UCOR has officially wrapped up a four-year risk reduction effort after removing 447 legacy containers from Y-12’s Alpha-4 building, bringing full-scale deactivation one step closer. The 447 containers had been stored at the former uranium enrichment and lithium separation facility since the 1990s, originating from multiple facilities across the Y-12 National Security Complex. They contained…
The June episode of Energycast features a discussion with UCOR employees who designed a simple tool that is accelerating cleanup at one of the most contaminated structures at ORNL and saving half a million dollars. Viewers are taken into the field to see what’s involved in preparing former research labs and nuclear facilities for safe…
Waste Transportation Program crews successfully installed and commissioned a new water truck automatic fill station at the ETTP Heritage Center waste transportation hub. The new system significantly improves safety and efficiency of water-truck-filling operations. The filling process is simplified by eliminating the need for drivers to manually connect and disconnect the hydrant hose. Drivers just…
The Waste Management team at the Oak Ridge Reservation Landfill (ORRL) recently completed removing accumulated fine soil particles (sediment) and reconstructing the Pond 2 forebay. Every couple of years, clean out is required to maintain the necessary pond capacity and functionality. Crews removed 85 truckloads of sediment from the pond and placed in an area…
UCOR’s ORNL D&D crews have begun their next phase of deactivation efforts at the former Isotope Development Laboratory, Building 3038—characterizing a legacy carousel system. That system was previously used in the facility for storing, handling, and packaging of high-level radioisotopes prior to shipment. Characterizing the legacy system poses accessibility challenges as crews can only access…
Congratulations to UCOR’s Molten Salt Reactor Experiment team for successfully completing the final Continuous Purge System (CPS) Readiness Assessment. CPS is an active safety upgrade that mitigates hazards and facilitates remote monitoring. Starting a new system is no small feat as the process is filled with many difficult requirements. Assessment members from across the DOE…
The first seven sodium shields that we sent to the Veolia Nuclear Solutions Federal Services facility in Andrew, Texas, have all been successfully melted. Veolia used its GeoMelt® technology to convert the waste into a stable, durable glass for safe, permanent disposal. This legacy waste from the 1960s and 70s was used to pioneer radiation…
Several UCOR teams quickly responded last week to a deteriorated drain line connected to the main transfer pipe from the Melton Valley Collection Tank Facility (Building 7961) and the Process Waste Treatment Complex (Building 3608) supporting ORNL’s High Flux Isotope Reactor. After a sump pump alarm signaled potential flooding concerns, ORNL Nuclear Operations crews responded…
A fiber optic outage will take place this weekend. The outage, which is not under UCOR control, will impact everything—Teams, Outlook, shared drives, Citrix, etc. The services will be down and inaccessible, including network services to ORNL, Y-12, and TWPC. The outage will begin at 6 p.m., Friday, June 12, and continue until 6 a.m.,…
UCOR is making great progress preparing the remaining hot cell from the former Radioisotope Development Laboratory (Building 3026) for demolition. With the help of robotic equipment, 19 drums of waste have been removed. View the video for more on this project.
