EM Update | Vol. 13, Issue 34 | Aug. 31, 2021

• Secretary Granholm Surveys EM Project Completion at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab
• Hanford Completes Startup Testing of 2 Melters
• Salt Waste Processing at Savannah River Site Reaches Record Levels
• Portsmouth Excavations a Win for Waste Disposition, Cleanup, Site Reuse
• SRS Makes Headway With Innovative Groundwater Cleanup Technologies
• Oak Ridge Replaces Piping to Ensure Reliable Waste Treatment Operations
• On-Site Storage to Support Hanford’s 24/7 Operations
• EM Awards Portsmouth Contractor 85% of Fee for Late 2019 Through Early 2021
• Oak Ridge's UCOR Earns 98% of Fee for First Half of Fiscal 2021

Secretary Granholm Surveys EM Project Completion at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, far right, meets with U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee of California and DOE Joint Genome Institute Director Nigel Mouncey during an Aug. 20 visit to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

BERKELEY, Calif. – EM has completed a cleanup project under budget and ahead of schedule at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) that will allow valuable land to be made available for the lab’s future use.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm surveyed the cleanup of the Bayview Parcel 1 South during her visit to the lab on Aug. 20.

The cleanup of Bayview Parcel 1 South marked the completion of the sixth of nine EM projects planned at the lab. Crews deactivated, demolished, and removed tunnels, foundation slabs, and utilities for disposal at off-site facilities. They also cleaned up associated contaminated soils. The project was part of work to improve the seismic standards of buildings within the laboratory grounds.

“EM’s work at Lawrence Berkeley is an example of successful integration between EM, the Office of Science, and the national lab,” said Kevin Bazzell, EM federal project director at the site. “The removal of the Bayview tunnels and associated underground structures supports the Office of Science mission growth at LBNL, and I am proud of our joint work to make this happen.”

A view of Bayview Parcel 1 South at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in June 2019 before EM crews began demolition of the site.

A view of Bayview Parcel 1 South at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in July 2021 following EM’s completion of cleanup at the site.

The cleanup site was part of the location of the former Bevatron, a particle accelerator that operated from 1954 to 1993 and has since been demolished. When in operation, the Bevatron was among the largest and highest-energy particle accelerators in the world. It was designed to accelerate protons to billions of electron volts.

The ongoing LBNL cleanup projects are being completed by EM and the University of California, the management and operations contractor at the lab.

-Contributor: Stephanie Shewmon

Hanford Completes Startup Testing of 2 Melters

Startup testing is complete for two melters, pictured here, inside the Low-Activity Waste Facility at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant.

RICHLAND, Wash. – The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant team has completed startup testing of two melters and related support systems in the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility, moving a step closer to transforming radioactive and chemical waste from large underground tanks into a glass form safe for disposal.

“We are making positive, sustained progress toward ensuring the plant, our people, and the paper — such as procedures — are ready to heat up the first melter later this year,” said Project Director Valerie McCain, senior vice president with EM Office of River Protection (ORP) prime contractor Bechtel National, Inc. “Our team is safely and compliantly demonstrating these systems will be ready to support melter heatup and then cold commissioning in 2022.”

After completing testing, the plant’s startup team handed over the two melters and supporting equipment to the plant management team for commissioning. Following a loss-of-power test and melter heatup, operators will feed simulated waste and glass-forming materials into the melters during cold commissioning. A hot commissioning with low-activity tank waste will follow prior to full operations.

“The plant workforce is expected to complete all startup testing in the Low-Activity Waste Facility in the next several weeks,” said Mat Irwin, ORP deputy assistant manager for the plant. “Commissioning of equipment and systems is already underway in the plant’s various facilities, and we’re all gearing up for the loss-of-power test this fall.”

The Low-Activity Waste Facility melters, shown here during delivery and installation in 2010, weigh 300 tons and are designed to vitrify 5,000 gallons of low-activity waste each day — or 1.75 million gallons each year — during full operations.

The entire Hanford Site is preparing for a shift to 24/7 operations by the end of 2023, when treatment of tank waste using vitrification is scheduled to start as part of EM’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program. The DFLAW Program is a system of interdependent projects and infrastructure improvements, managed and highly integrated, that must operate together to vitrify the waste.

