Demolition Underway on First Portsmouth Process Building
Structural demolition on the first of three large former uranium-enrichment process buildings at the Portsmouth Site began last week.
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PIKE COUNTY, Ohio – Crews have begun structural demolition of the X-326 building — the first of three massive former uranium-enrichment process buildings to be torn down at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Portsmouth Site.
Completing demolition of 40% of the X-326 process building is a 2021 priority for DOE’s Office of Environmental Management. Built in the 1950s as part of the site’s gaseous diffusion cascade, the process buildings are huge. X-326 is nearly a half-mile long with more than 60 acres of floor space under one roof.
“We are committed to a safe and controlled demolition to protect the environment, our workers, our neighbors, and the public,” said Robert Edwards, manager of DOE’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. “The start of X-326 demolition has been in the making for a long time. This is a big day at Portsmouth.”
Adhesive fixative was applied to the exterior and interior siding of the X-326 building. The blue substance “locks down” potential loose particulates that could be disturbed when the siding is removed.
The X-622 facility, shown here, was constructed to treat water runoff from the X-326 demolition site. The water will be treated to meet Ohio and federal environmental regulations.
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From 2011 to 2020, DOE and contractor Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth conducted a lengthy and thorough deactivation process of X-326 to identify, characterize, and remove the majority of radiological and chemical hazards to ensure the building was safe for demolition.
This process included more than 1 million non-destructive assay measurements on X-326’s process piping and components to determine if levels of material would exceed the waste acceptance criteria (WAC) for the On-Site Waste Disposal Facility (OSWDF) approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA). Non-destructive assay entails measuring the quantities of uranium deposits that remain from enrichment operations in process equipment.
Contaminated items were carefully removed from X-326 and staged for further evaluation or decontamination. Deactivation also included removal of more than 7,000 process components that were safely shipped offsite for disposal.
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The X-622 facility, shown here, was constructed to treat water runoff from the X-326 demolition site. The water will be treated to meet Ohio and federal environmental regulations.
________________________________________
From 2011 to 2020, DOE and contractor Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth conducted a lengthy and thorough deactivation process of X-326 to identify, characterize, and remove the majority of radiological and chemical hazards to ensure the building was safe for demolition.
This process included more than 1 million non-destructive assay measurements on X-326’s process piping and components to determine if levels of material would exceed the waste acceptance criteria (WAC) for the On-Site Waste Disposal Facility (OSWDF) approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA). Non-destructive assay entails measuring the quantities of uranium deposits that remain from enrichment operations in process equipment.
Contaminated items were carefully removed from X-326 and staged for further evaluation or decontamination. Deactivation also included removal of more than 7,000 process components that were safely shipped offsite for disposal.
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