SMART 3D SUBSURFACE CONTAMINANT CHARACTERIZATION AT THE BGRR DECOMMISSIONING PROJECT. ACCELERATED SITE TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT COST AND PERFORMANCE REPORT.
The BGRR was the world's first nuclear reactor dedicated to the peaceful exploration of atomic energy. The reactor pile consisted of a 700-ton, 25-foot cube of graphite fueled by uranium. A total of 1,369 fuel channels were available with roughly half in use at any given time. Insertion and removal of boron steel control rods controlled reactor power levels. One or more of five fans powered air-cooling. Air was brought in through two filtered plenums, flowed through and around the reactor core, through an exhaust duct containing filters, and finally out through the 320-foot high exhaust stack. Spent fuel was temporarily stored in the spent-fuel canal, and then sent to the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site (SRS). Access to the canal for removing spent fuel was through the Canal House (Building 709). The BGRR ceased operation in 1968 and was placed in a shutdown mode in which all fuel was removed and sent to SRS. Penetrations in the biological shield around the graphite cube and fuel channels were sealed. The final decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) process was initiated in 1999 and is scheduled for completion in 2005. An accelerated schedule was developed that combines characterization with removal actions for the various systems and structures. Before D and D work on a section of the BGRR facility begins, contaminant characterization is conducted to determine the types and amounts of contaminants present. The data are then used for project planning, including decisions affecting the extent of removal, waste designation, and health and safety plans.
- Research Organization:
- Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE ASTD (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-98CH10886
- OSTI ID:
- 797955
- Report Number(s):
- BNL-52666; R&D Project: 07556; EW4010000; TRN: US0202983
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Dec 2001
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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