EM Update January 13, 2021

banner EM Update | Vol. 13, Issue 1 | Jan. 13, 2021 GreenBar DOE Leaders Announce Completion of Key Step Toward Hanford Tank Waste Treatment The Results Are In — EM Accomplished Bulk of 2020 Cleanup Priorities Hanford Workers Retrieving Waste from Another Single-Shell Tank Oak Ridge on Pace for Another Big Year in 2021 In Mark of Progress, SRS Crews Remove Cesium Columns From Tank Closure Unit Idaho Calcine Project Partners With University for Radiation Testing Virtual Tours Give Public New Views of Hanford, Savannah River Cleanup EM Awards Fees for Contractors’ Performance Across DOE Complex Employee Feedback Improves Decontamination Project at West Valley DOE Leaders Announce Completion of Key Step Toward Hanford Tank Waste Treatment p Deputy Energy Secretary Mark W. Menezes, center, and Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar, left, receive ceremonial keys from Bechtel National, Inc. Senior Vice President and Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Project Director Valerie McCain. The keys signify the turnover of the facilities used in the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste approach from construction to commissioning and startup. RICHLAND, Wash. – Deputy Energy Secretary Mark W. Menezes and Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar visited the Hanford Site last week to mark the completion of construction on facilities at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) needed to start treating radioactive waste from large underground tanks through the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) approach. “The Department is committed to the shared goal of initiating tank waste treatment at Hanford via DFLAW,” Menezes said. “This progress marks a tremendous leap forward for the Hanford workforce and the Tri-Cities community as we drive closer to a new era of tank waste treatment at Hanford.” Dabbar noted that a focus on solutions combined with a world-class workforce has led to results for the tank waste mission and beyond. “The impacts of this DFLAW achievement coupled with the overall progress of the past four years position Hanford for success throughout the decade ahead,” Dabbar said. p Workers at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant test the Low-Activity Waste Facility’s container handling system. All engineering, procurement, and construction has been completed on 17 facilities at the plant that will be used in the DFLAW approach. Through this approach, pretreated waste from Hanford tanks will be piped to the Low-Activity Waste Facility, where it will be vitrified, or immobilized in glass. The other facilities include the Analytical Laboratory, Effluent Management Facility, and 14 support structures consisting of electrical power, backup power, water purification, compressed air, steam, communication and control, and fire water systems. The 17 facilities are now in the startup testing and commissioning phases to prepare for operations and the next major achievement — heating large melters that will vitrify millions of gallons of low-activity tank waste. DOE Hanford Manager Brian Vance emphasized the significance of the achievement to the entire Hanford Site. “As the plant moves into full commissioning, other Hanford contractors continue their drive to prepare for round-the-clock operations by completing projects and infrastructure improvements that must operate with the plant to be successful,” Vance said. “We are moving deliberatively and safely toward treating tank waste and meeting our commitment to continue to protect our workforce, the people of this region, and the environment.” Valerie McCain, Bechtel National, Inc. senior vice president and project director for WTP, thanked current and former workers for their contributions and presented Menezes and Dabbar with ceremonial keys to signify the turnover of the facilities used for the DFLAW approach from construction to commissioning and startup activities. Members of the Washington congressional delegation, along with Washington State Department of Ecology Nuclear Waste Program Manager David Bowen, congratulated the Hanford workforce as well as the Tri-Cities community via video messages. View a video recording of the event here. -Contributor: Joan Lucas The Results Are In — EM Accomplished Bulk of 2020 Cleanup Priorities p In early 2020, EM set out an aggressive list of priorities for the coming year. As the year came to a close, EM accomplished the vast majority of its Calendar Year 2020 priorities, reaching major historic milestones that advanced its cleanup mission, according to a newly released scorecard. Notably, these accomplishments came amid the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our scorecard on EM’s 2020 mission priorities demonstrates remarkable progress by our cleanup workforce during a global pandemic,” EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White said. “I am inspired by the way the EM workforce pulled together in 2020, adapting and finding ways to boost productivity and teamwork while adhering to the COVID-19 protocols.” Overall, 2020 was an inflection point for EM, as the workforce marked accomplishments across the DOE complex that resulted in transformational tank waste capabilities, historic skyline changes, and other major cleanup advancements, positioning EM for a decade of transformational progress. At Oak Ridge, workers completed demolition at the East Tennessee Technology Park, making it the first site in the world to remove an entire uranium enrichment complex. At the Savannah River Site, crews began operations at the first-of-a-kind Salt Waste Processing Facility, the last major piece of the site’s liquid waste treatment system. The facility has the potential to process as much as 9 million gallons of liquid waste per year. EM also achieved significant advancement of key components of DOE’s tank waste treatment mission at other sites, including Hanford, where workers made progress in construction, startup, and commissioning critical to the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste approach. EM's small sites made significant accomplishments as well. At the Moab Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project in Utah, workers reached a milestone 11 million tons of mill tailings shipped from a former uranium ore processing site in Moab to a disposal cell near Crescent Junction. The 2020 priorities included: Achieving significant construction project milestones Executing key projects that enable the EM cleanup mission Reducing the EM complex footprint Awarding contracts that enable accelerated progress Driving innovation and improved performance in the EM mission These priorities position EM for sustainable success in its mission to complete the safe cleanup of the environmental legacy brought about from decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research. While not all of the priorities were fully accomplished, significant progress was made and EM looks forward to completing them in the future. “While we were not able to check off every item on our 2020 priorities, the full list demonstrates our ambitious view of what the EM program is capable of achieving,” White said. “All of those with an interest in our work can use tools like this to gauge our progress for themselves.” For more information on the breadth of EM’s accomplishments across the complex in 2020, please see the EM Year-in-Review. In addition, an equaling challenging list of priorities is being finalized for 2021 and EM looks forward to building on this year’s momentum to continue to move the clean-up mission forward. Hanford Workers Retrieving Waste from Another Single-Shell Tank p EM Office of River Protection contractor Washington River Protection Solutions recently began retrieving waste from single-shell tank AX-104 at the Hanford Site. The waste is being transferred to a more robust double-shell tank for safe storage. RICHLAND, Wash. – EM’s Office of River Protection (ORP) continues to make substantial progress in its mission to safely and efficiently reduce risk at the Hanford Site by managing and retrieving millions of gallons of radioactive waste stored in massive underground tanks. ORP tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) recently began retrieving waste from single-shell Tank AX-104 and transferring the waste to a newer, more robust double-shell tank for safe storage. To date, EM has completed waste retrieval from 17 of Hanford’s single-shell tanks. “Moving waste into the double-shell tank system helps reduce risk to the environment and allows for safe storage of the waste until it can be treated,” said Brian Harkins, ORP deputy assistant manager for tank farms. Tank AX-104, one of four tanks that make up Hanford’s AX Farm, contains more than 5,000 gallons of highly radioactive sludge-like material on the tank floor and 2,000 gallons of the material on the tank walls. The retrieval strategy for the 1-million-gallon-capacity tank involves mobilizing the waste by using pressurized water directed through robotic sluicing equipment, then pumping the slurry to a double-shell tank for safe storage. p Dave McCary, a nuclear chemical operator for EM Office of River Protection contractor Washington River Protection Solutions, maneuvers robotic sluicing equipment to remove waste from Tank AX-104, one of four single-shell tanks that make up AX Farm. Each of the tanks has a capacity of 1 million gallons. WRPS set the stage for retrieval of Tank AX-104 by carefully removing highly contaminated legacy equipment from the tank — such as pumps and thermocouples — and installing waste retrieval infrastructure in AX Farm. A thermocouple is a device that measures the temperature of waste. The infrastructure included a new ventilation system to filter emissions and a state-of-the-art facility that houses the water supply systems used to support retrieval activities. The in-tank waste retrieval system consists of three cannon-like sluicers, a central pump, and six camera and lighting systems. Sluicers are used to mobilize the waste and move it to a central pump. Established safety controls will be in place throughout the entire retrieval process. ORP and WRPS also used lessons learned from previous retrieval projects to help keep workers safe. “We have a highly skilled, innovative team with a strong track record of meeting the unique challenges that come with tank waste retrieval. For all retrieval projects, we develop a thorough project plan, choose the right tools for the job, and complete work safely,” said Doug Greenwell, WRPS retrievals manager. -Contributor: Mark McKenna Oak Ridge on Pace for Another Big Year in 2021 p Demolition of the Building 9210, at left, is nearing completion, and crews will soon begin tearing down the six-story Building 9207, at right. This project will complete the removal of the Biology Complex at Y-12, opening 18 acres for national security missions. OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – DOE’s Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) enters a new chapter in cleanup this year that will transform the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) and support the important missions at those sites. As EM workers look to build on their historical accomplishments in 2020 — namely the completion of demolition at the East Tennessee Technology Park — they will take on several projects in 2021 that will alter the landscape at ORNL and Y-12. Work is wrapping up on demolition of the 65,000-square-foot Building 9210 in Y-12’s former Biology Complex. That project is scheduled for completion early this year. Next, crews will start taking down the final structure in the complex — the six-story, 256,660-square-foot Building 9207. These buildings were vacant for many years and have deteriorated. Due to their structural condition, they were categorized as high-risk excess contaminated facilities. By eliminating them, EM is enhancing safety and clearing 18 acres of land that can be used for national security missions. p Workers finished installing a six-story protective cover over Building 3026’s remaining contaminated structures last year. Demolition of the structures is scheduled to begin early this year, and the cover will protect the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s ongoing missions from potential impacts from demolition. p Deactivation is underway inside Building 3005, which houses the Low Intensity Reactor. In 2021, EM is conducting deactivation projects at three former research reactors and nine isotope research and productions labs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. EM is also nearing the start of a demolition project in the heart of ORNL. In coming weeks, crews will begin tearing down the two remaining contaminated structures that were part of Building 3026, the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory. Last year, workers finished installing a six-story protective cover over the area to protect nearby facilities from potential impacts from the demolition of the two structures. Taking down these contaminated structures removes risks in the central campus of ORNL and clears land that can be used for future research missions. EM is also setting the stage for the next wave of demolitions by moving forward on numerous deactivation projects at ORNL and Y-12. At Y-12, workers will perform deactivation work at two Manhattan Project-era facilities, Alpha-2 and Beta-1, which have a combined footprint of more than a half-million square feet. Workers also continue to retrieve mercury and deactivate the Column Exchange process equipment at Alpha-4 prior to demolition. So far, crews have retrieved more than 10,000 pounds of mercury from dilapidated equipment that was installed in the 1950s and operated through the 1960s. At ORNL, deactivation is concentrated in the central campus area, which houses ORNL’s oldest buildings. Deactivation is ongoing in three former research reactors — the Low Intensity Test Reactor, the Bulk Shielding Reactor, and the Oak Ridge Research Reactor. Workers also are transitioning the Experimental Gas-Cooled Reactor to the “cold and dark” deactivation state. In addition to addressing former reactors, crews will also deactivate nine isotope research and productions labs. EM is also moving forward on its highest priority at ORNL – removing the remaining inventory of uranum-233. Workers are currently processing and downblending the lower dose portion of the inventory in gloveboxes. Meanwhile, facility upgrades are nearing completion so teams can begin processing and downblending the higher dose portion of the inventory later this year. This will mark a major step forward in this crucial project. “While the accomplishments of 2020 are now in the past, those projects have positioned Oak Ridge’s environmental cleanup for another impactful year and laid the foundation for many more successes in the year ahead,” said Jay Mullis, manager of OREM. -Contributor: Ben Williams In Mark of Progress, SRS Crews Remove Cesium Columns From Tank Closure Unit p Savannah River Remediation crews