OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - EM crews have completed major deactivation efforts on a Manhattan Project-era facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex scheduled for demolition next year.
Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management and contractor UCOR completed the efforts this month at the multi-story former uranium enrichment facility spanning nearly 325,000 square feet. The work had begun in 2020.
EM’s deactivation and demolition (D&D) work at Oak Ridge presents unique challenges amid ongoing missions at Y-12. Alpha-2 is co-located with other active facilities at Y-12, requiring utilities to be rerouted prior to demolition. UCOR has been working closely with Y-12 management and operations contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS) on that task.
“Our close collaboration with CNS has allowed us to move our D&D mission forward while they continue their operating missions in close proximity to one another," said UCOR Project Manager William Lloyd. “The result is a strengthened partnership and continued mission success for both."
A precursor to demolition, deactivation is the process of placing an excess facility into a stable condition to minimize existing risks and protect workers, the public and the environment.
Before the Alpha-2 demolition begins next year, workers must deactivate the basement and reroute nearby utilities. UCOR is helping CNS create a design for the rerouting, which will also enable demolition of the Old Steam Plant at Y-12. EM crews finished preparing the plant for teardown in 2021.
Deactivation at Alpha-2 included clearing asbestos-contaminated piping, removing floor and ceiling tiles and draining oil from equipment. To date, crews have disposed of nearly 3,000 cubic yards of waste and removed 280,000 pounds of lead-shielding blocks.
UCOR is on schedule to complete the basement deactivation work later this year and begin demolition in the spring.
Tearing down Alpha-2 will eliminate a hazard from Oak Ridge and provide land for reuse at Y-12.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management