Cleanup
locations at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a Manhattan Project site,
include hillsides, canyon sides, and canyon bottoms. This photo shows
soil cleanup in Los Alamos Canyon, which is adjacent to the former
Technical Area-01 and the center of the laboratory during the Manhattan
Project.
On
July 16, 1945, the world's first nuclear explosion occurred more than
200 miles south of Los Alamos in Alamogordo, New Mexico, in what was
code-named the Trinity Test — a name inspired by the poems of John
Donne.
A
plutonium implosion device was successfully tested at that site 75
years ago. The test indicated that an atomic weapon using plutonium
could be readied for use by the U.S. military.
The
test was completed by staff with the Manhattan Project, whose “secret
cities” — Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Hanford, Washington —
were conceived, built, and operated in secrecy as they supported weapons
development during World War II. Today, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford are among the sites of EM’s cleanup efforts.
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The original gate through which workers entered Los Alamos National Laboratory during the Manhattan Project years.
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Los Alamos
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) was established in 1943 as Site Y of the Manhattan Project for a single purpose: to design and build an atomic weapon.
While
the scope of work conducted at DOE’s senior national laboratory has
broadened considerably since the pivotal day of the Trinity Test, LANL’s
primary mission has remained nuclear weapons research and development.
While
executing this mission during the Manhattan Project era and in the
decades that immediately followed, LANL released hazardous and
radioactive materials to the environment through outfalls, stack
releases, and disposal areas. Additionally, mixed low-level and
transuranic (TRU) waste was generated and staged in preparation for
off-site disposition.
The
EM mission at Los Alamos is to safely remediate and reduce risks to the
public, workers, and the environment associated with legacy material,
facilities, and waste sites at LANL. Of the more than 2,100 contaminated
sites at LANL originally identified for remediation, more than half
have been cleaned up and closed. Those range from small spill sites with
a few cubic feet of contaminated soil to large landfills encompassing
several acres.
Some
of those landfills were at Technical Area 21, which was a complex of
Manhattan Project and Cold War buildings that housed LANL’s plutonium
processing facility. It was the site of groundbreaking tritium research
for energy, environment, and weapons defense research.
Much of the Manhattan Project and early Cold War operations took place at what was known as Technical Area 01. Perched on a plateau near a canyon edge, the site was LANL’s original footprint and is now part of the Los Alamos townsite. Remediating legacy materials there has been one of EM’s biggest priorities at LANL.
Much of the Manhattan Project and early Cold War operations took place at what was known as Technical Area 01. Perched on a plateau near a canyon edge, the site was LANL’s original footprint and is now part of the Los Alamos townsite. Remediating legacy materials there has been one of EM’s biggest priorities at LANL.
Over
the coming decade, as LANL continues to advance DOE’s national
security, science, technology and energy missions, EM’s Los Alamos
program will remained focused on protecting human health and the
environment by addressing groundwater contamination plumes, processing
above-ground-stored TRU waste, and retrieving belowground-stored TRU
waste at Technical Area 54 for off-site disposal.
An
aerial view of the K-25 Building’s construction at Oak Ridge during the
Manhattan Project. In 18 months, workers built the world’s largest
building, and its gaseous diffusion technology proved to be the
preferred enrichment method during the Cold War.
Oak Ridge
In
1942, the U.S. government acquired land that became the Oak Ridge Site.
By March 1943, 56,000 acres were sealed behind fences and major
industrial facilities were under construction to develop a
first-of-a-kind weapon, and a secret city of nearly 75,000 people arose
almost overnight to support this world-changing task.
During
the Manhattan Project, the K-25, S-50, and Y-12 plants were built to
explore different methods to enrich uranium, while the X-10 site was
established as a pilot plant for the Graphite Reactor and to explore how
to produce plutonium.
