste operator for EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project prime contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley.
WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – Jessica Krzemien, a deactivation and decommissioning (D&D) waste operator at EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP), began learning to respect and care for the environment at a young age.
“I spent most of my time enjoying outdoor activities, so my interest in the environment came at an early age. I also helped my father with his landscaping business,” Krzemien said. “I was taught the importance of leaving a small footprint wherever I was, and to do my part in keeping nature looking beautiful.”
Krzemien continues to follow in the footsteps of her father, Jerome, a former WVDP D&D operator for 20 years. He often shared his experiences and knowledge of WVDP with his daughter.
Hired by EM’s WVDP prime contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV) in February, Krzemien has worked on the Vitrification Facility demolition and more recently on the deactivation of the Main Plant Process Building.
As a local resident, Krzemien feels it’s important to be a part of the WVDP cleanup.
“I appreciate working with experienced and knowledgeable people who are willing to share their experience and expertise with me,” Krzemien said. “As a former special education teacher, I am now the student learning from WVDP veterans and subject-matter experts who, like me, are helping to reduce risks and legacy waste for generations to come."
Krzemien is assigned to the Main Plant to remove asbestos-containing material from the wall plaster inside a control room — some of the most physically challenging work at the site right now, according to CHBWV D&D Manager Dale Macklem.
“Jessica is a hard worker who is always dedicated to learning something new, and then putting that knowledge into practice. She has a bright future at WVDP,” Macklem said.
The UCOR grants fund a variety of projects. Here, a team of students from Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge take part in a robotics challenge.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Designing and building a robot. Learning to print in 3-D. Researching current events and then producing a news media show.
These are a few of the activities local schools will now be able to offer students thanks to grants from the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management’s cleanup contractor UCOR.
This year, the company awarded 36 grants totaling $27,500 to those schools for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) projects. Known as mini-grants, the awards range from $500 to $1,000 and will be used to purchase materials to enhance STEM education.
“It’s never too early to start thinking about the next generation of workers,” said Ken Rueter, UCOR president and CEO. “The material purchased from our mini-grants provides students with an awareness and appreciation of science careers and will hopefully open their minds to pursuing education in a STEM field.”
Recipients of UCOR’s 2019 mini-grants to local schools gather for a photo.
UCOR has awarded more than $150,000 in mini-grants since 2012. The funding is part of the company’s community support program, which focuses on children’s advocacy, education and workforce development, health and wellness, and conservation.
The projects funded by the grants involve a variety of science topics, including gardening, solar energy, alternative building materials, and weather.
“I will use the materials purchased with the mini-grant to teach my students how flowing water can move soil and rocks from one place to another, changing the shape of a landform and how this can affect living things,” said Linda Collins, a teacher from Wynn Habersham Elementary School in neighboring Campbell County, Tennessee. “We will have learning stations set up to investigate forces and motion as well as engineering and design.”