~2.6 MB

DWPF Reaches Seven-Million-Pound Mark
Seven million is a large number by anyone’s standards. The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) recently poured its seven millionth pound of radioactive glass. DWPF is the largest and most productive high-level waste glass vitrification facility in the world.
“The organization continues to perform at high standards while meeting the site’s cleanup challenges,” says Jeff Barnes, DWPF Facility Manager. “Engineering has recently increased the target waste loading for each batch from 34 percent to 36 percent. Maintaining this increased waste loading for the remainder of the contract will ensure DWPF produces 1,100 equivalent canisters in fewer than the 880 discrete canisters allowed and saving an additional $1 million dollars in life-cycle cost for each discrete canister reduced”
Additionally, over 1.64 million gallons of sludge slurry and 8.2 million curies of radioactivity have been processed through the vitrification facility.
DWPF converts the high-level liquid nuclear waste currently stored at SRS into a solid glass form suitable for long-term storage and disposal.
Scientists have long considered this glassification process, called “vitrification,” as the preferred option for immobilizing high-level radioactive liquids into a more stable, manageable form until a federal repository is ready.

~8 MB

Bechtel Picks TEF as a Top Project for 2004
Bechtel Coporation recently chose the recipients of its 2004 Construction Team of the Year awards.
SRS’s Tritium Extraction Facility -- a first-of-a-kind facility -- won the award for Direct Hire Project of the Year. Some of the reasons for choosing TEF included a comprehensive safety program resulting in no lost time accidents in 2004, Six Sigma and performance-based programs resulting in the project earning maximum performance fees, and project completion 10 months ahead of schedule and under budget.
TEF is being built at SRS to supply tritium, a radioactive form of hydrogen necessary for the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile. TEF is part of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) Defense Programs operations at SRS.
The NNSA’s Tritium Readiness Program has produced Tritium Producing Burnable Absorber Rods, which will be irradiated in the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar or Sequoyah nuclear reactors. They will then be transported to SRS, where the tritium will be safely and efficiently extracted in TEF.

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~2.6 MB

Employees Volunteer For United Way's Project VISION, Project SERVE
Approximately 700 SRS employees participated this year in support of United Way's Project VISION and Project SERVE. Project VISION is a one-day volunteer initiative to address specific housing needs of citizens in Aiken County, and Project SERVE is a similar effort that focuses on Augusta and the Central Savannah River Area. Local citizens volunteer through their employer to help with home repairs for people who are unable to complete the repairs due to poor health or financial inability. Typical jobs include clearing yard debris, painting, building wheel chair ramps, installing smoke detectors, replacing roofs and even building a playground for a low-income childcare center.

~12 MB

Partners in Education
The United States Department of Energy Savannah River Operations Office provides a variety of science and literacy outreach programs at the Savannah River Site by funding and coordinating the efforts of several organizations. These organizations include the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Natural Resources Management and Research Institute, and Washington Savannah River Company.
The primary goals of these outreach programs are to enhance interest in science, mathematics, engineering and technology and to support improvements in education in the Central Savannah River Area by using the unique resources available at the Site. We believe business, industry, government and the education community must work together as partners to improve the educational opportunities for all students in our region.

~8.3 MB

Family Safety Conference
Over 1,200 area residents recently benefited from 70 safety-related exhibits at the SRS Safety Conference's Family Night event. Safety is a top priority at SRS.

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