Throughout
the following decades, these sites would each go on to push the
boundaries of science that revolutionized power production, enhanced
national defense, advanced understanding in biology and genetics, and
developed new fields of medicine. While these missions were beneficial
to the world, they also created environmental legacies that EM is now
cleaning and removing to enable the next generation of innovation.
The K-25 plant, present-day East Tennessee Technology Park
(ETTP), enriched uranium using the gaseous diffusion process. Due to
the success of this technique, the original plant was expanded during
the Cold War. It contained five enormous uranium enrichment facilities,
including the largest building in the world when it was constructed, and
hundreds of support facilities.
After
nearly 15 years of large-scale demolition and environmental cleanup,
Oak Ridge’s EM program is completing major cleanup at ETTP this year — a
goal known as Vision 2020 and one of EM’s 2020 priorities.
It will mark the first time in the world an entire enrichment complex
has been removed. The site is being transformed into a multi-use
industrial park that offers opportunities for economic development,
conservation, and historic preservation to the community.
After
nearly 15 years of large-scale demolition, EM has cleared away 13
million square feet of aging, contaminated structures at the East
Tennessee Technology Park at Oak Ridge.
Separately,
Y-12 was built to enrich uranium for the first atomic weapon using an
electromagnetic separation process. The Cold War brought change to Y-12
as new processes for separating lithium were added and uranium
enrichment missions were conducted elsewhere.
EM is ramping up efforts that are addressing Y-12’s primary contaminant, mercury. Those efforts include construction of the new Mercury Treatment Facility,
which is now underway, and funding research for new mercury remediation
technologies. Crews are transitioning to the site to begin deactivating
and demolishing its old, deteriorating facilities. This will eliminate
hazards, enable modernization, and provide space for new missions at
Y-12.
The first mission of X-10, present day Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL), was to develop and test the experimental Graphite Reactor,
which went critical in March 1944. It was used initially as a pilot test
facility for plutonium production. In the years following the Manhattan
Project, 13 research reactors were designed and built onsite, and staff
developed or participated in developing numerous nuclear material
reprocessing methods.
Scientists
there would also go on to research genetics and the biological effects
of radiation. ORNL’s mission continued to grow through the years and has
expanded its capabilities to be at the forefront of supercomputing,
advanced manufacturing, materials research, neutron science, clean
energy, and national security.
EM is supporting ORNL’s missions
by eliminating its inventory of TRU waste and uranium-233, and ramping
up efforts that will deactivate and demolish its large inventory of old,
contaminated facilities. These efforts will eliminate risks, enhance
safety, enable modernization, and make room for the next big scientific
discovery.
Through
EM’s work, these sites have a bright future to continue Oak Ridge’s
rich history of leadership and innovation for the next 75 years.
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In
this photo from World War II, Hanford's B Reactor can be seen between
the water towers at right, along with other facilities that supported
reactor operations. The reactor began operating in September 1944 and
was shut down from 1946-1948. It then went back into service until 1968.
Hanford
Once
a thriving agricultural area known for its early-to-market fruits, the
area in southeastern Washington State now known as the Hanford Site
transformed almost overnight when the Army Corps of Engineers chose it
in 1942 as the site of the Manhattan Project's plutonium production
facilities.
More
than 51,000 workers from across the nation came to Hanford in just a
few months. In just 18 months, these workers constructed and began to
operate a massive industrial complex to fabricate, test, and irradiate
uranium fuel and chemically separate out plutonium. That plutonium was
used for the Trinity Test, and for the atomic weapon used on Nagasaki,
Japan on Aug. 9, 1945.
Hanford
continued to expand its plutonium production capabilities in support of
the Cold War, ending up with nine production reactors and five chemical
separations plants. For more than 40 years, reactors located at Hanford
produced plutonium for America’s defense program. In 1989, the Hanford
Site mission changed to cleaning up liquid and solid waste, taking down
facilities, and restoring the environment to protect the Columbia River.
The
control room of the B Reactor gives visitors to this national historic
landmark a glimpse of what it was like to work inside the world's first
full-scale plutonium production reactor.
