EM Update | Vol. 11, Issue 38 | Oct. 1, 2019

• Idaho Team Employs Unique Equipment to Tear Down Legacy Reactor
• Nevada Crews Meet Regulatory Commitment, Improve Waste Disposal
• Under Secretary Dabbar Tours West Valley Cleanup, Meets With Stakeholders
• Workers Clear One of Paducah Site’s Largest Storage Yards
• Celebrating 30 Years of EM: Employee Spotlight
• SRS Area College Night Celebrates 100,000 Attendance Over Past 25 Years
• Power is Coming to Hanford WTP’s Effluent Management Facility
• Creative Oak Ridge Employees Consolidate Space, Saving Taxpayer Dollars

Idaho Team Employs Unique Equipment to Tear Down Legacy Reactor

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – EM crews recently demolished a legacy research reactor built in the 1950s at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL), using innovative tools to break down its 4.5-foot-thick concrete shield.

The Argonne Fast Source Reactor was constructed at the Materials and Fuels Complex to create neutron fields that exposed materials to a radioactive environment.

While the reactor’s operations ended in the early 1980s, construction of new buildings and research facilities continued around the reactor in subsequent years. Its location inside the active Electron Microscopy Laboratory, and next to research facilities, required precise and efficient demolition work.

Crews with Fluor Idaho, EM’s INL Site contractor, collaborated with contractor Battelle Energy Alliance, which manages INL, to remove the old reactor while limiting impact to research schedules and other ongoing laboratory operations.

“While the detailed planning and technology contributed to the achievement, the ultimate success can be found in the mutual trust and appreciation between two contractors collaborating to complete a difficult, but ultimately successful operation,” said Jack Zimmerman, manager of the DOE Idaho Operations Office EM program.

After considering options for tearing down the reactor, the demolition team determined a diamond wire saw would be the most effective means to remove the structure’s shield, which was not radiologically contaminated.

A diamond wire saw uses a cable and a pulley system that put continuous tension on the surface it cuts through. Crews sliced the reactor into 56 blocks, each weighing between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds, and removed them with a gantry crane.

-Contributor: Rick Dale

Back to Top

Nevada Crews Meet Regulatory Commitment, Improve Waste Disposal

Crews place the final containers of waste into Cell 18 at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex at the Nevada National Security Site. Final closure of Cell 18 is set to begin in October and will include placing 8 feet of soil cover over the disposed waste.

LAS VEGAS – The EM Nevada Program’s radioactive waste disposal crews are helping DOE make progress in legacy cleanup after fulfilling a regulatory commitment ahead of schedule and improving the efficiency of their operations at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).

“On a daily basis, disposal operations staff demonstrate their commitment and dedication as they perform highly complex tasks safely and efficiently,” EM Nevada Program Manager Rob Boehlecke said. “We are extremely proud and grateful for the work they do to support DOE’s complex-wide EM mission and U.S. national security activities.”

The disposal operations team achieved early completion of a commitment to increase real-time radiography on waste shipped to NNSS for disposal — several months ahead of the deadline. The X-ray technology is among the visual inspection methods used to verify waste container contents comply with NNSS waste acceptance criteria.

Disposal operations workers unload the last shipment of waste from the Clean Slate III site for permanent disposal at the Nevada National Security Site Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site.

A view of the real-time radiography vault (left) before the doors close and a waste container undergoes inspection by specialists in the adjacent control room (below).

The team also used technology for precision waste placement at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC). The disposal crew’s ingenuity led to use of a remotely-operated crane hook for disposing an additional 125,000 cubic feet of mixed low-level radioactive waste in areas of Area 5 RWMC previously inaccessible due to industrial safety hazards. The additional waste disposed in the unit known as Cell 18 would fill a football field a little more than two feet high.

While the Area 5 RWMC is the primary radioactive waste disposal facility at NNSS, the team also supports the Area 3 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) when needed. That was the case during an 11-month period in support of cleanup activities at the Clean Slate III site on the Tonopah Test Range. The waste generated by environmental corrective actions at the Clean Slate III site — primarily soil and large concrete debris — was disposed at the Area 3 RWMS since it provided the extra space needed to efficiently offload multiple shipments simultaneously.

Disposal of the Clean Slate III site waste at the Area 3 RWMS saved valuable disposal space at the Area 5 RWMC, which supports cleanup across the DOE complex.