During vitrification, waste treated near large underground tanks to remove radioactive cesium and solids will be fed directly to the LAW Facility’s melters. The waste and glass-forming materials will be mixed, heated to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit, and poured into specially designed stainless-steel containers. The containers will be transported a short distance to the site’s Integrated Disposal Facility.

The 300-ton Hanford melters are each four times larger than the one in operation at EM’s Defense Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Hanford’s LAW Facility is designed to vitrify 5,000 gallons of low-activity waste each day — or 1.75 million gallons each year — during full operations after hot commissioning. Startup testing is complete on about 75% of the facility’s 94 systems, which have been turned over to the plant management team for commissioning.

Information on the commissioning process, including a loss-of-power test and melter heatup, is available on the Journey to Melter Heatup website.

The plant facilities can be viewed using the self-guided Hanford Virtual Tour.

-Contributors: George Rangel, Staci West

Salt Waste Processing at Savannah River Site Reaches Record Levels

Improvements at the Saltstone Production Facility have made it possible for as many as four trucks to simultaneously unload dry materials into silos for mixing with decontaminated salt solution from the Salt Waste Processing Facility at the Savannah River Site.

AIKEN, S.C. – EM is treating record-setting amounts of waste and dispositioning more decontaminated salt solution at the Savannah River Site (SRS), as the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) proves to be an aggressive workhorse for the site’s liquid waste mission.

SWPF’s operations led to significant new records that are expected to continue to climb this year: EM liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation (SRR) has transferred 1.87 million gallons of radioactive salt waste to SWPF this fiscal year through late August, surpassing the record set in 2013 for the amount of salt waste transferred to a processing facility in a fiscal year; SWPF’s treatment of that waste, setting a new mark for the greatest quantity treated in one year at the site; and receipt of a record 2.63 million gallons of decontaminated salt solution at the Saltstone Production Facility (SPF). That facility’s conversion of decontaminated salt solution into saltstone produced more than 4.2 million gallons of cementitious grout — also the greatest amount for any fiscal year in the site’s history.

Parsons Corporation designed and constructed SWPF and has operated the facility since it began processing radioactive salt waste in October 2020.

SRR had set the previous processing records in fiscal 2013 through the use of interim salt waste processing facilities known as the Actinide Removal Process and Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (ARP/MCU). The technologies for removing the radioactive components of salt waste in SWPF were implemented and proven successful on a smaller scale at ARP/MCU.

Mike Pittman, Parsons vice president of nuclear operations and SWPF project manager, commended the effort that made SWPF operational this year.

“I am proud to see this facility safely achieving a pace which exceeds past records,” Pittman said. “With the continued support of the other organizations here at SRS, SWPF will reach its potential and accomplish its mission.”

SWPF continues to ramp up processing during its first year of operations. Meanwhile, SRR is preparing salt waste batches to be transferred to SWPF. The batches are planned to reach a rate of 9 million gallons each year in the future.

SRR President and Project Manager Phil Breidenbach said that achieving these new production records reflects what can be accomplished when demonstrating the company's core value of teamwork.

"We could never achieve these new levels of productivity across the liquid waste program without a strong joint effort that includes DOE-Savannah River, Parsons, the Savannah River National Laboratory, and SRR," Breidenbach said. "Collaboration and innovation between groups within and outside our own organization have led to our ability to accomplish more. Our team has been inspired to increase its own output to higher levels than ever before, and we will continue to set new records every day through the end of this year.”

SWPF separates salt waste into two streams for disposition. High-activity radionuclides are removed and transferred to the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) to be immobilized in glass. The decontaminated salt solution is pumped to the nearby SPF to be permanently dispositioned onsite.

SPF converts decontaminated salt solution into saltstone by mixing the liquid feed with dry, cementitious materials. The mixture is then pumped into massive above-ground Saltstone Disposal Units (SDUs) to harden for permanent disposal.

Improvements to SPF included the installation of new equipment and production software, which have strengthened the facility’s performance and reliability. SRR continues to work toward completing additional SDUs, currently under construction, to increase space necessary for the disposition of grout.

Jim Folk, the DOE-Savannah River assistant manager for waste disposition, said SRR has spent more than 10 years readying the liquid waste program for integration with SWPF.

"Many of these facilities have been preparing for greater quantities of salt waste to pass through the system for permanent dispositioning," Folk said. "Enhancements in the tank farms, waste-routing systems, DWPF, and SPF are helping to safely and efficiently treat and dispose of the remaining liquid waste at SRS."

