Old hydrofracture facility tanks contents removal action operations plan at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Volume 1: Text. Volume 2: Checklists and work instructions

This Operations Plan summarizes the operating activities for transferring contents of five low-level (radioactive) liquid waste storage tanks associated with the Old Hydrofracture Facility (OHF) to the Melton Valley Storage Tanks (MVST) for secure storage. The transfer will be accomplished through sluicing and pumping operations which are designed to pump the slurry in a closed circuit system using a sluicing nozzle to resuspend the sludge. Once resuspended, the slurry will be transferred to the MVST. The report documenting the material transfer will be prepared after transfer of the tank materials has been completed. The OBF tanks contain approximately 52,600 gal (199,000 L) of low-level radioactive waste consisting of both sludge and supernatant. This material is residual from the now-abandoned grout injection operations conducted from 1964 to 1980. Total curie content is approximately 30,000 Ci. A sluicing and pumping system has been specifically designed for the OHF tanks contents transfer operations. This system is remotely operated and incorporates a sluicing nozzle and arm (Borehole Miner) originally designed for use in the mining industry. The Borehole Miner is an in-tank device designed to deliver a high pressure jet spray via an extendable nozzle. In addition to removing the waste from the tanks, the use of this equipment will demonstrate applicability for additional underground storage tank cleaning throughout the U.S. Department of Energy complex. Additional components of the complete sluicing and pumping system consist of a high pressure pumping system for transfer to the MVST, a low pressure pumping system for transfer to the recycle tank, a ventilation system for providing negative pressure on tanks, and instrumentation and control systems for remote operation and monitoring