The December episode of Energycast features how UCOR Project Manager Brian Hutson’s questioning attitude is saving taxpayers $16 million and accelerating one of the largest demolitions at the Y-12 National Security Complex by a year and a half. In other news, DOE and the Environmental Protection Agency determined that nearly half of the federally owned…
As part of its proactive 2025 winterization campaign, UCOR’s ORNL Nuclear Operations team has successfully installed innovative monitoring lights on new piping at the 2600 Process Waste Facility. This upgrade is a crucial step in safeguarding the facility’s operations, particularly for its Liquid and Gaseous Waste Operations. “The new red heat trace lights serve as…
UCOR has made substantial progress preparing Y-12’s Beta-4 building for demolition, particularly in establishing critical infrastructure to support ongoing deactivation and demolition efforts. To optimize efficiency and safety during D&D operations, Beta-4 crews have partnered with Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) and other internal and external organizations to construct temporary facilities. This strategic relocation places crews…
UCOR crews are removing lead from two rooms of Y-12’s Alpha-2 building, which is currently undergoing demolition. The lead is estimated to weigh more than 783,000 pounds. It will be packaged and shipped offsite for disposition next summer. Watch the Quick Clip video to see workers in action.
UCOR’s Deactivation and Demolition (D&D) teams at the Y-12 National Security Complex’s 561,000-square-foot Alpha-4 facility are making substantial progress in preparing the former uranium separation facility for deactivation. Building on achieving “cold & dark” status in August, crews have successfully completed sorting and segmenting 447 legacy containers ahead of schedule. These shipments of legacy waste…
UCOR’s Y-12 D&D craft are constructing temporary facilities to place workers closer to the Beta-4 and Alpha-5 buildings. They’ve placed seven concrete pads to support electrical racks and equipment that will provide power to these temporary facilities, which will support upcoming deactivation and demolition work. Click the video link to view this work. https://youtu.be/sqY0BOFADWM?si=6KIXGeNrDe4jyi3P
Crews have removed the fifth and final hot cell from ORNL Building 3038, Isotope Development Laboratory. This is the last piece of large equipment to be removed from the facility before deactivation. The hot cell will be transported to TRU Waste Operations for storage until TWPC is ready to process it. Building 3038 was constructed…
UCOR has demolished the east side of Alpha-2 and has begun demolishing the final portion, the west end, reflecting the significant progress on the largest demolition project at Y-12. To date, crews have demolished approximately 180,254 square feet. The east side demo was a huge undertaking, resulting in 133,052 square feet demolished. Crews have demolished…
The UCOR Nuclear Operations team successfully replaced the J-2101 A/B/C Discharge to 3608 piping and components as part of the overall 2600 Piping Replacement Project. This system transports radiological water collected from various locations to ORNL Building 3608 for final processing. Crews are currently installing heat trace and insulation. This replacement is the tenth of…
Groundwater sampling is performed on the Oak Ridge Reservation to ensure that the groundwater is not being negatively impacted by past operations. UCOR periodically performs sampling at ETTP Heritage Center and a former scrap yard site, called White Wing Scrap Yard, to monitor for environmental impacts. To see our groundwater sampling team in action, watch…