-Contributor: Jim Beasley

Portsmouth Excavations a Win for Waste Disposition, Cleanup, Site Reuse

PIKE COUNTY, Ohio – Work is underway at EM’s Portsmouth Site on the first of five legacy groundwater plumes to be excavated for soil needed in the newly constructed On-Site Waste Disposal Facility (OSWDF).

“The five-million cubic-yard OSWDF requires a 2.4-to-1 ratio of fill material to waste,” said Jeff Bettinger, Portsmouth Site lead for EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. “By using soil from legacy groundwater plumes and old landfills onsite, we avoid buying clean fill for the OSWDF, expedite the environmental cleanup of the site, and provide more land for future reuse. It’s a win, win, win.”

Since the 1990s, plume contaminants — mainly the once-common degreasing solvent trichloroethylene — have been pumped from the ground and treated. Such operations tend to be slow and can be costly over time.

“By digging up the remaining contaminant sources and contaminated soils, the cleanup of the groundwater plumes is significantly accelerated,” Bettinger added.

Approximately 180,000 square yards of soil will be excavated from the first of five legacy groundwater plumes and used as engineered fill in the Portsmouth Site On-Site Waste Disposal Facility to place and compact debris from the ongoing demolition of the X-326 former uranium-enrichment process building.

This map shows plumes and landfills targeted for excavation at the Portsmouth Site.

Removal and consolidation of legacy environmental concerns, including groundwater plumes and old landfills, also makes more land available for future community reuse and reindustrialization — a benefit for stakeholders who want to build a sustainable economic future at the site.

EM has already begun the process of transferring clean parcels of land to the designated community reuse organization, the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative. The first parcel, 80 acres, was transferred to the organization in 2018, and another 220 acres is scheduled for transfer this year.

The excavation, waste placement, and fill work is performed under a federal Natural Resources Damage Assessment settlement and final finding and order from the director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. These regulatory approvals authorize excavation of five existing groundwater plumes and five closed landfills.

Each individual landfill or plume requires an approved excavation work plan to ensure safety, protectiveness, and compliance with all applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements. The excavated materials will then be used as engineered fill in the OSWDF according to the approved waste acceptance criteria governing what is permissible for the disposal facility.

-Contributors: Donnie Locke, Brad Mitzelfelt, Michelle Teeters

SRS Makes Headway With Innovative Groundwater Cleanup Technologies

F Area Operator Thomas Harman, left, and Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Scientist Kevin Boerstler check the pumps, sensors, and piping that blend an environmentally harmless base solution to inject into acidic groundwater at Savannah River Site, part of the site’s environmental remediation strategy.

AIKEN, S.C. – The Savannah River Site (SRS) has made significant progress in cleaning up contaminated groundwater from legacy nuclear operations near two chemical separations facilities.

F Canyon closed after its mission was completed in 2002, and H Canyon is still active. For decades, operations in both canyons generated low-level radioactive waste solutions that were disposed in pond-like pools of water known as seepage basins. Although the last of those basins was backfilled, capped, and closed in 1991, 33 years of use had resulted in contamination of groundwater beneath each basin.

SRS employs a phased groundwater cleanup approach with innovative remedial technologies. They include underground barrier walls that redirect and channel groundwater flow toward base injection zones that make the groundwater less acidic and reduce the migration of contaminants.

“The groundwater under the basins is acidic from nitric acid present in the waste solutions,” said Jeffrey Thibault, engineering and remediation support for SRS management and operations contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS). “The acidic property of the water allows some contaminants to remain dissolved and slowly migrate with the groundwater. Our system uses a wall to direct the water into open spaces, called gates, where a base solution is injected into the water to increase the pH and slow down the movement of the contaminants.”

Installed in 2004, this system marked a shift towards a more passive, cost-effective system that provided improved remedial effectiveness without creating radioactive waste that had to be managed and disposed. Previously, EM had built two water treatment units to clean the contaminated groundwater, extracting and treating it before injecting the cleaned water back into the ground. But this method was costly, and it produced radioactive waste sludge that was expensive to dispose.

The environmentally harmless base solution in the current system includes clean water from the site’s drinking water system and baking soda. A system of pumps, sensors, and piping, mounted on a small metal skid platform, blends the mixture with more water in precise proportions prior to delivering the solution through underground pipes to a network of 24 injection wells near F Canyon. A similar system is located near H Canyon.

