PROCESS KNOWLEDGE DATA GATHERING AND REPORTING IN SUPPORT OF DECOMMISSIONING Health Physics Society Annual Meeting West Palm Beach, Florida June 27, 2011
Summary of recent ORAU decommissioning activities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). Project objective was to generate approved Waste Lot Profiles for legacy facilities scheduled for demolition and shipment to the Environmental Management Waste Management Facility (EMWMF) or appropriate alternate facility. The form and content of process knowledge (PK) reports were developed with input from the EMWMF Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) Attainment Team and regulators. PK may be defined as the knowledge of the design and the history of operations that occurs during the life cycle of a facility (paraphrased from SRNL guidance) - similar to the MARSSIM historical site assessment. Some types of PK data used to decommission ORNL and ETTP facilities include: (1) Design drawings; (2) Historical documents [e.g., History of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory by Thomas (1963) and A Brief History of the Chemical Technical Division (ORNL/M-2733)]; (3) Historical photographs; (4) Radiological survey reports; (5) Facility-specific databases - (a) Spill history, (b) Waste Information Tracking System (WITS), and (c) Hazardous Materials Management Information System (HMMIS); (6) Facility walkdown summary reports; and (7) Living memory data. Facility walkdowns are critical for worker safety planning and to assure on-the-ground-conditions match historical descriptions. For Oak Ridge operations, investigators also document the nature and number of items requiring special handling or disposition planning, such as the following: (1) Items containing polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos, lead, or refrigerants; (2) Items with physical WAC restriction (e.g., large items, pipes, and concrete); and (3) Too 'hot' for EMWMF. Special emphasis was made to interview facility managers, scientists, technicians, or anyone with direct knowledge of process-related activities. Interviews often led to more contact names and reports but also offered anecdotal accounts of releases, process-related operations, maintenance activities, and other relevant information not addressed in the written record. 'Fun' part of PK data gathering. Often got not-so-useful information such as, 'The operations manager was a jerk and we all hated him.' PK data are used to indicate the presence or absence of contaminants. Multiple lines of investigation are necessary for characterization planning and to help determine which disposal facility is best suited for targeted wastes. The model used by ORAU assisted remediation contractors and EMWMF managers by identifying anomalous waste and items requiring special handling.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge Inst. for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC05-06OR23100
- OSTI ID:
- 1034279
- Report Number(s):
- 12-IEAV-0118; TRN: US201203%%527
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Environmental Management Waste Management Facility Waste Lot Profile for the K-770 Scrap Yard Soils and Miscellaneous Debris, East Tennessee Technology Park, Oak Ridge, Tennessee - EMWMF Waste Lot 4.12
Data Sharing Report for the Quantification of Removable Activity in Various Surveillance and Maintenance Facilities at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN
Related Subjects
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
ASBESTOS
CONTRACTORS
DECOMMISSIONING
DEMOLITION
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
LIFE CYCLE
MAINTENANCE
MANAGEMENT
ORAU
ORNL
PLANNING
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS
RADIATION PROTECTION
REFRIGERANTS
SAFETY
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES