EM Update | Vol. 13, Issue 40 | Oct. 12, 2021

• WIPP Finishes Mining for Eighth Panel for Transuranic Waste Disposal
• EM Director Outlines Actions on Climate, Sustainability
• Final DOE Buildings Safely Down at ETEC Site
• Women Engineers at Hanford Guide Colleagues Toward Career Success
• WIPP Representatives Serve on Hispanic Heritage Month Panel
• EM Leaders Hear Feedback From Advisory Board Chairs
• DOE Honors Former University Director for Improving Protections in Nuclear Industry
• Oak Ridge Prepares for Removal of Final Hot Cell at Former Lab
• Savannah River Site Enhances Pumps to Improve Tank Waste Retrieval
• Workers Upgrade Hanford Site Access Points

WIPP Finishes Mining for Eighth Panel for Transuranic Waste Disposal

CARLSBAD, N.M. – The mining machines are quiet. The salt haul trucks are still.

After seven years, mining of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's (WIPP) Panel 8 is finished.

Created from a thick layer of salt, Panel 8’s seven emplacement rooms are the next destination for transuranic waste brought to WIPP from DOE sites throughout the country.

“We are all focused on working safely and productively in order to see Panel 8 in use next year,” said Reinhard Knerr, EM Carlsbad Field Office manager. “It’s been a long time coming, but Panel 8 will be ready just when we need it. My congratulations to all who made this moment occur.”

Emplacement is currently taking place in Panel 7; when it is full, scheduled for April 2022, Panel 8 will be ready to accept waste.

Still to come in Panel 8 are power, mine phones, protective chain link on the walls, and air monitors. But the heavy lifting – the creation of its rooms – was completed recently when a continuous mining machine removed the last of the floor in Room 3.

With a red laser measurement line showing on the wall ahead of him, Waste Isolation Pilot Plant underground miner Blas Castaneda uses a tape measure to check dimensions in Panel 8’s Room 7. Rooms where transuranic waste is emplaced are 300 feet long, 33 feet wide, and 15 feet high. Panel 8 mining totaled more than 157,000 tons of mined salt.

A salt haul truck turns a corner into Panel 8 in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant underground. The haul trucks take salt from a continuous miner machine in Panel 8 to a salt hoist for transport to the surface. Panel 8 mining, recently completed, totaled more than 157,000 tons of mined salt.

In all, mining machines and haul trucks cut more than 157,000 tons of salt rock, equivalent in weight to 1.5 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

Each room in Panel 8 is 300 feet long, 33 feet wide, and 15 to 16 feet tall.

To create the rooms, continuous miner machines make one pass through, guided by laser measuring devices, then gain the room’s final height by digging out the floor. The miners can cut 8 to 10 tons per minute, dumping the salt into haul trucks that transport the salt to a large hopper known as a grizzly; from there the salt hoist lifts 5 tons at a time to the surface, putting it into a 40-ton haul truck for placement on the north portion of the property.

Passageways known as drifts move people, machines, waste, and air through the mine. Next up for the mining machines are drifts that will run westward from the existing mine, connecting with a utility shaft under construction. A side drift will connect the new drift to the current air intake shaft, which is being converted to exhaust salt-laden mining air through new ductwork, fans, and a 75-foot tall exhaust stack.

-Contributor: Roy Neese

EM Director Outlines Actions on Climate, Sustainability

A battery powered load-haul-dump loader moves mined salt in the EM Waste Isolation Pilot Plant underground. Increasing the use of electric vehicles is among EM actions to support the Administration’s executive orders on climate change policy.

EM is an active participant in a DOE-wide effort to address climate change and strengthen resilience at its sites and in its operations, tribal stakeholders were told at a recent climate webinar.

Betsy Forinash, director of the EM Office of Infrastructure Management and Disposition Policy, outlined EM actions on sustainability, including its contributions to DOE’s 2021 Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan in support of the Administration’s executive orders on climate change policy.

Climate action carries broad implications for EM, Forinash said.

“This touches every part of our program,” she said. “It runs the spectrum from planning for facilities and buildings to how we do our operations to identifying remediation approaches, to disposal methods and robustness.”

“We have a real appreciation for the importance of this,” Forinash said.

EM actions will include updating climate vulnerability assessments at its sites, reducing energy usage, and increasing the use of electric vehicles in its fleets.

The webinar was hosted by DOE’s State and Tribal Government Working Group (STGWG), an advisory organization whose members host DOE facilities or are otherwise impacted by activities at DOE facilities.

Participants from STGWG decried the growing signs of climate change, such as the increasing number of fires, and a proliferation of invasive plant species that affect native foods and medicines. Several tribal representatives emphasized that using traditional tribal ecological knowledge will help DOE understand and manage the land more effectively.

“Climate resiliency is of high interest to states and tribes,” said Jill Conrad, EM tribal affairs program manager.

Forinash said DOE climate initiatives will intersect with environmental justice goals.

“There is a pretty clear link between the kinds of things we might invest in climate action and resiliency, and those environmental justice initiatives that relate to tribal interests and long-term stewardship,” Forinash said. “It is something that is going to call for the integration of a lot of different issues, a lot of different stakeholders, a lot of different modes of engagement.”

Final DOE Buildings Safely Down at ETEC Site

EM recently completed demolition of the final DOE-owned buildings at the Energy Technology Engineering Center northwest of Los Angeles, California. The final building to be torn down, with the assistance of shaped charges, was the Sodium Pump Test Facility, shown, used for testing large pumps for liquid sodium during site operations that ended in the late 1980s.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – EM completed an important step in cleanup activities at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) when crews on Oct. 1 finished the safe demolition of the final DOE-owned buildings at the former Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC) northwest of Los Angeles, California.

View a video of the teardown of the final DOE-owned building at ETEC here.

“This accomplishment was the direct result of an ongoing and successful collaboration with the State of California. It builds on a new era at DOE’s Office of Environmental Management as we tackle ambitious priorities and continue to shrink the footprint of EM sites,” EM Acting Assistant Secretary William “Ike” White said.

Following agreement in 2020 with the State of California, DOE safely removed the 18 remaining DOE-owned buildings at the ETEC site, which is in Area IV of the SSFL. All building materials and waste from the demolition will be removed from the site and disposed at a licensed facility outside the state. The completion of building demolition at ETEC fulfills an EM priority for 2021.

The final building to be demolished was the Sodium Pump Test Facility (SPTF). The SPTF was a nine-story industrial building used for testing large pumps for liquid sodium. The building, constructed in 1972, had a red-and-white crane structure on its roof that could be seen from various parts of Simi Valley.

EM officials gather at the site of the recent demolition of the final DOE-owned buildings at the Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC). From left are EM Site Liaison Coordinator John Jones, EM Acting Director of Regulatory, Intergovernmental and Stakeholder Engagement Kristen Ellis, EM Acting Assistant Secretary William "Ike" White, Acting ETEC Federal Project Director Josh Mengers, and Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center Deputy Director Melody Bell.

A view of the Sodium Pump Test Facility at the Energy Technology Engineering Center before workers demolished the structure earlier this month. It was the last of the DOE-owned buildings at the site to come down.

The Sodium Pump Test Facility was the final DOE-owned building to be demolished at the Energy Technology Engineering Center site. Finishing the teardown of buildings once used for nuclear and liquid metals research is another important step in DOE’s cleanup activities at the site.

“The demolition of the ETEC buildings marks a significant step towards the DOE’s mission to clean up its former site at the SSFL,” said Josh Mengers, acting ETEC federal project director. “We will continue cleanup efforts, which are based upon years of scientific analysis and planning. Our highest priority is protecting human health and the environment to ensure the site remains safe for nearby communities.”

The DOE worked cooperatively with the State of California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) to complete building demolition. All 18 remaining buildings were demolished in just over 15 months, while in compliance with health and safety guidelines during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With this completion, all of the more than 270 DOE-owned original structures have been demolished at ETEC since work began at the site.

With building demolition accomplished, DOE will continue to work cooperatively with DTSC on groundwater and soils remediation to complete the cleanup in Area IV.

DOE and its predecessor agencies conducted nuclear and liquid metals research at the SSFL from the 1950s to the late 1980s; ETEC, established in the 1960s, served as a premier facility for liquid metals research in the U.S.

More information about ETEC and the cleanup project can be found here.

Women Engineers at Hanford Guide Colleagues Toward Career Success

Bree Smith and her husband, Greg, pictured, are former Air Force pilots who now support Hanford cleanup projects as engineers for Washington River Protection Solutions.