The wells are turned on when treatment is needed to neutralize the acidic water. Once enough of the solution has been injected, the wells are turned off for a period of 12 to 18 months, until sampling data shows treatment is required again.

Since SRNS became the SRS management and operations contractor in 2008, 126.4 million gallons of base solution have been injected into the groundwater near F Canyon and 46.3 million gallons have been added near H Canyon.

Thibault noted that the passive remedial system is economically and environmentally friendly, restoring the pH of the groundwater to more natural conditions and letting nature essentially take care of itself.

“We’ve seen great results from this method,” Thibault said. “It’s effectively a passive system, meaning we only run it every few months, when testing shows that the acidity is increasing in the soil again,” he said. “Restoring the neutral pH of groundwater at F and H areas reduces the migration of hazardous and radioactive metal contaminants in the groundwater and acts to protect a nearby stream.”

-Contributor: Lindsey MonBarren

Oak Ridge Replaces Piping to Ensure Reliable Waste Treatment Operations

EM workers begin efforts to replace more than a mile of piping for the Liquid and Gaseous Waste Operations system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The $18 million project is expected to be complete within two years.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – EM is replacing extensive piping to extend the life of the Liquid and Gaseous Waste Operations (LGWO) system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).

Replacing the piping and completing other upgrades will alleviate the recurring need for maintenance and repair of the aging infrastructure built many decades ago, and ensure the system's reliability. Portions of the piping have rust and corrosion that need to be addressed.

LGWO contains two waste treatment systems that collect, treat, and reduce the volume of liquid waste across the laboratory. LGWO encompasses more than 60 facilities and 27 miles of piping that process waste generated from cleanup operations, research and development labs, radiochemical pilot plants, and nuclear reactors.

The $18 million project will replace more than a mile of above-ground piping and valves, making the system more efficient and reliable, helping avoid the possibility of disrupting ongoing ORNL operations.

“This infrastructure has been in operation for decades, providing essential disposition of various wastes generated at the site,” said Nathan Felosi, the ORNL portfolio federal project director at the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management. “Completing this project ensures the important research and cleanup missions at ORNL can continue without incident or interruption.”

A view of the contrast between piping that is decades old — the rusted brown pipes in the foreground — and new piping workers are installing in the Liquid and Gaseous Waste Operations system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The replacements will alleviate the recurring need for maintenance and repairs and ensure the system’s reliability.

UCOR, EM’s prime contractor in Oak Ridge, is leading the effort and coordinating closely with ORNL to ensure LGWO’s reliability. Together, EM and UCOR have conducted engineering evaluations of the systems and supporting infrastructure, and are implementing upgrades based on the results of those studies.

This project is anticipated to be complete within two years and follows other recent investments to upgrade and maintain critical waste treatment infrastructure. EM has identified other near- and long-term actions to maintain safe, reliable operations, such as upgrading LGWO’s digital control system.

A major project involves constructing a new Process Waste Pre-Treatment Facility, which will reduce the need for storage of low-level liquid waste. The new facility will accept that waste directly instead of diverting it to storage tanks, which is the process at the current facility.

Other efforts include building an evaporator that reduces liquid waste volume and replacing a diesel generator that powers pumping stations if power is interrupted.

-Contributor: Shannon Potter

On-Site Storage to Support Hanford’s 24/7 Operations

Specially designed boxes will hold a variety of quick-access repair supplies including pipes and valves for water lines on the Hanford Site.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Specially designed storage boxes will hold supplies to support 24/7 tank waste operations for the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) program at the Hanford Site.

EM contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) will stock the boxes with a variety of supplies, called expedited repair maintenance activity material, needed for any potential future repairs to water lines, including pipes and valves.

“We need a reliable water supply for Hanford’s 24/7 operations in support of tank waste treatment and DFLAW,” said Corey Low, EM Richland Operations Office acting assistant manager for mission support. “Having these materials available will limit interruptions to daily operations.”

HMIS placed the storage boxes near a large warehouse on the Hanford Site that provides ready access to the Central Plateau, a high-priority cleanup location. HMIS also graded and leveled the area prior to storage box placement.

“Using supplies stored centrally, we can turn around a repair much faster across the Hanford Site, having it in the field in a matter of hours,” said Jeff McMurrich, projects and programs manager for HMIS’s water and sewer utilities. “It’s a big win for the entire site.”

-Contributor: Robin Wojtanik

EM Awards Portsmouth Contractor 85% of Fee for Late 2019 Through Early 2021

Shown is what remained of the southwest corner of the X-326 Process Building at the Portsmouth Site in June 2021, as Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth continued structural demolition that began in May.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – EM’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office (PPPO) recently awarded its Portsmouth Site decontamination and decommissioning contractor nearly $30.1 million, or about 85% of the total fee available for the evaluation period of October 2019 through March 2021.

Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth’s (FBP) quality and effectiveness performing and managing the contract at the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant cleanup site in southern Ohio was “very good,” and the prime contractor was rated “satisfactory” in the categories of environment, safety, health, and quality, and regulatory work, according to EM’s evaluation criteria.

“FBP, for the most part, met or exceeded expectations during this period and, with active EM oversight, supported timely completion of multiple mission priorities simultaneously,” PPPO Acting Manager Joel Bradburne said.

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

A drone takes progress photos of the X-326 uranium-enrichment process building at the Portsmouth Site prior to the start of demolition. Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth (FBP) started full-scale demolition of the building in May. FBP earned approximately 85% of its available award fee for fiscal 2020 and the first half of fiscal 2021.

EM’s evaluation noted that, although improvement is needed in monthly forecasting, FBP’s overall cost and schedule management was effective. It added that the contractor exceeded expectations in accelerating progress on key mission priorities while managing pandemic shutdown and return-to-work activities.

FBP coordinated On-Site Waste Disposal Facility (OSWDF) construction, building demolition, and engineered soil excavation activities at the site to achieve the first waste placement in the disposal cell. EM’s evaluation also noted FBP continued to perform well on small-business utilization as well as safety, although some improvement is needed with the latter. FBP continues to effectively coordinate an integrated and independent ambient air-monitoring program with the State of Ohio.

FBP met most of its performance-based incentive goals supporting progress toward initial demolition of the X-326 uranium-enrichment process building, deactivation of the X-333 Process Building, and liner and water detention and treatment systems installation leading to startup of the OSWDF.

Evaluations determine the portion of contractor fee to be paid based on performance. EM’s cost-plus-award-fee contracts are designed to provide incentive for excellence. In determining the awards, EM considers overall performance along with completion of specific EM mission objectives. The results are summarized on a scorecard, and metrics are set in accordance with a performance evaluation and measurement plan.

The latest award fee scorecard for FBP and other information about its contract is available here. 

-Contributors: Donnie Locke, Brad Mitzelfelt

Oak Ridge's UCOR Earns 98% of Fee for First Half of Fiscal 2021

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – EM recently awarded Oak Ridge cleanup contractor UCOR $10.9 million for its performance from October 2020 through March 2021, amounting to 98% of the available fee for the evaluation period.

The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) issued its fee determination scorecard for UCOR for the first six-month period of fiscal 2021 after completing its evaluation of the contractor.

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

The contractor received “excellent” ratings for project management and business systems, quality and safety culture, and regulatory and stakeholder activity; a “good” rating for operations management; and “high confidence” for cost and schedule incentive, according to the scorecard.

Following are significant accomplishments by UCOR during the evaluation period:

• Projected to underrun its contract by more than $100 million by completing work ahead of schedule and under budget.
• Addressed environmental liabilities by ramping up cleanup at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex using the skilled, experienced crews that successfully completed demolition at the East Tennessee Technology Park. UCOR’s work is reducing risks and addressing DOE’s largest inventory of high-risk excess facilities.
• Generated $1 million in savings by reusing resources and improving the workforce’s productivity and efficiency.
• Dispositioned 270 radiological sources, reducing radiological risk from legacy sources.
• Responded effectively to rapidly changing conditions associated with COVID-19. UCOR received approval from the State of Tennessee to serve as a point of distribution for the COVID-19 vaccine, enhancing access and availability for the workforce.
• Met or exceeded all fiscal 2021 small-business subcontracting goals.
• Continued helping advance decisions related to waste acceptance criteria for the site’s Environmental Management Disposal Facility.

OREM also noted areas for improvement. UCOR experienced issues with transportation safety involving several collisions with stationary objects and vehicles. The contractor also identified industrial hygiene equipment that was not calibrated correctly.

View the latest fee determination letter and full scorecard for UCOR.

-Contributor: Ben Williams

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