-Contributor: Dona Merritt

Back to Top

Under Secretary Dabbar Tours West Valley Cleanup, Meets With Stakeholders

WEST VALLEY, N.Y. – Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar recently viewed EM’s cleanup progress at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) and received updates on the planned demolition of the site’s Main Plant Process Building, which was used to reprocess spent nuclear fuel decades ago. “This was my first trip to the West Valley site," Dabbar said. "I am impressed by the progress I see being made." He noted that removal of the 10,000-square-foot Vitrification Facility last year was the most complex demolition of a contaminated facility at the site to date. “This successful demolition literally changed the landscape and footprint of the WVDP and the community,” Dabbar said. “This accomplishment speaks volumes of the workers’ abilities to find solutions and use lessons learned to solve some of the most challenging problems we face in reducing legacy risks.” EM WVDP Director Bryan Bower said the site was honored to host the Under Secretary. “It’s important to see the work up-close that’s being accomplished at the site, and how this work fits into DOE’s mission and cleanup strategy,” Bower said. Pictured from left are Bower; EM WVDP Assistant Director Craig Rieman; Dabbar; EM WVDP Federal Project Director Dan Sullivan; Anthony Giannetti, Special Advisor to the Under Secretary; and CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley Facility Disposition Manager Tom Dogal.

-Contributor: Joseph Pillittere

Back to Top

Workers Clear One of Paducah Site’s Largest Storage Yards

Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership Heavy Equipment Operator Brad Langston begins to shear a powered industrial truck stored at the C-740 Material Yard in order to downsize it for removal.

PADUCAH, Ky. – Workers at EM’s Paducah Site recently removed approximately 60,000 cubic feet of excess equipment and other things stored at the C-740 Material Yard, one of the site’s largest storage yards. This volume of material is enough to fill nearly three large houses.

“Throughout the years, equipment and other items were placed in storage,” said Paducah Site Lead Jennifer Woodard of EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO). “Removal of this equipment and material from the C-740 Material Yard helps eliminate potential hazards associated with such storage and improves the Paducah Site.”

Items in storage there included a retired mobile crane and several large pieces of equipment.

“This was a major accomplishment for site workers by safely and compliantly reducing hazards and risks,” said Myrna Redfield, program manager with Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership, the Paducah Site deactivation and remediation contractor.

Before (left) and after (immediately below) images of the south storage area of the C-740 Material Yard.

Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership Heavy Equipment Operator Brad Langston downsizes a decommissioned crane at the C-740 Material Yard.

In addition to clearing the material yard, PPPO recently transferred over 100,000 pounds of scrap metal to the Paducah Area Community Reuse Organization (PACRO), which will reuse or recycle it and some of the C-740 Yard materials to generate revenue for regional economic development initiatives. The Paducah Site also recently transferred two 650-horsepower package boilers to PACRO.

“Our partnership with DOE provides opportunities for future economic development and job growth in our region,” PACRO Chairman Kevin Neal said. “The cleanup work they are conducting at the Paducah Site continues to move Western Kentucky in a positive direction.”

-Contributors: Dylan Nichols, Jessica Vasseur

Back to Top

Celebrating 30 Years of EM: Employee Spotlight

Back to Top

SRS Area College Night Celebrates 100,000 Attendance Over Past 25 Years

The CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) College Night was held at the James Brown Arena in Augusta, Georgia.

AIKEN, S.C. – The CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) College Night, which is sponsored in part by the DOE-Savannah River Operations Office, has marked its 25-year anniversary with a cumulative attendance of more than 100,000 area high school students, parents, and educators at the annual event.

“I can remember the first year we held a College Night over 20 years ago. It was in the gym at North Augusta High School,” said Jay Jefferies, master of ceremony for the event. “We had about 200 to 300 students and we were amazed with the turnout. And, now, we're filling the Augusta’s James Brown Arena wall to wall."

Throughout the past 25 years, more than $300,000 in scholarship funding has been offered to area students who have attended College Night, which is organized by Savannah River Site management and operations contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS).

This year, recruiters from over 130 colleges and universities attended the event, and 16 students were each awarded $1,000 scholarships through drawings.

Representatives from more than 130 colleges and universities were on hand during this year’s CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) College Night.

“The CSRA community provides a tremendous amount of support, both financially and with in-kind donations of service,” said Francine Burroughs, who manages the SRNS education outreach program. “The community partnerships that have been forged through participation in this event allow our committee to provide more resources for the students and parents each year.”

Gladys Moore, CSRA College Night chair and SRNS employee, said the generosity of scholarship sponsors and efforts of more than 100 volunteers are major reasons why the event is so successful each year.

“It’s rewarding to see so many students having the opportunity to meet with college representatives of their choice, knowing this night could have a significant impact on their post high school education,” Moore said. “To see the joy and excitement in the faces of those receiving one of our college scholarships makes all the work worthwhile.”

Local high school student Ny’Jada Braddy displays the $1,000 scholarship certificate presented to her at this year’s CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) College Night, where scholarships totaling $16,000 were awarded.

Moore acknowledged the contributions by members of the CSRA College Night Committee, who spent many hours preparing for the event at the arena.

“They understand the impact this event has financially for a significant percentage of our attending students. College Night can help reduce the number of planned college visits for students, potentially saving them thousands in travel costs,” she said.

Kiana Glasker, a high school senior from Evans, Georgia, said she was amazed by the many college recruiters at the event. Glasker also noted that she could whittle down her choices for college as a result of attending College Night.

“When we walked in here, I said, ‘Wow,’” Glasker said. “But it’s great, because I can finally narrow down my list.”

-Contributor: DT Townsend

Back to Top

Power is Coming to Hanford WTP’s Effluent Management Facility

RICHLAND, Wash. – Power is coming to the last major construction project at EM Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP).

Workers recently installed thousands of feet of electrical cables to a powerhouse at WTP’s Effluent Management Facility (EMF), which supports the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste program to begin treating tank waste by 2023.

The cables connect the powerhouse to the WTP Low-Activity Waste vitrification facility’s already-operational electrical and network systems.

The work involved installing nearly 5,800 feet of assorted electrical cables and 11,900 feet of fiber optic cable to the EMF powerhouse. The EMF contains three structures: a main processing building, an electrical powerhouse, and a utility systems building.

Workers are now focused on pulling cable from the powerhouse to the adjacent main processing building. The powerhouse contains transformers, motor control centers, and electrical cable to provide electricity to EMF systems and processing equipment.

During low-activity waste vitrification, secondary liquid, called effluent, is generated from the melter off-gas system and when transfer pipes are flushed. These liquids go to the EMF processing building, where excess water is evaporated and transferred to Hanford’s nearby Liquid Effluent Retention Facility, and the remaining concentrate is sent back into the vitrification process.

-Contributor: George Rangel

Back to Top

Creative Oak Ridge Employees Consolidate Space, Saving Taxpayer Dollars

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – Innovative solutions by employees in Oak Ridge are leading to approximately $110,000 in savings over the next five years.

The initiative of two Isotek employees, Donna Stringfield and Micelle McDaniels, led to a solution that is avoiding costs and saving tax dollars. Isotek is responsible for completing the uranium-233 disposition project for Oak Ridge’s EM program.

“Proposals like this reflect the mindset instilled in Oak Ridge’s federal and contractor employees,” said Jay Mullis, manager of the Oak Ridge Office of EM. “We are proud that employees are thinking critically and focused on being responsible stewards of tax dollars. That is important and crucial to our ongoing progress at the site, no matter the size of the project.”

While many challenges in the EM complex often come from cleanup sites, this one originated from an office setting.

Paperwork generated from the long-running, complex uranium-233 disposition project is substantial. The documents are stored in an off-site storage facility, which was nearing full capacity this year as paperwork continued to arrive for storage.

Instead of renting additional space, Stringfield and McDaniels, who work in the company’s Office of Records Management and Document Control, proposed purchasing a shelving system and lift for the off-site storage facility. Isotek agreed to their proposal and purchased the system and lift.

The improvements tripled the capacity of the previous space, avoiding the cost of renovations or renting more space.

The shelves allow boxes of documents to be stacked eight boxes high in a more organized manner. The lift enables easy access to boxes up to 10 feet off the ground. Before the changes, the boxes were stacked on the ground, about four or five boxes high.

-Contributor: John Gray

Back to Top

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

Follow EM on Twitter: @EMcleanup