Since
1989, Hanford has been the site of an extensive cleanup undertaken by
EM in agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the
Washington State Department of Ecology. Since the cleanup of Hanford
began:
- 1,353 waste sites have been remediated and cleared;
- 18.3 million tons of solid waste has been safely collected and disposed;
- 23 billion gallons of contaminated groundwater has been cleaned and returned to drinking water quality.
All of the nuclear reactors associated with the Manhattan Project were decommissioned and safely placed offline.
-Contributors: Bruce Drake, Steven Horak, Ben Williams
The History of a Park Dedicated to the Manhattan Project Story
This
2016 photo shows a view of the Hanford Site's B Reactor National
Historic Landmark, a vibrant tourism and education draw that is part of
the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
The
Manhattan Project was an unprecedented, top-secret research and
development program created during World War II to develop an atomic
weapon.
The
beginning of the atomic age is recognized as one of the most important
events of the 20th century. Its profound legacies include the
proliferation of nuclear weapons, vast environmental remediation
efforts, the development of the national laboratory system, and peaceful
uses of nuclear materials such as nuclear medicine.
In
2001, DOE worked with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and
a panel of distinguished historic preservation experts to develop
preservation options for six DOE-owned Manhattan Project-era historic
facilities that the panel found to be of extraordinary historical
significance and worthy of “commemoration as national treasures.”
In
2004, Congress directed the National Park Service (NPS) to work with
DOE to evaluate whether it was appropriate and feasible to establish a
new unit of the national park system dedicated to telling the story of
the Manhattan Project.
After a decade of work by local communities, elected officials, DOE, NPS, and other stakeholders, the Manhattan Project National Historical Park was authorized as part of the Carl Levin and Howard P. “Buck” McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015.
The park includes facilities at the three primary Manhattan Project locations — Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford.
The park includes facilities at the three primary Manhattan Project locations — Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and Hanford.
At
Los Alamos, more than 6,000 scientists and support personnel worked to
design and build the atomic weapons. The park currently includes three
areas there: Gun Site, which was associated with the design of the
“Little Boy” bomb; V-Site, which was used to assemble components of the
Trinity device; and Pajarito Site, which was used for plutonium
chemistry research.
A
view of the grand opening of the K-25 History Center at Oak Ridge in
February 2020. The K-25 footprint is part of the Manhattan Project
National Historical Park.
The
Clinton Engineer Works, which became the Oak Ridge Reservation,
supported three parallel industrial processes for uranium enrichment and
experimental plutonium production.
The
park includes the X-10 Graphite Reactor National Historic Landmark,
which produced small quantities of plutonium to support Los Alamos
weapons work; buildings at the Y-12 complex, home to the electromagnetic
separation process for uranium enrichment; and the site of the K-25
building, where gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment technology was
pioneered.
The
Hanford Engineer Works, now the Hanford Site, was home to more than
51,000 workers who constructed and operated a massive industrial complex
to fabricate, test, and irradiate uranium fuel in reactors and then
chemically separate out plutonium to be used in weapons.
The
Hanford landscape is also representative of one of the first acts of
the Manhattan Project — the condemnation of private property and
eviction of homeowners and American Indian tribes to clear the way for
the top-secret work. The park includes the B Reactor National Historic
Landmark, which produced the material for the Trinity Test and plutonium
bomb; and four turn-of-the-century historic buildings that give
visitors a glimpse into the history of the Hanford area before the
arrival of the Manhattan Project.
The
park is managed as a collaborative partnership between DOE, which
continues to own, preserve, and maintain the park facilities and will
work to expand public access to them; and NPS, which administers the
park, interprets the story of the Manhattan Project, and provides
technical assistance to DOE on historic preservation. A memorandum of
agreement between DOE and the U.S. Department of the Interior signed in
November 2015 officially created the park and guides implementation of
the park mission by the two agencies.
