AIKEN, S.C. – The contractor cleaning up radioactive tank waste for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) has completed a significant effort to improve system reliability and worker safety.
Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC) has moved nonradioactive plant utility lines in H Tank Farm aboveground or within accessible trenches. These lines supply utilities such as water, steam, compressed air for processing, and cooling systems to help prevent corrosion for most tank farm operations, including an evaporator and other support facilities.
SRS has two tank farms, a grouping of underground tanks that hold radioactive liquid waste generated as byproduct from the processing of nuclear materials for national defense, research, medical programs, and for NASA missions. SRMC is EM’s liquid waste contractor responsible for safely treating and disposing of the millions of gallons of this waste remaining at SRS, as well as closing the tanks.
Historically, all utility pipes in the tank farms were buried within concrete underground, which made repairs extremely challenging and complex. The new, modified piping is now either supported aboveground using pipe bridges or contained in accessible trenches underground. The culmination of the infrastructure improvement effort was completed in May, when the final steam lines were tied in, or integrated with, the liquid waste processing system.
The area of H Tank Farm where this work was completed, known as the East Hill, performs most of the sludge and salt batch preparations that provide the feed for the Defense Waste Processing Facility and Salt Waste Processing Facility.
Improving the utility availability in H Tank Farm gives SRMC the means to optimally run the operating facilities, according to Scott Germain, SRMC tank farms director.
“We need all resources available to support the liquid waste operations and transfers,” Germain said. “Further, this undertaking has lowered the risk of environmental and personnel contamination, as well as tank farm maintenance costs, and provides the reliability necessary to support sludge processing.”
Tony Robinson, DOE-Savannah River acting assistant manager for waste disposition, said EM is committed to the safe and efficient completion of the tank waste cleanup mission at SRS. “Investing in sustainable infrastructure in the SRS tank farms is proactively safeguarding our people, plant and processes,” Robinson said. “The improvement to the tank farm utility infrastructure also ensures the longevity of the resources needed for the long-term success of our mission.”