remove the first column filled with cesium from the Tank Closure Cesium Removal (TCCR) unit via crane in H Tank Farm at the Savannah River Site. All four of the original columns have been removed from TCCR and will be replaced by new columns this year. AIKEN, S.C. – For the first time, EM and its liquid waste contractor at the Savannah River Site (SRS) have removed columns that are filled with cesium in a demonstration project designed to accelerate removal of radioactive salt waste from underground tanks. Operated by Savannah River Remediation (SRR), the Tank Closure Cesium Removal (TCCR) unit removes cesium from the salt waste in Tank 10 in the SRS H Tank Farm. TCCR is a pilot demonstration of innovative technology helping accelerate tank closure at SRS. Building on the experience of commercial nuclear plant decontamination and following the disaster response associated with the Fukushima Daiichi accident, the TCCR technology selectively removes radioactive cesium from dissolved salt waste. A commercial supplier designed, fabricated, tested, and delivered the mobile cesium removal system, which has been deployed at Tank 10 for the treatment of liquid salt waste. The radioactive cesium is filtered and holds to a specially engineered resin inside four ion-exchange columns within the process unit. The decontaminated salt solution discharge is sent to Tank 11 and eventually to the Saltstone Production Facility for onsite disposal. Savannah River National Laboratory supported research and development of the ion-exchange resin. The original columns were adequately filled with the cesium collected from the waste. The four columns, which were in operation since January 2019, were removed from the TCCR unit via mobile crane in December 2020. They were then transported to a nearby interim safe storage pad. Four new columns are expected to be installed in the spring. SRR President and Project Manager Phil Breidenbach said the task of removing the columns is a first for this project. “On the surface, it appeared to be like any other crane lift and equipment transport, which are routinely performed in the tank farms; however, this equipment contained cesium-rich, high-level waste, which was transported above-ground via roadway to an onsite interim safe storage pad,” Breidenbach said. “It was all handled safely and executed with outstanding teamwork by our highly skilled workforce.” The majority of the salt waste inside the tanks at SRS will be processed through the Salt Waste Processing Facility, which began radioactive operations in October 2020, and full operations are expected soon. TCCR will supplement that processing to help accelerate EM’s liquid waste mission. TCCR has processed three batches, or nearly 300,000 gallons, of salt waste since the demonstration project began. -Contributor: Colleen Hart Idaho Calcine Project Partners With University for Radiation Testing p Fluor Idaho Engineer Kevin Young, left, and Idaho Accelerator Center Imaging Laboratory Director Mike Smith prepare calcine retrieval project components for radiation testing with a high-powered X-ray generator. IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – Engineers with EM contractor Fluor Idaho are working with Idaho State University to conduct radiation testing on components to be used to remove a granulated high-level radioactive waste called calcine from a storage bin at the DOE Idaho National Laboratory Site. Calcine is a dried byproduct of the legacy spent nuclear fuel reprocessing mission at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). The engineers partnered with physicists at the Idaho Accelerator Center Imaging Laboratory at the university to subject electronic components, rubber seals, and eight small video cameras to high levels of radiation to replicate the conditions the components will encounter once inserted into a concrete bin set that houses 220 cubic meters of calcine. “The components faired very well,” Fluor Idaho engineer Kevin Young said. “The unshielded video cameras operated as designed for more than nine hours with minimal image degradation despite being in a very high radiation field.” The laboratory went online in the 1980s to perform nuclear-based applied research. It was chosen to conduct testing on the calcine retrieval components because it is more cost effective and safer than recovering a portion of calcine and conducting testing in a hot cell, which is a radiation containment chamber. Fluor Idaho has completed a full-scale mock-up of a calcine bin set where testing continues on entry, retrieval, and transfer technologies that will be employed to transfer calcine to a nearby bin set. The bin set emptied of calcine will then be closed under federal regulations. In an agreement with the state of Idaho, EM is required to retrieve, treat, repackage, and prepare 4,400 cubic meters of calcine to ship for out-of-state disposal by 2035. The material is in storage in six separate bin sets inside concrete vaults at an INTEC facility. -Contributor: Erik Simpson Virtual Tours Give