Remediation of a uranium-contaminated quarry utilizing submersible, remotely operated vehicles
The Kerr Hollow Quarry (KHQ) Disposal Site on the Oak Ridge (Tennessee) Reservation was previously used to treat and dispose of pyrophoric and water-reactive wastes contaminated with small quantities of radioactive materials (almost exclusively uranium and uranium daughters) from processes at the Department of Energy-owned, Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This paper describes remediation techniques utilizing a small, remotely operated submarine with an attached camera to visually locate waste containers, determine whether containers have been breached, transport small containers, and direct a larger remotely operated grappling machine to move larger waste for shredding operations. Most of the solid waste is reduced under water by a metal shredder. Non-shreddable items (e. g. , gas cylinders and larger structures) are mechanically breached under water to allow the contents to fully react. The waste is then removed from the water, monitored, the material is segregated, and transported to a temporary waste storage area until disposal.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OS21400
- OSTI ID:
- 6677108
- Report Number(s):
- Y/ER-54; CONF-930130-7; ON: DE93004764
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 26. Health Physics Society midyear topical meeting on environmental health physics, Coeur d'Alene, ID (United States), 24-28 Jan 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Post-closure permit application for the Kerr Hollow Quarry at the Y-12 plant
A remote underwater closure of Kerr Hollow Quarry
Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
42 ENGINEERING
LIQUID WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REMEDIAL ACTION
REMOTE HANDLING EQUIPMENT
SAFETY
SUBMARINES
EQUIPMENT
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SHIPS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
054000* - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety
052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
420203 - Engineering- Handling Equipment & Procedures