AIKEN, S.C. – Savannah River Nuclear Solution’s (SRNS) Savannah River Tritium Enterprise (SRTE), managed by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), recently conducted significant and complex maintenance activities to support upcoming tritium extraction operations.
Located within the 29 acres of SRS’ H Area, the SRTE Tritium Extraction Facility (TEF) houses the necessary operations for extracting this radioactive isotope of hydrogen. Due to the nature of the work, the machinery required for extraction is subject to substantial wear and tear. Additionally, the controlled radioactive environments pose design and maintenance challenges.
The Target Rod Prep Gripper—a critical component involved in the extraction process—recently underwent four months of maintenance before returning to service. This component is crucial for clamping irradiated Tritium-Producing Burnable Absorption Rods and placing them into the Target Rod Prep Cutter Head to be breached. Bringing this component back in service, marked a significant achievement by TEF operations, maintenance and engineering teams.
In addition, corrective maintenance in a glovebox (GB)—referred to as GB-500—was required to ensure the redundancy and reliability of the furnace extraction system, which is designed to pull tritium from the irradiated rods during high temperature heating processes. Due to the positioning of the glovebox, one side was inaccessible via glove ports and required open glovebox maintenance.
Given the significant safety controls, the potential high-hazard work required a custom containment structure to be built around the open glovebox area. In addition, personnel were required to wear air-fed plastic suits; and temporary glovebox ventilation was installed for contamination control.
TEF Acting Facility Manager Travis Wiley commended the teams for their resilience and adaptability in meeting critical commitments.
“The level of cross-functional support and dedication from our SRTE team truly exemplifies our commitment to supporting our nation’s nuclear deterrent,” said Wiley. “Their commitment to excellence and our shared mission has not only enabled us to overcome obstacles but has also demonstrated the true spirit of collaboration and innovation.”
In support of the nation’s nuclear deterrent, SRTE is scheduled to perform six tritium extraction operations by the end of fiscal year (FY) 2025, to supply gas required for loading limited life components for the Department of Defense (DoD).
“In our 70 plus years of operations, SRTE has never missed a shipment to the DoD,” said SRTE Area Operations Manager Kevin Cross. “FY25 presents another opportunity for our team to demonstrate repeat-extraction capability to our NNSA customer in anticipation of sustained facility demands well into the future, that are required to meet DoD commitments.”
Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science. NNSA maintains and enhances the safety, security, and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile; works to reduce the global danger from weapons of mass destruction; provides the U.S. Navy with safe and militarily effective nuclear propulsion; and responds to nuclear and radiological emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, a Fluor and HII partnership company, is responsible for the management and operations of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, located near Aiken, South Carolina.
SRNS-2025-1649