Public New Views of Hanford, Savannah River Cleanup p The new Hanford Site virtual tours webpage gives viewers panoramic images of multiple locations of cleanup efforts. This picture shows the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant’s Low-Activity Waste Facility and has additional viewing options in the navigation panel. RICHLAND, Wash. – Tour the sprawling Hanford and Savannah River sites from the comfort of your home thanks to newly created virtual tours of each location. The Hanford Site and its cleanup contractors are set to unveil a public self-guided virtual tour platform of the 580-square-mile site on Jan. 14. Members of the public can access the tour from the top banner of the Hanford webpage. The Savannah River Site (SRS) virtual tour video is available here. In the past, Hanford offered limited in-person public tours in the spring and summer months as a way to engage the public in the Hanford cleanup mission. Since public tours are currently on hold, site leadership came up with the idea of a virtual tour with the intent of keeping the public involved in cleanup progress while upholding COVID-19 protocols. While on the virtual tour, participants can view up to 20 Hanford locations with 360-degree camera views, accompanied by descriptions to provide context of the various projects. “Hanford cleanup is one of the great public works of our time. We are excited to have the tools to expand public awareness and appreciation of our important work with the virtual tour,” said Brian Vance, the EM manager of the Hanford Site. “Some of the locations featured on the virtual tour would not have otherwise been accessible to visitors due to the nature of our work. By utilizing technology, the virtual tour provides a superior experience and promotes public engagement.” Some of the tour stops include Hanford’s 324 Building, the 200 West Groundwater Treatment Project, and various structures associated with Hanford’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste program, including the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant and tank farms. Hanford’s virtual tour website is designed to be self-guided and will have the potential to reach an unlimited audience. p People who visit the new Hanford Site virtual tours webpage can get 360-degree views of locations like the 200 West Pump and Treat facility. Virtual tourists can click on icons to get additional details about the project. p A map of the 580-square-mile Hanford Site shows virtual tourists the geography of past site operations and the current cleanup mission. p In a still photo from the Savannah River Site (SRS) virtual tour, Tour Program Coordinator Bob Bonnett points out that SRS is larger in area than greater Washington, D.C. p From hearing cool factoids to learning more about the Savannah River Site's national missions, the public is invited to "get on the bus" for a virtual tour of the expansive 310-square-mile site. SRS public tours are usually booked months in advance, and the SRS Tour Program typically provides free guided bus tours of the 310-square-mile site to approximately 2,000 people each year. But with social distancing limiting tour bus group sizes, DOE decided to develop the virtual approach. Based on a driving tour of SRS, the virtual ride incorporates historical footage of the site’s construction along with glimpses inside many production facilities and environmental cleanup efforts, plus scenes from the diverse work at the Savannah River National and Savannah River Ecology laboratories. “We’ve seen so much of our world change and adapt to this pandemic, so this is an innovative way for us to continue telling our story,” DOE Savannah River Operations Manager Mike Budney said. “As SRS celebrates 70 years of protecting our nation, this virtual tour gives our surrounding communities a new window into our history, our current missions, and our talented workforce.” Other videos on SRS operations, history, and more can be found at the SRS YouTube Channel. Click here for SRS Tour Program updates. -Contributor: Coleen Drinkard, Julie Petersen, Barbara Smoak EM Awards Fees for Contractors’ Performance Across DOE Complex p Workers at the Hanford Site make final connections between a pipe sticking up out of one of three aging underground structures being stabilized and a grout delivery system. The structures are located near the former Plutonium Finishing Plant on Hanford’s Central Plateau. EM recently awarded performance-based fees payments to 10 of its contractors at sites across the DOE complex, including Hanford, Portsmouth, Paducah, Savannah River, and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. The cleanup program releases information relating to contractor fee payments — earned by completing work called for in the contracts — to further transparency in its cleanup program. Following are the fee payments for the 10 contractors over varying performance evaluation periods: Hanford Site Richland Operations Office contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company was