eThe team at ORNL Building 3042 Oak Ridge Research Reactor has completed a significant milestone cleaning up the reactor pool. For almost two years, crews have been working to segment and remove the reactor vessel and internal pool components, clarify and drain the pool water, and remove sediment from the bottom of the pool.
There were multiple steps to take and challenges to overcome. One challenge was collaboratively working to clarify the reactor pool by removing dye with a UV light system. The team also used a remote-operated vehicle (ROV) to identify cut locations before the dye was eliminated.
Other challenges the team had to meet included having to repair the overhead crane and work in summer heat in full dress out. Crews completed five waste cask loadouts, which included two reactor sections. After months of vacuuming the pool with long-reach tools (in between lowering the pool water to reduce the sediment), crews pumped out a total over 125,000 gallons of wastewater. They applied fixative to the walls to contain contamination during demolition and cut out any remaining materials along the walls and bottom. As a result, the 25-foot-deep reactor pool is now debris free.