Bree Smith, a former Air Force captain, works as an engineer with EM Office of River Protection tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions. Smith shared some things she has learned as a military leader and engineer at the Hanford Site during a recent virtual presentation for the monthly Women in Engineering Speaker Series.

• Relationships: Establish workplace partnerships and mentorships with your co-workers and managers.
• Engagement: Get involved in your company by volunteering for projects that may be outside of your normal scope or comfort zone.
• Education and Growth: Be curious about other aspects of your project and other projects and departments; ask for feedback from all avenues and find ways to apply it.
• Enthusiasm: Seek out responsibilities that will gain you experience and maturity; define your passions and correlate those to your professional goals.

Smith encourages women to be intentional about volunteering for leadership roles within their company. She also seeks out opportunities to reach out to others through programs like the Women in Engineering Speaker Series to provide encouragement to other engineers who are trying to navigate their own careers.

The speaker series, while led by and focusing on women engineers, is open to men and women in other career fields as well.

-Contributor: Jenna Kochenauer

WIPP Representatives Serve on Hispanic Heritage Month Panel

CARLSBAD, N.M. – Nuclear Waste Partnership (NWP), EM’s primary contractor at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), collaborated with New Mexico State University-Carlsbad to mark Hispanic Heritage Month by hosting a panel spotlighting key Latinx people who have advanced their careers and inspired early career professionals within their community.

Watch a video of the Hispanic Heritage Panel discussion, held at the university campus, here.

Hispanic Heritage Month, which ends Oct. 15, is celebrated annually to recognize the rich history and culture of the U.S. Latinx and Hispanic communities.

Guest speakers on the panel ranged in career and level of expertise, with each having an inspiring story and advice for people listening in person or virtually. They included Ed Garza, EM Carlsbad Field Office assistant manager for the Office of WIPP; Yolanda Navarrete, NWP manager of employee concerns; Rocio Espinoza and Raymond Dominguez, representatives with New Mexico State University-Carlsbad; and Nancy Bradford with CNB Bank.

The panelists discussed the key role Hispanic heritage played in their careers and the significance of an inclusive workforce.

“I probably had the privilege of not having to run into barriers because of my parents,” Garza said. “My father was very involved in the Lubbock (Texas) area with different things in the Latino community, so the barriers I probably would have run into, he and his friends knocked down.”

Ed Garza, EM Carlsbad Field Office assistant manager for the Office of WIPP, served on a Hispanic Heritage Month panel highlighting Latinx people who have advanced their careers and inspired early career professionals.

Yolanda Navarrete, Nuclear Waste Partnership manager of employee concerns, discussed mentorship, education, and other topics as part of a panel marking Hispanic Heritage Month.

The panelists also talked about the importance of mentorship in career advancement.

“None of us are perfect. We can all learn something from everyone we work with,” Garza said. “I tell my staff that you can mentor in all directions, both up and down. Having a mentor to help you grow as a leader is very important, especially in young leaders.”

Navarrete also reflected on her past mentorships.

“I’ve had many mentors over the years, and I have completely appreciated and learned from each and every one of them.”

Garza’s last bit of advice to young Latinx individuals who are now joining the workforce was quite simple: Do your job.

“If you are given the opportunity to get into a career, if you want to stand out, don’t stand out in a bad way,” he said. “If you do your job, you will stand out in a good way. You will separate yourself, and you will be noticed. This is going to open up doors and opportunities, and when those opportunities come along, don’t be afraid.”

In her final remarks, Navarrete emphasized the importance of education, culture, and most importantly, staying true to yourself.

“I encourage you to be true to yourself, get your education, and follow your dreams and your goals,” she said. “And best wishes to you.”

-Contributor: Maelene Soto

EM Leaders Hear Feedback From Advisory Board Chairs

The Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board is considered a single advisory board; however, eight local boards are organized under its umbrella charter, one at each major EM cleanup site.

Members of eight local advisory boards across the cleanup complex gathered virtually last week for the biannual Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB) National Chairs meeting, where they discussed EM’s COVID-19 response, cleanup progress and accomplishments, regulatory and policy priorities, technology development efforts, the status of EM’s budget, and board membership.

