HE Machining Complex and Support Buildings Deactivation and Decommissioning Project at the Pantex Plant
- Department of Energy, Amarillo, TX (United States)
- BWXT Pantex, Amarillo, TX (United States)
This paper describes the issues related to the deactivation and decommissioning of a very unique building at the Department of Energy's Pantex Plant located in Amarillo, TX. Building 12-24 was unique in the fact that it had a number of obstacles that have not been previously addressed in the deactivation and decommissioning of a single structure such as asbestos, beryllium, possible radionuclide contamination, lead paint, heavily reinforced concrete walls, and high explosive (HE) contamination inside and out. To date, the building has been razed and the majority of all equipment has been disposed of. Remaining work includes concrete and soil debris removal, earthen barricade removal, and site leveling. Pantex Site Summary: Pantex Plant is America's only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility. Located on the High Plains of the Texas Panhandle, 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Pantex is centered on a 16,000-acre site just north of U. S. Highway 60 in Carson County. The Pantex Plant industrial operations are conducted for the DOE by a management and operating contractor (BWXT Pantex), and Sandia National Laboratory. DOE owns approximately 9,100 acres at the Pantex Plant. Just over 2,000 acres of the DOE-owned property are used for industrial operations at Pantex Plant excluding the burning ground, firing sites and other outlying areas. The burning ground and firing sites occupy approximately 489 acres. Remaining DOE-owned land serves DOE safety and security purposes. DOE also owns Pantex Lake, a detached piece of property approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) northeast of the main Plant site that comprises 1,077 acres; the playa lake-bed itself occupying approximately 800 acres. Currently no government industrial operations are conducted at the Pantex Lake property. Seventy-six kilometers (47 mi) of roads exist within the Pantex Plant boundaries. Project Summary: Facilities are deactivated and decommissioned (D and D) when there is no longer a mission for them or they have been replaced by other facilities. D and D is a series of actions that bring a facility from its condition and status at the time operations ceased, to demolition or conversion to another use. The structures associated with the High Explosive (HE) Machining Complex (HEMC) had been removed from service and selected for demolition. The Department of Energy has implemented a 'One up, One down' policy in which older, unusable buildings must be removed prior to the construction of new facilities. This concept ensures that the footprint of the DOE complex does not increase; therefore, reducing current maintenance costs in addition to reducing the backlog of deferred maintenance. This specific project included the demolition of 5 buildings, 3 ramps, 2 shade structures, 6 building slab remains, solvent transfer area structure, and overhead steam condensate and structure. Demolition work included removal of tanks, piping and utilities; asbestos abatement; decontamination of equipment; and revegetation of disturbed areas. The objectives of the project were to decontaminate and remove buildings, tanks, etc., and return the site to a natural state. This project involved three primary tasks: - Deactivate and re-route utilities; - Decontaminate and remove contaminated and non-contaminated equipment; - Demolish buildings and ramps, and remove slabs and footings. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21294718
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-09-WM-07360; TRN: US10V0247040908
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM'07: 2007 Waste Management Symposium - Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management: Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation of Waste Management Professionals, Tucson, AZ (United States), 25 Feb - 1 Mar 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
ASBESTOS
BERYLLIUM
BUILDINGS
CHEMICAL EXPLOSIVES
CONTAMINATION
DEACTIVATION
DECOMMISSIONING
DECONTAMINATION
DEMOLITION
NONRADIOACTIVE WASTES
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
PANTEX PLANT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REINFORCED CONCRETE
SANDIA NATIONAL LABORATORIES
TANKS
TEXAS
WASTE MANAGEMENT