EM Update | Vol. 11, Issue 33 | Aug. 27, 2019

• EM Officials Tour New Mexico Sites, Meet With Employees
• Ike White Tours SRS Liquid Waste Facilities, Engages Employees
• Idaho Site Improves Waste Treatment Facility After Successful Demonstration
• West Valley Gains Insights from Hanford to Prepare for Demolition Project
• Tool Compiles Data Almost Immediately, Helping Protect Hanford Workers
• Small Businesses Take Part in Oak Ridge Diversity Summit
• EM Inventor Honored for Contributions to Waste Packaging, Transportation
• Collaboration Leads to New Tools to Manage Risk at Hanford
• DOE, Contractors Support Small Businesses at Savannah River Site Protégé Day

EM Officials Tour New Mexico Sites, Meet With Employees

Ike White, center, Senior Advisor for EM, receives a briefing from members of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) award-winning mine rescue teams as part of an underground tour at the WIPP site. Also on the tour, at far right, is New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James C. Kenney.

CARLSBAD, N.M. – Ike White, Senior Advisor for EM, toured cleanup sites in New Mexico last week, visiting surface and underground facilities of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and projects across Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). At both sites, he recognized employees for the work they’ve accomplished to advance the cleanup mission.

"WIPP is the linchpin for our entire transuranic (TRU) waste mission. Your work here is fundamental to our ability to safely dispose of radioactive waste and complete the national cleanup mission," White said.

EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Todd Shrader, EM Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeff Griffin, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Associate Principal Deputy Administrator David Huizenga, and other EM and NNSA representatives joined White on the WIPP visit.

In the WIPP underground, members of the mine rescue teams explained how they train for emergencies, and employees discussed WIPP’s extensive ground control program, which includes the installation and maintenance of long steel bolts and wire mesh into the roof and walls.

Bruce Covert, far left, president and project manager of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) contractor Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP), and Steve Smith, third from right, NWP capital and infrastructure projects manager, give Ike White, Senior Advisor for EM, and others a briefing on WIPP’s new Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System. White is pictured between Covert and Smith.

The group viewed a roof bolting demonstration. White signed a bolt plate, which was then installed.

The visitors watched a machine mine salt from Panel 8, the latest waste disposal panel being mined at WIPP. Panels in the underground are mined at a depth of 2,150 feet in an ancient salt layer and contain seven rooms each. Each room is approximately 13 feet high, 33 feet wide, and 300 feet long, and is separated by a 100-foot beam of salt.

Waste handling technicians also showed the visitors the process of emplacing waste in the underground for permanent disposal.

WIPP representatives also gave updates on projects underway, including the Safety Significant Confinement Ventilation System and utility shaft. Together, these will replace an aging ventilation system and provide sufficient airflow for simultaneous mining, waste emplacement, and maintenance.

Ike White, Senior Advisor for EM, and EM Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeff Griffin receive a briefing on the interim measure to contain and control migration of a hexavalent chromium plume in the groundwater at Mortandad Canyon at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Pictured from left are Danny Katzman, chief scientist for the Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos water program, White, Griffin, and EM Los Alamos Field Office Manager Doug Hintze.

White began his LANL visit meeting with EM Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) staff. He outlined EM priorities, discussed legacy cleanup progress at LANL, and answered several questions from employees.

“You have a history of success here, from implementing the interim measure for the chromium plume to resuming TRU waste shipments to WIPP ahead of schedule,” White said.

During the site tour, White visited Mortandad Canyon, where an interim measure is working to contain and control the migration of a plume containing the contaminant hexavalent chromium in the groundwater — EM’s highest cleanup priority at LANL.

Danny Katzman, chief scientist for Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos’ (N3B) water program, shared the latest progress of the interim measure along the plume’s southern boundary. Katzman also detailed plans to implement the measure along the eastern edge of the plume in the months ahead. N3B is EM-LA’s cleanup contractor.

Another stop on the tour was Technical Area 54’s Area G, which is dedicated to storing, characterizing, and remediating LANL’s transuranic (TRU) and low-level waste for shipment offsite for permanent disposal. EM-LA and N3B routinely ship TRU waste to WIPP.

The tour concluded at Technical Area 21 (TA-21). Atop a mesa and across from the Los Alamos County Airport, TA-21 was the Manhattan Project and Cold War-era complex of buildings that housed a plutonium processing facility, and where groundbreaking tritium research for energy, environment, and weapons defense research took place. At the height of operations, TA-21 contained 125 buildings.

White engaged the TA-21 project team on plans to decontaminate and demolish Building 257, the former Radiological Liquid Waste Facility — the last building remaining at TA-21. Demolition of Building 257 is scheduled to begin later this year.

-Contributors: Steven Horak, Bobby St. John

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Ike White Tours SRS Liquid Waste Facilities, Engages Employees

Ike White, right, Senior Advisor for EM, engages DOE-Savannah River employees at a meeting after touring Savannah River Site (SRS) liquid waste facilities. Also pictured is SRS Manager Mike Budney.

AIKEN, S.C. – Ike White, Senior Advisor for EM, recently visited the Savannah River Site (SRS), where he toured liquid waste facilities and met with employees, commending them for their part in the cleanup program’s successes.

“You have a history of success here,” White told the staff. “For the past 30 years, men and women across the EM complex have come together as well, unified in our determination to tackle that legacy — cleaning up sites and preparing them for the next chapter in partnership with local communities like yours.”

White, SRS Manager Mike Budney, SRS Deputy Site Manager Thomas Johnson, and others toured the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) and the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) and Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) and Tank Closure Cesium Removal projects.

“We’re pleased to have Ike here with us today and to highlight for him some of the successes in the liquid waste mission,” Budney said.

A key facility to the future success of the liquid waste mission is the SWPF. White toured SWPF with Pam Marks, SWPF federal project director, and Frank Sheppard, senior vice president and project manager for Parsons, EM’s SWPF contractor.

“Once SWPF is operational it will greatly boost our ability to treat waste that is among EM’s most challenging and highest risk,” White said.

Ike White, left, Senior Advisor for EM, tours the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) with Cliff Conner, cognizant system engineer and process manager for Parsons, EM’s SWPF contractor at the Savannah River Site.

White also attended an employee recognition event held at the site’s Defense Waste Processing Facility. Savannah River Remediation, the SRS liquid waste contractor, recognized its employees for advancing the SRS liquid waste mission and for their work on ARP/MCU, a successful 11-year demonstration of two interim salt waste processing facilities that ended this year as crews prepare for startup of SWPF.

“The success of the ARP/MCU — and the broader tank waste mission here at Savannah River — illustrates what is possible when we, collectively, come together to achieve a common goal,” White said.

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Idaho Site Improves Waste Treatment Facility After Successful Demonstration

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – EM workers at the Idaho National Laboratory Site are completing several improvements to the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU) following a 50-day demonstration of the facility.

Crews will finish that work prior to another test run before actual waste treatment operations begin.

IWTU was built to treat 900,000 gallons of liquid waste from nearby underground waste tanks that accepted rinse water and other effluents from historic spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. So far, the facility has treated more than 225,000 gallons of liquid simulant in six demonstrations.

During the most recent test, IWTU converted more than 63,000 gallons of liquid simulant to a dry, granular solid. Engineers and IWTU operations personnel were impressed with the stability of the plant and the effectiveness of IWTU’s steam reforming technology.

“The takeaway from this and the previous 30-day demonstration runs is that the IWTU facility and its steam reforming technology works for liquid waste treatment,” said Archie Benner, IWTU nuclear facility manager with EM cleanup contractor Fluor Idaho. “The plant operated as designed and we’ll now focus on three key process improvements that are necessary to progress to the next level.”

A view of the Integrated Waste Treatment Unit’s (IWTU) filter bundles being tested at the Hazen Research facility in Colorado. The testing helped EM and Fluor Idaho select new filters to improve the efficiency of the process gas filters of the IWTU at the Idaho National Laboratory Site.

In the two most recent demonstrations, IWTU filters became plugged with fine particulates. Testing at a Colorado facility called Hazen Research helped EM and Fluor Idaho select new filters to improve the efficiency of IWTU’s process gas filters. Further testing will refine new operating parameters and installation requirements for the new filters.

IWTU engineers are working with a company to test a robotic arm for decontaminating stainless steel canisters that would be filled with treated waste once IWTU begins operating.

Testing continues on a new system to allow operators to decontaminate a cell, vessel, and piping without disassembling and cleaning them. A sump system would transfer the liquid decontamination solution from the cell for processing.

Crews also are working with a mock-up of the IWTU’s primary reaction vessel — called the Denitration Mineralization Reformer — to test the ability to enter the vessel and replace its internal parts once radioactive waste treatment begins. A mock-up has also been fabricated for the process gas filter and off-gas filter vessels to test removal and replacement of filter bundles and associated equipment in a radiological environment.

-Contributor: Erik Simpson

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West Valley Gains Insights from Hanford to Prepare for Demolition Project

Employees from West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) receive a briefing from Jason Casper, vice president of Hanford’s Plutonium Finishing Plant Closure Project and former vice president of WVDP contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley.

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – An EM team from the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) recently visited the Hanford Site in Washington state to learn lessons from the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) demolition project to apply to a future teardown at WVDP.

The WVDP representatives toured the PFP site and received a project update. PFP demolition activities resumed nearly a year ago after work was stopped in December 2017 following a spread of low levels of contamination. PFP was the last stop of Cold War plutonium processing on the Hanford Site.

Demolition on West Valley’s Main Plant Process Building (MPPB), which was used to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, is scheduled to start in the near future. PFP and MPPB contain similar industrial, hazardous, and radiological risks.

“Being able to share experiences, expertise, and lessons learned is an important element in being a learning organization,” EM WVDP Federal Project Director Dan Sullivan said. “Tailoring what we’ve learned to our comprehensive planning process is a formula for success.”

From left, Robert Wade, Plutonium Finishing Plant health and safety director; Tommy Fontaine, industrial and radiation safety manager with West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV); Scott Chase, CHBWV facility disposition operations manager; Jason Meppen, CHBWV radiological operations supervisor; Janice Williams, CHBWV vice president for regulatory strategy; Dan Sullivan, EM WVDP federal project director; and Jamie Prowse, EM WVDP health physicist.

The PFP project implemented a series of corrective actions before resuming lower-risk demolition activities last September. A phased demolition approach, enhanced safety controls, increased worker engagement, and improved oversight, among other actions, have proved effective in protecting workers, the environment, and the public. PFP demolition is expected to be completed early next year.

“The Plutonium Finishing Plant is happy to share our lessons learned in support of similar risk reduction activities at West Valley,” said Jason Casper, vice president of the PFP Closure Project for Hanford Site contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company. “The open exchange of information and collaboration among the sites benefits cleanup efforts across the DOE complex.”

Tommy Fontaine, industrial safety and radiation manager with WVDP cleanup contractor CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley, said obtaining insight from lessons learned is a continual activity.

“Our learning has not stopped. It continues everyday as we perform cleanup efforts to reduce legacy risks,” Fontaine said. “Hanford and WVDP, along with other sites, will continue to share lessons learned and best practices for the benefit of our employees, the public, and the environment.”

-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere

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Tool Compiles Data Almost Immediately, Helping Protect Hanford Workers

A new data compilation tool being used at the Hanford Site shows environmental conditions critical to understanding potential vapor concentrations in the site's tank farms.

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Office of River Protection (ORP) is developing another layer of worker protection by providing a data compilation tool in a pilot program at the Hanford Site tank farms.

Hanford contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) is testing the system, which compiles vast amounts of data from instruments that monitor tank farm and weather conditions and presents the information in a user-friendly dashboard. Previously, this amount of data would require weeks of compilation and analysis by several experts to put into a usable format.

“This improves worker communication and allows the Hanford tank farms workforce to view tank farm conditions based on historical and near-real-time data,” said Jim Lynch, ORP program manager for tank farm projects. “This tool will assist in keeping the workforce informed.”

Employees at the Hanford Site watch a demonstration of the new data compilation tool.

Mark Garrett, with WRPS production operations, said the tool will also aid tank farm operations. The system collects and interprets data from various sources to protect workers against potential chemical vapor exposure.

“Sharing this information with the workforce will help improve worker safety and maintain an efficient pace of operations,” said Garrett. “It’s really a visionary product.”

Workforce engagement has been key to the development and ultimate success of the tool. Users are encouraged during this pilot program and testing period to provide feedback before implementation later this fall.

“We’ve asked for this for many years, and it’s exciting because this is a tool we can use in the field to help us predict conditions that affect the workers,” said Don Slaugh, safety representative with Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council, a union that represents employees on the site. “If there is something going on in the farm, we’ll know we need to get out or take extra measures to protect ourselves. It’s awesome.”

-Contributor: Denise Mellene

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Small Businesses Take Part in Oak Ridge Diversity Summit

UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter speaks about the importance of a diverse workforce to successfully accomplish Oak Ridge’s cleanup at the Small Business Diversity Summit.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Oak Ridge environmental cleanup contractor UCOR brought together leaders from three global companies this month in an inaugural event to help area small businesses create more diverse, inclusive workforces.

“We are focused on developing a pipeline of workers for environmental cleanup work today and in the future,” UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter said. “Workforces need to have diversity in race, culture, and gender, as well as in skills, ideas, and approaches to problem-solving. What better way to bolster diversity in our industry than by having this type of forum and engaging our small business partners.”

The local Pellissippi State Community College hosted the Small Business Diversity Summit. The event was part of a broader regional workforce development initiative that supports the Oak Ridge workforce as it moves toward safely and successfully completing cleanup at the East Tennessee Technology Park and ramps up major projects at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex.

Moderator Renee Kesler, left, speaks to Pat Harris, retired chief global diversity officer for McDonald’s Corp., during the Small Business Diversity Summit.

Cheryl Cabbil, senior vice president of operations at AECOM, speaks to participants of the Small Business Diversity Summit.

Among the summit’s speakers was Pat Harris, retired chief global diversity officer for McDonald’s Corp., who shared her experiences leading an effort to transform McDonald’s diversity and inclusion program.

“The key is to help people bring together the strengths of their diverse backgrounds and communicate their ideas clearly to each other, which forges a stronger, more creative, and more inclusive workplace,” Harris said.

Cheryl Cabbil, senior vice president of operations at engineering firm AECOM, discussed microaggressions, which she described as comments or actions that often reflect both conscious and unconscious bias. She shared her personal experiences dealing with those situations and teaching people how to handle them.

Leaders from Accenture, a professional services company, spoke about increasing employee engagement and creating a safe space for workers to share concerns and ideas.

UCOR continues to build a partnership with Pellissippi State Community College. The company donated $100,000 toward construction of a new math and science building at the college.

In another partnership, UCOR helped establish the nation’s first nuclear decommissioning minor at the University of Tennessee and supported the development of an associate’s degree in chemical engineering at Roane State Community College in Tennessee.

-Contributor: Susanne Dupes

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EM Inventor Honored for Contributions to Waste Packaging, Transportation

NEW ORLEANS – An EM employee who has worked at DOE for more than three decades was recently honored for his long-term contributions to the International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials (PATRAM).

Dr. James Shuler, program manager for DOE's packaging certification program within EM's Office of Packaging and Transportation, received the Aoki Award at PATRAM 2019, a series of symposia that brings together experts from government, industry, and research organizations around the world to exchange information on packaging and transportation of radioactive materials.

“It is so nice to know that the world of packaging and transportation of radioactive materials appreciates the hard work and dedication that I have devoted to maintaining a safe and secure transportation environment,” Shuler said.

Matthew Feldman, control account manager for transportation in the DOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory Office of Integrated Waste Management, presents James Shuler, left, program manager for the DOE Packaging Certification Program within EM's Office of Packaging and Transportation, with the Aoki Award for Individual Long-term Contribution to the International Symposium on the Packaging and Transportation of Radioactive Materials.

For more than 44 years, Shuler has worked in radioactive material packaging and transportation. For the past 38 years, he has worked in federal government, including seven years at the Department of Transportation (DOT). Shuler also helped return U.S.-origin radioactive material from foreign countries to the U.S. for disposal.

As manager of the packaging certification program, Shuler has completed over 700 packaging dockets and counting. The program performs independent compliance reviews of package designs certified by DOE for shipment of nuclear material. Each change to a certified package design, no matter how small, requires a new docket and compliance review.

Shuler supported EM’s efforts to help establish what's been dubbed "Packaging University" in conjunction with the University of Nevada, Reno and several DOE national laboratories. The university offers a graduate certificate in nuclear packaging — the first of its kind in the U.S.

Shuler also helped develop the DOE Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) Program for tracking, monitoring, and geofencing radioactive material packages and vehicles. This technology can also be used to restrict vehicles to specific routes. Developing this technology led to Shuler being named a finalist for a technology innovation award from Nextgov, an online information resource on technology and government. He also received three international awards for this work, including one from the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility.

The program manager has also authored and coauthored 14 books and more than 200 publications, and is a coinventor holding four patents.

PATRAM is the only meeting in the world devoted entirely to the subject of packaging and transportation of radioactive materials. It takes place every three years alternately in the U.S. and a non-U.S. location.

This year’s symposium was sponsored by DOE, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and DOT, and hosted by the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management.

-Contributor: Ellen Edge

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Collaboration Leads to New Tools to Manage Risk at Hanford

EM and Hanford Site contractors pose for a photograph while training on a new piece of software designed to standardize risk assessments across the site. EM Richland Operations Office contractor Mission Support Alliance recently led a sitewide effort to standardize multiple analytical systems to improve communications and consistency across the site.

RICHLAND, Wash. – EM contractors at the Hanford Site have adopted new standardized risk management tools to help identify and analyze potential problems affecting cleanup projects.

Previously, each contractor at the site had its own process to manage and analyze risks, including the use of aging and outdated software, which created reporting inconsistencies.

Risk management is the process of identifying and managing possible factors, such as equipment failures, aging facilities, and delivery delays, which can affect a project’s schedule and budget.

“This is the one of many opportunities to advance site integration by standardizing business processes and software at the Hanford Site,” said Jeff Frey, EM Richland Operations Office (RL) assistant manager for mission support. “Standardizing our risk management tools is a critical step to improving our decision-making process.”

Working with the other contractors, RL contractor Mission Support Alliance (MSA) led the effort to implement the new risk management tools.

“This is a great example of a collaborative process,” said J.R. Thomas, MSA director of site risk assessment and performance analysis. “Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we were able to redesign an existing risk database for sitewide use, and then implement a new software platform that combines a project’s cost, schedule, and risk, providing a holistic view.”

-Contributor: Patrick Conrad

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DOE, Contractors Support Small Businesses at Savannah River Site Protégé Day

Employees with ML Builders meet with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) buyers at Protégé Day at the Savannah River Site. From left, SRNS Buyer Kevin O’Grady, ML Builders Project Manager Sharetta McCullough, ML Builder General Manager Shawn McCullough, and SRNS Buyer Greg Sunshein.

AIKEN, S.C. – DOE and contractor representatives recently came together to help small businesses build new skillsets and expand their capabilities at the annual Protégé Day hosted by Savannah River Site (SRS) management and operations contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS).

SRNS Director of Business Planning and Integration Frederick Grimm opened the event and spoke of the vital role of small businesses at SRS.

“You are our partners in the mission success. You bring talent, strategies, innovations, and ideas to the table that we may not have previously considered,” Grimm said. “We are committed to the growth, development, and success of our protégés, which is why the Mentor-Protégé Center of Excellence is important to us.”

The SRNS Mentor-Protégé Program is a DOE initiative designed to help small businesses enhance their capabilities as subcontractors across the DOE complex. The program’s latest phase is the Center of Excellence, where protégé companies share best practices and lessons learned.

At Protégé Day, leaders from DOE, SRNS, and Savannah River Remediation, the site’s liquid waste contractor, joined with the five protégés SRNS contracts with under the mentor-protégé program. The protégés also hosted tradeshow booths, where they spoke with buyers and their SRS mentors about current work scope and future opportunities.

Among the representatives attending Protégé Day from SRS and DOE headquarters was Mark Lochbaum, mentor-protégé program manager for the DOE Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization, who discussed the program’s growth across the DOE complex.

“I am very excited about what’s happening here. With 31 protégés across the complex, five are here at SRS. As protégés, we would like you to learn, grow, and know that you are a key part of the DOE mission.”

SRNS protégé ML Builders General Manager Shawn McCullough said the Center of Excellence has benefited ML Builders.

“Through this structured program, we have expanded our government services from the Department of Defense space to the Department of Energy,” McCullough said. “We meet once a month with our mentors and quarterly with the other four protégés. Our quarterly meetings give us a great opportunity to share best practices and lessons learned. We are able to gain different perspectives on how to do business on the site and this is an extremely beneficial aspect of the Center of Excellence Program.”

Following are the five SRS protégés and the services they provide: UDR Consulting for staffing, ML Builders for construction, Strativia for information technology, US&S for facility management, and CTI & Associates for decommissioning and decontamination.

-Contributor: Katy Alley

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