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In
this 2018 photo, visitors to the Pajarito Site at Los Alamos learn
about Manhattan Project history. The site includes the Pond Cabin,
Battleship Bunker, and Slotin Building used by scientists developing the
plutonium bomb.
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While
a key component of the national historical park mission within DOE is
enhancing public access to the park facilities, DOE and its contractors
are also working to develop online resources so virtual visitors and
students can learn about the historic facilities and the Manhattan
Project.
This DOE webpage offers a wide range of in-print, online, and in-person Manhattan Project historical resources. The Department also produced podcasts on the history and impact of the Manhattan Project.
At the Los Alamos park unit, the Bradbury Science Museum, operated by Los Alamos National Laboratory, provides numerous electronic resources,
including an overview of the park and Project Y in Los Alamos, and an
overview of Manhattan Project sites on laboratory land. The Bradbury
Science Museum’s online collections database allows visitors to search artifacts, photos, and historic documents from the Manhattan Project. LANL has also produced a video of historic sites and work to preserve them for future generations.
DOE,
in partnership with a local biking club and the National Park Service,
has sponsored an annual bike ride around the B Reactor at the Hanford
Site, as shown here in this 2016 photo.
Oak Ridge's K-25 Virtual Museum offers visitors information about the Manhattan Project and Cold war.
The
Hanford park unit is accessible to virtual visitors through a variety
of resources, including those provided by partners in the community. DOE
offers virtual access to the B Reactor National Historic Landmark via a
360-degree camera system.
The
Hanford History Project (HHP) at Washington State University Tri Cities
preserves DOE’s federal Manhattan Project and Cold War collection of
artifacts and oral histories. Virtual access to these collections, as
well as the HHP’s collections of oral histories, donated archive
materials, documents, and photographs are available at HHP’s website.
The B Reactor Museum Association provides a series of videos with in-depth information on how the B Reactor functions and why it is recognized as a scientific and engineering marvel.
NPS maintains the official park webpage.
B Reactor: Preserving a Transformative Piece of U.S. History
In
this 2016 photo, schoolchildren explore the B Reactor, a popular field
trip destination for elementary, middle, and high schools. EM’s Richland
Operations Office works closely with educational institutions, tribes,
science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) camps, clubs, and
other interested groups to provide access to B Reactor and customized
tours.
The
atomic age began in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945, with the
Trinity Test — the culmination of the top-secret Manhattan Project.
This
first-ever detonation of a nuclear device led to a new era marked by
the development of weapons with previously unimaginable power, and a
complicated legacy that includes the fields of nuclear medicine and
nuclear energy, the growth of a vital national laboratory system, and EM’s vast environmental cleanup.
The B Reactor at the Hanford Site
was the world’s first full-scale plutonium production reactor, and
produced plutonium for the Trinity Test and one of two weapons deployed
in August 1945 during World War II. B Reactor is now part of the
Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Other historic facilities at
Oak Ridge and Los Alamos are also part of the park.
While
it only took 11 months in 1943 to construct B Reactor, preserving the
reactor and later creating the park took considerably longer.
Nonetheless, the decades-long effort exemplifies what is possible
through strong partnerships among Congress, local communities, DOE
headquarters, EM sites, and other federal agencies.
Former
B Reactor workers sought recognition for the facility’s historical
status, resulting in its designation as a National Historic Mechanical
Engineering Landmark in 1976, and a National Historic Civil Engineering
Landmark in 1994.
With
broad community support, the reactor was added to the National Register
of Historic Places in 1992. In 2008, with DOE support, the U.S.
Department of Interior designated B Reactor a National Historic
Landmark. After a decade of a congressionally mandated study by the
National Park Service and DOE, bipartisan legislation was passed by
Congress and signed into law in 2014 establishing the park.
Community
advocates and local leaders in the three Manhattan Project communities
and elsewhere across the nation drove efforts to preserve the reactor.
