New DOE Idaho Cleanup Chief Says ‘Iterative’ Approach Underway for Facility Startup
Mike Nartker
WC Monitor
9/5/2014
With the schedule for the start of waste processing at the Idaho Integrated Waste Treatment Unit still uncertain, the Department of Energy has informed Idaho regulators that it won’t meet a commitment to have all of the remaining liquid waste at the Idaho site treated by the end of this year. “The state of Idaho has been verbally notified that treatment of waste at the IWTU will not be completed within the timeframes stipulated in applicable Resource Conservation and Recovery Act consent orders,” Bob Bullock, Hazardous Waste Permits Manager at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, told WC Monitor in a written response late last week. “At this point in time, DOE and its contractor are working through various startup issues that have precluded them from processing surrogate material in the new unit. Based on the variables associated with new unit startup, scheduled dates … have been somewhat elusive. Therefore, the DOE has been asked to provide written notification of their inability to meet treatment milestones, and to provide any information available at that time that would indicate completion dates,” Bullock said, adding that the state expects such written notification “soon.”
The IWTU is intended to treat approximately 900,000 gallons of liquid waste that remains at the Idaho site through a steam reforming process for disposal and to allow for closure of the site’s remaining waste tanks. DOE previously committed to the state of Idaho to have the waste processed by the end of 2012, but in the summer of that year, startup of the IWTU facility was significantly disrupted by what has been described as a “pressure event” that occurred when the facility’s filters became clogged with carbon material during efforts to get it up to its operating temperature. Since then, DOE and contractor CH2M-WG Idaho have been working at another attempt to startup the facility.
Facility Ready for Testing With Simulant
Currently, the IWTU is ready for the introduction of a waste simulant, one of the final stages of the testing and startup process, according to Jack Zimmerman, the new Deputy Manager for the Idaho Cleanup Project at DOE’s Idaho Operations Office. “The plant is ready for the simulant. As early as this week we expect to add heat,” Zimmerman told WC Monitor this week. “Since this is a one of a kind facility, where we have unexpected conditions we may need to step back, taking an iterative approach to start-up. Operator proficiency is always a concern when you are starting up a unique facility with no prior history of operations for the first time,” he said.
Notably, Zimmerman’s previous position was serving as Federal Project Director for the last waste treatment facilities DOE’s cleanup program got up and running—the depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) conversion plants at the Paducah and Portsmouth sites. When asked what lessons learned from the startup of those facilities could be applied to the IWTU, he said, “A slow and methodical approach to readiness is necessary. It is all about knowledge and skill to have the proficiency to operate safely. Make sure plant and people are ready. Assure a solid readiness state, over a rush related to schedule.”
Zimmerman declined to say this week, however, when he expects the IWTU to begin processing actual waste. “I can’t commit to a firm date,” he said. “We continue to focus on the safe start-up of the facility to ensure continuous, safe, and compliant rad waste processing. Because this is a unique facility with no prior history of operations, an iterative approach to readiness is needed, with each iteration building on the knowledge learned from previous runs.”
No Penalties Likely for DOE, At Least For Now
While DOE has acknowledged it won’t meet its second commitment for having the Idaho liquid waste processed, the state does not appear to be considering levying penalties at this time. “Although the specified dates represent the state of Idaho’s expectations for dealing with tank wastes at the INL, the state of Idaho does recognize that unforeseen difficulties are part of the startup process at new, one of a kind waste treatment units such as the IWTU. At this point in time, penalties remain a possibility. However, the IDEQ is currently satisfied that DOE’s ongoing efforts to commence operations of the IWTU represent a significant commitment to complete treatment of tank waste,” Bullock said.