EM leadership from both headquarters and the field sites attended the two-day meeting to provide program updates and hear directly from local advisory board members regarding EM activities.

“It is imperative that we have open communication and transparency with members of the community who live and work near our sites where cleanup is taking place,” EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Todd Shrader said.

Mark Gilbertson, EM’s Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, provided insight on the alignment between EM and the Administration’s goals. He highlighted ongoing efforts to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas impacts from EM facilities and activities. He also discussed some of EM’s climate action initiatives that will prepare the complex for the effects of extreme weather events.

The majority of the second day of the meeting focused on EM SSAB members developing cross-cutting recommendations for EM related to community outreach and communication. Members have been preparing for these discussions over the last year by conducting research to understand each EM site’s public communications and outreach. Committees made up of board members from each site were formed to analyze this research and draft recommendations. The final recommendations will be sent to EM headquarters after they are approved by each local board.

The next EM SSAB National Chairs meeting is planned for April 2022.

-Contributors: Kelly Snyder

DOE Honors Former University Director for Improving Protections in Nuclear Industry

Charles Waggoner, center, former director of Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Institute for Clean Energy Technology, has been recognized with DOE’s Distinguished Career Service Award. MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan, left, and EM Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Nicole Nelson-Jean presented Waggoner with the award last week.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – DOE recognized a former Mississippi State University (MSU) research center director with a career award honoring his work to evaluate and improve high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters used to contain nuclear materials.

Charles Waggoner, director emeritus of MSU’s Institute for Clean Energy Technology (ICET), was presented with the DOE Distinguished Career Service Award by EM Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations Nicole Nelson-Jean. Waggoner led the institute’s testing programs for 23 years before retiring earlier this year.

“Dr. Waggoner’s work led the industry and the accompanying codes down a path to withstand harsh conditions and accidents, to provide better protection for workers, the environment, and the public across the nuclear industry,” EM Acting Assistant Secretary William “Ike” White said in the award presentation. “The test program at MSU ICET is Dr. Waggoner’s crowning career achievement, and it will continue to be an asset to DOE and to the future of the nuclear industry.”

A three-time MSU graduate, Waggoner earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biochemistry before completing his Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1985. He served as the university’s hazardous waste officer and an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry for five years before leaving to lead the Division of Environmental Science and Technology at Chattanooga State Technical Community College.

Waggoner returned to MSU in 1997, where he soon began working on DOE-funded efforts related to HEPA filters used to remove radioactive material from the air.

The research and testing carried out by Waggoner and his colleagues has led to international recognition for MSU. At ICET, Waggoner developed capabilities for testing filters under worst-case scenario conditions. The data gathered from HEPA filter testing at ICET is used to guide filtration standards at past and present nuclear facilities.

“Dr. Waggoner is incredibly deserving of this career honor,” MSU Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan said. “His leadership and knowledge have been invaluable to the Department of Energy while cultivating and leading an outstanding team of researchers at MSU. His work will leave a lasting legacy at MSU and in the nuclear industry. We all wish him a happy retirement and congratulations on a job well done.”

Oak Ridge Prepares for Removal of Final Hot Cell at Former Lab

EM workers cut through the roof of the final hot cell at the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for characterization work.

A view of the final remaining hot cell at the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Oak Ridge crews are preparing to demolish the cell. This work is being conducted under a six-story protective structure erected last year to ensure nearby facilities and ongoing research missions at ORNL aren’t impacted by the cleanup.

A crew moves a high-tech imaging camera into the final remaining hot cell at the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The detector overlays a radiation-intensity color-map on a picture of the environment to show nuclides and their locations.

Steps taken to enable characterization work include removing a wooden membrane covering the roof, installing and testing fire suppression and detection systems, placing gravel over the exposed floor to reduce dust inside the protective cover, and installing a negative air machine to provide localized ventilation during characterization and future deactivation.

"Preparing to demolish contaminated structures requires a lot of preparation to safely complete the demolition," Oak Ridge Reservation Environmental Cleanup Program Manager Dan Macias said. "The removal of this hot cell is another significant step forward in ongoing cleanup activities at ORNL.”

The cell set to be deactivated and demolished will join five other cells and an outer structure previously demolished. The outer structure and four of the cells were demolished in prior years, and the fifth cell was demolished earlier this year.