For
EM and Hanford, the vision and tenacity of community leaders and
organizations — including the B Reactor Museum Association, the Tri
Cities Development Council, local governments, and Visit Tri Cities —
and the work of their representatives in Congress made the park
possible.
EM
and Hanford leadership safely preserved the B Reactor and supported the
creation of the park, recognizing that providing controlled, safe
public access to the historic facilities over time would be a powerful
educational tool in explaining the EM mission and progress to taxpayers.
More
than 12,000 people typically visit the B Reactor each year, and
international visitors have come from more than 90 countries worldwide,
bringing an estimated $3 million in tourism to the local community.
DOE Honors SRS Team With Excellence Award for Coal Ash Cleanup
AIKEN, S.C. – A team from the Savannah River Site
(SRS) that completed cleanup of coal ash-contaminated land a year early
and at a savings of more than $8 million has been recognized by DOE
with the prestigious Project Management Excellence Award.
The
project team remediated and closed the D Area coal ash landfill, two
coal ash basins, and a coal pile runoff basin. It’s an area consisting
of over 90 acres at SRS used to manage ashes from the D-Area Powerhouse,
which provided steam and electricity for SRS missions for more than 59
years.
The
powerhouse was closed in 2012, and DOE-Savannah River (DOE-SR) and
contractor Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) undertook cleanup in
2014.
An
award citation signed by Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette noted the
project team built a strong relationship with the South Carolina
Department of Health and Environmental Control and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to negotiate a cleanup schedule.
The award was announced at an EM workforce meeting on July 14.
"Not
only did the team come in ahead of schedule and under budget, but
they’re also being recognized for the strong relationship they developed
with the EPA and state regulators," EM Senior Advisor William "Ike"
White said. "We all know how important those relationships are to
achieving success across EM."
"The
success of the SRS D Area Ash Project is a direct result of a sound
closure plan developed by a core team of DOE-Savannah River and SRNS
project managers and supported by our state and federal environmental
regulators," said Michael D. Budney, manager, DOE-SR Operations Office.
"The strategy of a phased approach provided schedule and financial
flexibility and allowed the team to set the standard for how to clean up
one of the biggest environmental problems facing power generating
facilities across the U.S., whether commercial or federally owned."
Before-and-after
photos of the Savannah River Site ash basin cleanup project. Crews
remediated over 90 acres of federal property.
Remediation
was complicated by immense rains from multiple hurricanes. Each inch of
rain resulted in roughly 1 million gallons of stormwater that had to be
managed and pass toxicity testing before it could be discharged.
Despite the challenges, the $65.8 million project was completed in 2019,
a year ahead of schedule and more than $8 million under budget.
"This
mammoth cleanup task consolidated more than 400,000 cubic yards of coal
ash and was completed more than a year ahead of schedule while saving
millions," said Stuart MacVean, SRNS president and CEO. "We were
pursuing performance excellence, safe operations, and timely completion
with this multi-year project, and those goals were not just met, but
exceeded."
The
project team includes Karen Adams, federal project director; Todd
Alasin, project management support with DOE; Brian Hennessey, Federal
Facilities Agreement project manager with DOE; Susan Bell, SRNS project
manager; Julee Smith, SRNS project controls lead; Drew Murphy, SRNS
buyer; and Don Baston, SRNS design engineering.
Each
year DOE recognizes various projects that have demonstrated excellence
in project management. The Secretary's Excellence Award is presented to a
project team that achieves “exceptional results” in completing a
project within cost and schedule.
EM Prepares for Demolition in Heart of ORNL
Crews
are manually adding 12,000 square feet of fabric to the trusses to
complete the cover for the protective tent at the Building 3026
demolition project at Oak Ridge.
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management
(OREM) and its contractor UCOR are preparing to demolish the remaining
structures associated with Building 3026, the former Radioisotope
Development Lab.
“This
project is a big step for our program because it marks the beginning of
the next phase of major cleanup in Oak Ridge,” said Nathan Felosi, ORNL
portfolio federal project director for OREM. “Taking down these hot
cells will remove a longstanding risk from the central campus area.”
Workers
are finalizing the installation of a six-story protective tent to keep
nearby research facilities protected while the final two hot cells from
Building 3026 are demolished. Hot cells are thick, concrete rooms that
are heavily shielded to provide researchers protection from highly
radiative material.
Using
a 175-ton crane, crews set a foundation of 92 16,000-pound blocks for
the protective tent. Workers then began using the crane to erect 20
steel trusses to create the frame. To complete the structure, nearly
12,000 square feet of fabric is being added in two sections.
Building
3026 was originally built in 1945 to support isotope separation and
packaging, but it was later used to examine irradiated reactor fuel
experiments and components. The outer structure and four of the
facility’s hot cells were demolished using funds from the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. However, work has continued on
the remaining structures.
Building 3026 was so severely degraded that the outer structure was demolished more than 10 years ago.
A
175-ton crane is being used to install a six-story protective cover to
keep research facilities near Building 3026 safe during demolition.
Last fall, UCOR completed tasks to eliminate contamination pathways
and prepare the remaining structures for demolition. That included
pumping and grouting a 47-foot-long underground transfer tunnel formerly
used to load radioactive material into the hot cells.
The protective tent will be completed this month, and demolition is scheduled later this year.
As major cleanup is completed at the East Tennessee Technology Park, OREM is transitioning its skilled, experienced workforce to ORNL and the Y-12 National Security Complex to ramp up large-scale cleanup at those sites.
Crews
will work across ORNL’s central campus area to deactivate former
research reactors and other radioisotope laboratory facilities in
preparation for demolition. This work will eliminate hazards across the
site and clear land for future research missions.
-Contributor: Susanne Dupes
Next Mega-Volume Saltstone Disposal Unit Taking Shape at SRS
AIKEN, S.C. – The EM Savannah River Site (SRS) landscape is changing again as Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) 8 cell construction work is underway.
“SDUs
are a visual reminder of the progress being made toward the
Department’s goal to safely and efficiently dispose of waste at SRS,
making the community and environment safer,” DOE-Savannah River SDU
Federal Project Director Shayne Farrell said.
SDU
8 is the third 32-million-gallon capacity, mega-volume SDU to be built
by liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation (SRR) at SRS.
Mega-volume SDUs stand 43 feet high and 375 feet in diameter.
SDU
8 work has moved past preparing the site and installing a mudmat. SRR
is now setting rebar in preparation for placing the two-foot-thick
foundation slab, the step that moves the work on the cell to the
construction phase.
Mega-volume
SDU design and construction is based on the first successful
mega-volume SDU, SDU 6, which entered into operation in August 2017.
Construction of the SDU 7 cell is complete, and it is currently being
internally lined to protect the concrete and provide a robust leak
tightness barrier.
All
SDU work is being executed safely with detailed plans and protocols in
place to meet all federal and South Carolina state requirements for
COVID-19 controls. Worker participation and management review of ongoing
safety practices and protocols is keeping workers safe.
Savannah
River Remediation subcontractor employees set rebar in preparation for
the foundation slab at Saltstone Disposal Unit 8.
SDUs
are the safe and permanent destination for decontaminated salt solution
(DSS) at SRS. Salt waste is decontaminated through processes that
remove radioactive isotopes, such as cesium. The Salt Waste Processing
Facility (SWPF) is scheduled to begin hot commissioning in 2020 — an EM priority for 2020 — and will process up to 9 million gallons of waste per year after.
DSS
is transferred to the Saltstone Production Facility and combined with
materials to form saltstone, which is pumped into SDUs while it is still
liquid and then hardens for permanent disposal. SRR’s mission is to
safely store, treat, and dispose of radioactive liquid waste and
operationally close SRS waste tanks.
Work
leading up to cell construction included a large excavation and the
installation of a lower mud mat on SDU 8, followed by installation of
the high-density polyethylene liner and then an upper mud mat. SDU 8
will be pieced together by placing 25 walls around 208 columns that
support the one-foot-thick roof, then wrapped with nearly 350 miles of
reinforcing cable.
“This
SDU program team, including our DOE counterparts and subcontractors,
are a very talented group of dedicated professionals,” said SRR SDU
Project Manager Jon Lunn. “They continue to work safely to help execute
the SRS liquid waste mission.”
As
a strategic approach to maximize resources, SRR is building SDU 9 in
parallel with SDU 8. SDU 9 cell construction preparation work is in
progress. SDU 8 construction is expected to be complete by February
2023.
Hanford Tank Operations Go Digital to Support 24/7 Waste Treatment
Upgraded
digital technology at the Hanford Tank Farms has eliminated reliance on
myriad white boards, clipboards, and paper. The upgrades have also
improved worker safety and efficiency, simplified operations, automated
data collection, and electronically provided timely and accurate
information to the workforce.
RICHLAND, Wash. – New digital systems have significantly upgraded waste tank operations at the Hanford Site as the workforce prepares to support round-the-clock conversion of tank waste into glass in the site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant when the complex is operating.
EM Office of River Protection
contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) has implemented
a series of digital initiatives over the past several years. They
include a suite of more than 60 software products that provide improved
command and control of operations while reducing repetitive manual data
activities and actions that can generate human error.
“In
the past, we relied heavily on paper records that required more time to
update and generally slowed our ability to communicate compared to
using electronic records,” said Dimple Patel, EM Tank Farms
instrumentation and control safety system oversight engineer. “Today’s
digital technology makes recordkeeping more efficient and communications
much faster, both of which contribute to mission progress.”
The
upgraded digital technology has eliminated reliance on myriad white
boards, clipboards, and paper. The upgrades have also improved worker
safety and efficiency, simplified operations, automated data collection,
and provided timely and accurate information to the workforce.
“We’re
building the infrastructure that will provide critical information
decision-makers need, wherever they are,” said Mirwaise Aurah, WRPS
process and controls systems engineering manager.
Large
wall-mounted touchscreen tablets provide an instant messaging system
covering work activities, weather conditions, sampling plans, event
notifications, and more.
In
a further enhancement, six control rooms scattered throughout tank
operating areas were consolidated into a single central control room.
Through a network of secure wireless systems, technicians in the control
room monitor leak detection systems, tank waste levels, waste transfer
systems, and tank ventilation systems to ensure the integrity and
continued safe operation of Hanford’s waste tanks.
-Contributor: Mike Butler
|
New Equipment Strengthens Environmental Monitoring at SRS |
In
this February 2020 photo, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS)
Scientist Jason Walker, left, inspects a new portable air monitoring
station, while SRNS Environmental Specialist Jesse Baxley records
readings from one of several permanent units at the Savannah River Site.
AIKEN, S.C. – The EM program has added two portable units to its network of 14 permanent air monitoring stations at the Savannah River Site (SRS), helping extend the reach of its study of the atmosphere in and around the site.
“The
geographical coverage and the data obtained by these air sampling
stations is excellent,” said Jason Walker, a scientist with Savannah
River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), the site’s management and operations
contractor. “However, with the purchase of two portable sampling units
we can significantly increase our options, placing these
state-of-the-art portable units wherever needed to add to the
versatility of our overall program.”
The
SRS Radiological Environmental Monitoring Program monitors effects SRS
has on the environment. There is one permanent air monitoring station
onsite, 10 at the site perimeter, and three within population centers
near SRS. Initially, each portable system will be temporarily located
near a permanent station, then scientists will compare the data. The
units will then be placed in storage where they can quickly be accessed
and deployed as needed.
“This
will enable us to make small adjustments to further improve the data
received from each permanent station. A portable unit can also be used
to temporarily collect data while a permanent uni
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