OAK RIDGE, TN—The Department of Energy’s Molten Salt Reactor Remediation Project recently received the Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award by the Oak Ridge Chapter of the Tennessee Society of Professional engineers.

This prestigious award recognized the knowledge and dedicated efforts of the Department of Energy and contractor team associated with this project and in particular, their application of engineering principles toward a significant accomplishment.

The award was accepted by Dr. James Rushton, Manager of the Molten Salt Reactor Remediation Project, on behalf of the Team which includes employees from Oak Ridge Operations, Bechtel Jacobs Company, Lockheed Martin Energy Research, and Lockheed Martin Energy Systems.

The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) facility, located in the Melton Valley watershed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, operated from 1965 to 1969 to test the molten salt concept for commercial nuclear power reactors.  In 1969, reactor operations were concluded, fuel salt containing uranium-233 was drained from the reactor, and a surveillance and maintenance program was initiated.

Over a period of time, surveillance activities detected problems associated with the migration of uranium hexafluoride and fluorine gases from the fuel salt drain tanks to process lines and equipment.  The Remediation Project was started in 1994 to reduce and eliminate potential risks to workers and the environment.
Initial efforts involved:  (1) draining water from the cell that contains the facility’s charcoal off-gas filter bed and draining water from other reactor-related components to prevent the potential for a nuclear criticality accident, (2) converting potentially explosive carbon-fluoride compounds to stable chemicals by installing and operating an ammonia-based chemical treatment system, and (3) removing solid blockages and pressurized fluorine and uranium hexafluoride gases from process lines and the fuel tanks, and by installing and operating a chlorine trifluoride treatment and a Reactive Gas Removal System.

In addition, because of the high radiation fields, the Project Team used a robot to gain access to a solid uranium deposit in the charcoal filter bed and used special shielding and tooling to access the exterior of the fuel drain tanks.

The Reactive Gas Removal System has depressurized the process lines and tanks and removed 60 percent of the total uranium from the MSRE facility.  Access to the interior of the drain tanks is expected in spring 1999.  Uranium removal from the tanks will begin in 2001.

Steven L. Wyatt
Director of Public Affairs
U.S. Department of Energy
Oak Ridge Operations
(423) 576-0888
(423) 576-1665 (fax)
wyattsl@oro.doe.gov
www.oakridge.doe.gov