The K-65 waste storage silos at the Feed Materials Production Center

Conference · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6972250

Shanks, P A; Vogel, R A

The Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC) is a DOE facility that produces uranium for the US defense program. In addition to FMPC uranium production facilities, the site also contains waste storage facilities that include two concrete silos known as the K-65 Silos. The two K-65 Silos were constructed in 1951 and 1952 and are filled with radioactive residues from the pitchblende processing beginning in 1952 and ending in 1958. The radiological constituents of the residues include uranium and radium-226 which decays to a radioactive gas, radon-222. This paper will describe the history of the K-65 Silos. Included in the history will be a description of remedial actions taken as a result of deterioration of the silos. The deterioration of the silos includes cracks in the concrete walls and exterior and interior deterioration of the concrete walls and inner dome surface. Several remedial actions have been completed since the 1950's to structurally stabilize the deteriorated concrete silos. Past remedial actions included repairs and weatherproofing of the silo walls, the construction of an earthen embankment surrounding the two silos to counterbalance the forces applied on the silo walls by the residues, and the installation of a dome cap to cover the deteriorated center section of the silo dome. Recent remedial actions include monitoring the pressure and temperature inside the silos, measuring radon concentrations at the silos and the surrounding environment, the construction of a radon treatment system, and the application of a polyurethane foam layer on the exterior dome surface. Future actions include continuously measuring radon at the silos, sampling of the residues, and remediation of the residues and the concrete silos. 10 refs.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Materials Co. of Ohio, Cincinnati (USA). Feed Materials Production Center
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-86OR21600
• OSTI ID: 6972250
• Report Number(s): FMPC-2142; CONF-881054-2; ON: DE89000298
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
EVALUATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FEED MATERIALS PLANTS
FEED MATERIALS PRODUCTION CENTER
HEAVY NUCLEI
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEI
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIUM 226
RADIUM ISOTOPES
RADON 222
RADON ISOTOPES
REMEDIAL ACTION
STORAGE
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES