Issued Sept. 14, 2011

DOE-ID Bi-Weekly Summary

For the Period Aug. 24-Sept. 12, 2011                  

EDITOR’S NOTE:  The following is a regular summary of operations at DOE’s Idaho Site. It has been compiled in response to a request from stakeholders for more information on health, safety and environmental incidents at DOE facilities in Idaho.  It also includes a brief summary of accomplishments at the site. The report is broken down by contractor:  Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP), Idaho Cleanup Project (ICP) and Idaho National Laboratory (INL).  This summary will be sent to everyone on INL’s regular news release distribution list on a periodic basis.  To be added to this distribution list, please call Brad Bugger at (208) 526-0833.

Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project

Nothing to report.

Operations Summary

Waste Shipments: As of Sept. 3, 2011, a total of 36,320 cubic meters of contact-handled transuranic waste, 106.72 cubic meters of remote-handled transuranic waste, and 4,772 cubic meters of previously-buried transuranic waste have been shipped from Idaho to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico for disposal.

Idaho Cleanup Project

Nothing to report.

Operations Summary

Pit 9 Cleanup Completed: Cleanup crews with CH2M-WG Idaho (CWI), the main cleanup contractor at the Department of Energy's Idaho Site, have completed targeted waste removal from Pit 9 several months ahead of schedule and millions of dollars under budget. About $12 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act savings from other cleanup projects, in addition to about $22 million in dedicated funds, were used to finance the Pit 9 project.

Idaho National Laboratory

Aug. 24: During inspection of incoming empty containers at the Specific Manufacturing Capability project, a potentially counterfeit/suspect bolt was discovered. The bolt was removed from the container and bonded for disposal.

Aug. 25: The Idaho National Laboratory responded to a brush fire that began approximately 7 miles east of the Naval Reactor Facility. It eventually burned 50,000 acres before it was contained by INL and Bureau of Land Management firefighters.

Aug. 29: During maintenance on a laser at the Specific Manufacturing Capability project, a technician received second degree burns on two fingers. The power was immediately shut off, the laser placed in a safe configuration and the employee was taken to the Central Facilities Area medical center for treatment. An investigation was launched into the incident. (NE-ID—BEA-HFEF-2011-0003).

Sept. 6: During fuel transfer cask loading at the Advanced Test Reactor, operators mistakenly isolated the wrong valves of the canal parapet, causing back-up systems to initiate. The correct air valves were positioned and air was restored to the correct portion of the canal. Canal work was stopped. (NE-ID—BEA-ATR-2011-0014).

Sept. 7: During a reactor shutdown at the Advanced Test Reactor, a valve failure occurred on the primary coolant pump discharge check valve. The valve was declared out of service and a repair package prepared. (NE-ID—BEA-ATR-2011-0015).

Operations Summary

Idaho National Laboratory has been working since the summer of 2006 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to bring the technology for a Fission Surface Power System to a state of readiness for space exploration missions or outposts on the moon or Mars. The project was the focus recently of an address to the 242nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Denver presented by James Werner, INL staff nuclear engineer in the Space Nuclear Systems and Technology Division.