SRS COMPLETES CONSTRUCTION MILESTONE ON NEXT MEGA-SIZE DISPOSAL UNIT

DOE-EM | 06/11/2024

AIKEN, S.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) has attained another milestone in the construction of mega-size disposal units necessary to complete the cleanup program at the Savannah River Site (SRS).

With the placement of 25 wall sections, 208 support columns and seven roof sections, EM crews have completed all major concrete placements for Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) 10. When complete, SDU 10 will be the fifth mega-size unit built at SRS that can hold up to 33 million gallons of saltstone. More than 20,000 cubic yards of concrete is needed to build each SDU, using approximately 700,000 total labor hours.

Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC), the SRS liquid waste contractor, manages the construction and operation of the SDUs. Constructing the large-scale disposal units is a priority for the cleanup program, and this milestone comes just weeks after SRMC received authorization to operate SDU 9.

Subcontractor DN Tanks completed the concrete construction, and Quality Plus Services completed the site preparation for the project.

Jim Folk, DOE-Savannah River assistant manager for waste disposition, said it has been affirming to witness the landscape change at SRS as the SDUs are built.

“Since the first mega-unit, SDU 6, was built in 2017, EM has not slowed down on construction of these critical structures,” Folk said. “These SDUs ensure that the decontaminated salt solution will have a place to be safely and permanently disposed of. Completion of the concrete placements for SDU 10 is another step forward on the mission to clean up the legacy radioactive waste at the Savannah River Site.”

The SDUs are the end of the salt waste processing path. The Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) separates and concentrates the highly radioactive waste from the less radioactive salt waste, producing a decontaminated salt solution that is sent to the Saltstone Production Facility. There, the solution is mixed with dry materials to make a cement-like grout. The grout is pumped into the SDUs, where it solidifies into a monolithic, non-hazardous form.

The larger SDUs are designed to support the increased material from SWPF. The new SDUs result in more than $500 million in cost savings over the life of the SRS liquid waste program because they require less infrastructure and materials than the previously planned 80 smaller SDUs.

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NEW MEDIA:

Gone Fission Nuclear Report: EM Consolidated Business Center Celebrates 20 Years

June 3, 2024 | S4 E11

DOE’s Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center (EMCBC) is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. Called the “Swiss army knife of Environmental Management”, the EMCBC serves as the centralized hub for procurement, financial management, and technical support for DOE’s environmental management program. The EMCBC oversees the cleanup of contaminated sites, including former nuclear production facilities, research laboratories, and uranium mining sites. Host Michael Butler interviews EMCBC Deputy Director Melody Bell and Procurement Director Aaron Deckard.

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

2024 National Cleanup Workshop

September 16-18, 2024 | Crystal Gateway Marriott (Arlington, VA)

More Information Here

Check out ECA's latest report! 

DISPOSAL DRIVES CLEANUP: RE-ENERGIZING MOMENTUM FOR DISPOSAL SOLUTIONS FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE

This report calls on the Department of Energy to launch the initiative to develop the actual waste disposition approaches. The Department could potentially save hundreds of billions of dollars in cleanup costs by using its available tools and implementing the report’s recommendations.