The cells were heavily shielded concrete rooms that provided researchers protection from radioactive material as they conducted research. The laboratory was built in 1945 to support isotope separation and packaging and was later used to examine irradiated reactor fuel experiments and components.

-Contributor: Carol Hendrycks

Savannah River Site Enhances Pumps to Improve Tank Waste Retrieval

An enhanced commercial submersible mixer pump, designed by Savannah River Remediation for use in Tank 33 bulk waste removal efforts, arrives at the Savannah River Site.

AIKEN, S.C. – EM and it’s liquid waste contractor at the Savannah River Site (SRS) have developed a unique commercial mixer pump to use in a tank with space limitations, allowing waste retrieval efforts to advance in the tank farms.

Savannah River Remediation (SRR) currently uses commercial submersible mixer pumps (CSMPs) as the primary mixing device for waste retrieval in the majority of the tanks. The tank waste, composed of salt and sludge, needs to be mixed with water to allow the waste to be moved between tanks via transfer pumps and lines.

Typically, four CSMPs are used in each tank based on each pump’s nozzle discharge reach, known as the effective cleaning radius. The pumps are inserted into the tank through riser openings at the top of waste tanks. However, in Tank 33, cooling coils are deployed in the openings, limiting the space for the pumps to be inserted. Other tanks have internally built cooling coils that do not limit the number of access riser openings in a tank.

For this reason, SRR designed an enhanced version of the mixer pumps specifically for Tank 33. It will provide a 50-foot effective cleaning radius within the tank versus the 29-foot radius provided by the regular CSMPs. The longer effective cleaning radius decreases the number of pumps from four to three that are needed during the bulk waste removal process.

The enhanced CSMP is the first-of-its-kind pump developed for SRR, according to Mark Schmitz, SRR chief operating officer and deputy project manager.

“The successful implementation of the enhanced mixer pump is essential for the current strategy of bulk waste removal in Tank 33,” Schmitz said. “Once proven successful in Tank 33, SRR could deploy enhanced pumps in similar tanks.”

Tank 33 is one of six waste tanks currently undergoing waste removal efforts, which advances EM’s mission of waste tank closure, according to DOE-Savannah River Assistant Manager for Waste Disposition Jim Folk.

“Removing waste from aging waste tanks continues to be one of the Department’s top priorities because each tank emptied reduces the risk posed to the community and environment,” Folk said. “The development of innovative solutions to continue waste retrieval efforts when faced with infrastructure or operational challenges is key to our long-term success.”

The enhanced CSMP was developed by a small business named GPM, Inc.

-Contributor: Colleen Hart

Workers Upgrade Hanford Site Access Points

RICHLAND, Wash. – Crews are upgrading security barriers at the three vehicle barricades on the Hanford Site, adding concrete barriers and relocating sand barrels placed in front of the guardhouse.

“Due to the national security assets that DOE is responsible for protecting, access is limited and securely maintained at all times by a professional, armed protective force,” said Timothy Haddick, security, emergency services, and information management division director. “Upgrades to security also benefit our safety posture, due to the unique hazards to people and the environment at the Hanford Site. Our ongoing investment in site access control is vital to continuing to effectively maintain security and safety.”

Before: The Hanford Site previously used an arrangement of sand barrels to provide an added layer of vehicle protection to the site’s access points.

After: Improvements to a vehicle security barricade on the Hanford Site include a permanent concrete barrier used in conjunction with sand barrel barriers to protect the guardhouse and patrol staff.

Employees access the Hanford Site through one of three vehicle barricades by displaying appropriate credentials. EM Richland Operations Office (RL) contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) used feedback from the Hanford Patrol, roads and grounds staff, and engineers before starting the upgrades recently.

Near the guardhouse of the first barricade to receive upgrades, workers added a concrete barrier, which offers permanent protection, and reduced the number of sand barrels, which are susceptible to degradation from ultraviolet sun rays and periodically need to be replaced.

“The upgrades will protect the patrol officers, the guardhouse infrastructure, and reduce future costs needed to replace barrels,” said Brian Von Bargen, vice president of interface and integration services for HMIS.

A barricade closest to nearby Richland was the first to receive the upgrades. Two other barricades on the western side of the site will also receive similar upgrades.

-Contributor: Robin Wojtanik

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