Leak in ORNL Research Reactor Fuel Pool Still Under Investigation
WC Monitor
9/19/2014
More than a week after a leak was discovered at an old research reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the investigating team is still trying to pinpoint the location and come up with a plan to fix it. The Department of Energy’s Office of Environment Management and URS-CH2M Oak Ridge, LLC, the site cleanup contractor, are heading the team evaluating the conditions at the Oak Ridge Research Reactor, which has been shut down since the 1980s. DOE spokesman Mike Koentop said this week that the leak—earlier estimated at 100 drops per minute—remains constant and does not pose a threat to the public or the environment. “Several” subject-matter experts are part of the team coordinating day-to-day activities and dedicated to finding the problem and fixing it, Koentop said. “They are conducting facility walk-downs every two hours to monitor the leak, and in the coming days plan to lower an underwater camera into the pool to collect video of the physical condition of the pool liner and contents,” Koentop said in an email response to questions.
He added, “Staff are evaluating current leak-detection technologies and repair alternatives, including underwater construction repairs and self-seeking sealant repairs, and will also submerge a dose-rate meter into the reactor pool to obtain current dose rates of the irradiated components, wall liners, and pool floor.”
On Sept. 18, Koentop said chemical operators had restarted a recirculation loop in the reactor pool which had earlier been shut down to better evaluate the changes under a “static condition.” He added: “The pool recirculation loop keeps the water moving and mixing in the pool to maintain uniform water chemistry.” Koentop also said a “technology evaluation team” had been established to review alternatives for repairing the seep at the reactor pool or removing the irradiated metals stored in the pool, which would eliminate the need for the reactor pool to be kept filled with water. He said a camera and radiation monitor will be lowered into the pool over the weekend to better assess conditions.
Other Facilities to be Examined
The problem at the Oak Ridge Research Reactor has also prompted UCOR to take a look at other facilities with potentially similar issues, including the nearby Bulk Shielding Reactor – another reactor that has been shut down for decades. Koentop said UCOR also is looking at liquid storage tanks, because of their age, to make sure such leaks don’t develop there.
