DNFSB Reveals Concerns About Maintaining Y-12 Uranium Facilities
NS&D Monitor
8/1/2014
The National Nuclear Security Administration has so far refused to release a copy of the annual assessment of Y-12’s old production facilities, but a recently released memo by staff of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board revealed some highlights—as well as the concerns about maintaining the uranium operations at the Oak Ridge plant until more modern capabilities are in place. Y-12’s Continued Safe Operability Oversight Team (CSOOT) evaluated the conditions at the notorious 9212 complex, as well as Building 9215 and Building 9204-2E (known as Beta-2E) at the Oak Ridge plant.
The team looked at the changing situations while also tracking the progress on upgrades underway to extend the life of the production facilities until replacements or alternatives are available. According to the DNFSB memo, the new report said Building 9212′s worst problems over the past years included “roof leaks, breathing air system breakdowns, and ventilation system issues.” Besides that, “Significant process equipment issues included hydrogen fluoride leaks during Oxide Conversion Facility operations, cracking in the luminous wall of the Holden Gas Furnace, and the inoperability of the Primary Extraction system’s gamma radiation monitor,” the safety board memo stated.
Problems Highlighted in Building 9215
Building 9215 is a big part of the recent Red Team review that recommended additional work be carried out there in lieu of a new big-box Uranium Processing Facility. According to the DNFSB, the CSOOT review said the big issues of recent vintage included a “steam leak in the M-Wing plenum that cannot be repaired without costly asbestos abatement actions, and challenges reducing worker radiation exposures during chip packing and machining of oxide-covered metal parts.”
The Nuclear Facility Risk Reduction Project, which was established to help stall the deterioration of the old facilities at Y-12 and make upgrades where possible, continues to show a “strong performance” and is on schedule to complete the planned refurbishments in Fiscal Year 2015, according to the memo highlighting the CSOOT report. The safety board’s staff report noted that despite funding challenges in FY2014, Y-12 had completed some of the risk-reduction projects and worked on others.
Those were among the positive findings, but the memo also noted the recommendations of the Red Team could require changes in scope that would continue operations at 9215 and 9204-2E (Beta-2E) all the way into the 2040s. “The CSOOT recommended that line management establish a comprehensive equipment and system preventive and predictive maintenance program for Buildings 9215 and 9204-2E,” the safety board memo stated. “The CSOOT noted that the investment needs for the existing EU (enriched uranium) infrastructure have increased since certain capabilities are no longer planned for transition to UPF. However, there is significant uncertainty in future funding profiles due to recent shortfalls in program funding for Production Support and Maintenance and Repair. As a result, the CSOOT has a growing concern that safe operations cannot be maintained within the existing EU infrastructure for the remainder of its projected operational lifetime.”
High Flux Isotope Reactor Restart Delayed to Mid-August
The restart of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s High Flux Isotope Reactor, originally scheduled for the first of this week, has been postponed until mid-August—and that’s a tentative date—because of “minor issues” with the reactor’s computer codes. The 85-megawatt research reactor was shut down July 11 for routine maintenance and refueling. It had been scheduled to restart on July 29, but that didn’t happen.
According to Tim Powers, director of ORNL’s Research Reactors Division, the return to operation was delayed because of the computer issues identified a day before restart. He downplayed any concerns. “We’ll be going through further document updates and reviews before HFIR startup,” Powers said in an email response to questions. “We were looking at these codes in order to improve them for future use. The reactor’s safety isn’t affected, and we’re aiming to restart HFIR in August.”
The High Flux Isotope Reactor is nearly 50 years ago, but it has been significantly refurbished and upgraded over the past decade and there are plans to operate the facility for many years to come. The research reactor is used for production of radioisotopes for medicine and industry and for neutron-scattering experiments that explore the structure and properties of materials. Besides the problem with the computer codes, Powers said the outage was short and routine. “Some preventive maintenance as well as surveillance testing,” he said.
