TRU Waste Processing Center
TWPC Overview/Status
ETEBA Meeting
June 25, 2015
Charlie Anderson TWPC General Manager
TRU Waste Processing Center
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TWPC Location
• Located on approximately 25 acres of land owned by Department of Energy (DOE) in the Melton Valley area of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), approximately three quarters of a mile east of State Highway 95.
TRU Waste Processing Center
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ETTP
ORNL
Y-12
City of Oak Ridge
TWPC
Oak Ridge Reservation Sites
TRU Waste Processing Center
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TWPC
• TWPC is composed of 38,000 square foot Processing Building and various support facilities.
• Construction started in 2001 with initial operations in 2004.
• TWPC processes waste from ORNL generally classified as TRU waste.
• Wastes are treated, as appropriate, and stabilized or sorted to result in stable waste forms that can be permanently disposed at approved final repositories.
• TRU waste will be disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
• Low Level Waste is typically disposed of at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) or other suitable repository.
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Wastren Advantage, Inc.
• Wastren Advantage, Inc. (WAI) operates TWPC under a prime contract to the DOE Oak Ridge Environmental Management (OREM) Program.
• WAI is a small business headquartered in Piketon, Ohio, with project offices throughout the United States.
• Provides nuclear operations, waste processing and facility management throughout the DOE complex.
• Provides a variety of other services including consulting, construction, and other services across the country for both commercial and federal clients.
• Specifically within DOE EM, WAI manages more nuclear facilities than any other small business in the DOE complex.
TRU Waste Processing Center
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TWPC Leadership Team
Charlie Anderson General Manager
Linda Green Executive Assistant
John Grillo Business Operations,
Engineering, Performance Assurance & Training
Director
Bob Hunt Operations
Director
Mike Littleton SH&Q Director
Sabine Collins Project Controls
Manager
Troy Ayres Facility Security
Officer
Fred Heacker Waste Management,
Nuclear Safety & Environmental
Programs Director
Kent Samuels Human Resources
Manager
TRU Waste Processing Center
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TWPC Commitment to Safety
• Partnership with DOE/WAI
• Over 5 million M/H since last lost time accident (5.2 million over 13+ years)
• 3.2 million M/H since last OSHA recordable accident (5+ years)
• National Safety Council “Perfect Safety Award” 11 Years Running
• VPP Legacy of Stars Site
• ISO 14001:2004 Certified Legacy of Stars
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Key Processing Elements
• Key elements of the TWPC: – Hot Cell
– Box Breakdown Area
– Glovebox
– Cask Processing Enclosure
– Contact Handled Staging Area
– NDA/NDE
– Multi-Purpose Building (MPB)
– Contact Handled Marshalling Building (CHMB)
TRU Waste Processing Center
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TRU Debris and Soils Waste Inventory
• Oak Ridge’s original TRU Waste inventory is comprised of the following: – Contact Handled (CH) Debris and Soils ~1,500 m3
– Remote Handled (RH) Debris and Soils ~560 m3
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Mission Accomplishments – CH Waste
• Original CH waste inventory ~1,500 m3 • CH waste processing and disposal status:
– 98% processed – 69% shipped to permanent disposal
• CH waste inventory remaining to be processed includes difficult waste streams (High Fissile, Pyrophoric, Potential Energetic Chemical wastes)
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Mission Accomplishments – RH Waste
• Original RH inventory ~ 560 m3
• RH waste processing and disposal status: – 86% processed – 29% shipped to permanent disposal
• Remaining inventory includes some difficult waste streams (e.g., high dose neutron casks)
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Remaining Mission • Complete CH waste processing ~50 m3
– Technically Challenging waste • High Fissile, Pyrophoric, Potential Energetic Chemical wastes
– ORNL new generation / NFS Soils
– Target 1st quarter FY 18
• Complete RH waste processing~ 180 m3 – Legacy RH casks
• High neutron
• Gamma
– Legacy RH drums
– Tank W1A soils
– ORNL new generation RH casks (inventory growth)
– Target 4th quarter of FY 17
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Remaining Mission
• Manage extended storage of TRU wastes – TWPC/ORNL legacy storage
• Ship all waste categories to disposal (TRU, LLW, MLLW) – Dependent on phased (CH/RH) WIPP restart
– Non-TRU fall-out from waste processing
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Key Challenges WIPP Suspension Impacts
• Drove need for extended storage of TRU waste – TWPC is nearing its physical storage capacity for CH waste and has
already reached storage capacity limits for RH waste – Alternative waste storage options were required to continue waste
processing operations at TWPC – Material at risk (MAR) management challenges under DSA
• Suspended high dose RH waste processing – Processing of high dose RH waste casks was stopped due to the lack of
RH storage capacity
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Key Challenges Extended CH Waste Storage
• OREM will utilize both ORNL legacy TRU waste storage facilities and TWPC – Solves TWPC physical capacity constraints
and potential MAR limitations
• CH waste storage projections during suspension – TWPC ~5,000 drums – ORNL ~2100 drums
• ~1,000 legacy drums
• ~1,100 NFS soil drums
• TWPC has returned ~ 964 drums to ORNL legacy TRU waste storage facilities
ORNL legacy TRU waste storage
Transfers to ORNL legacy TRU waste storage
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Key Challenges Extended RH Waste Storage
• Utilize storage capacity at ORNL for RH canisters and deploy RH canister over-packs (ROPs)
– ROPs have been designed and procured
– Multi-layer construction
• Coated Schedule 40 steel pipe outer layer
• Concrete (rebar) inner layer
• HDPE (poly) inner liner
– Addresses high neutron dose concerns through utilization of poly-shielded 72B canisters
– Approximately 247 total RH waste canisters will be generated
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Key Challenges Extended RH Waste Storage
• Implemented DSA Revision 31 controls for ROP operations on 6/15/15
• Conducted Readiness Activities for ROP operations
• Transferred 1st ROP on 6/25/15
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Key Challenges “Technically Challenged” Wastes
• SWSA 5 Fissile Wastes – Oxides (combustible gas hazard)
• Deflagration to Detonation Transition (DDT) hazard
• Currently evaluating DDT impacts
• Planning remote container access
– Metals oxidation (combustible gas hazard)
• Potential Energetic Chemicals – Pyrophoric
– Lithium Hydride, Lithium Batteries
– Potential utilization oxide processing equipment
– Process planning conducted under Energetic Materials Program
TRU Waste Processing Center
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WAI Near-Term Plan
• Continue processing and CCP certification of RH TRU Debris
• Initiate shipments of new RH Overpacks to ORNL legacy waste storage facilities
• Complete TRU Waste Processing Center Hot Cell maintenance outage to increase reliability during RH processing
• Prepare and execute additional contract extensions
TRU Waste Processing Center
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Summary
• Surpassed 5 million safe work hours without a lost-time accident
• Processed 98% of CH debris inventory and 86% of RH debris inventory
• Completed Site Treatment Plan milestones for CCP Certification of 50% of the remaining CH and RH inventories eight months ahead of the enforceable schedule
• Completed Design, Procurement and Implementation of new RH Overpacks to enable RH processing during Waste Isolation Pilot Plant suspension
• Focused to address remaining waste streams
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