Distinguished Merit Award: Active Storage Tank Removal

Active Storage Tank Removal Team

For the teamwork on the Active Storage Tank Removal.

The Active Storage Tank in one of the aging laboratories on the CRL site was successfully removed by the team on November 26, 2022. This achievement was the culmination of two and a half years of planning that involved scoping, characterization and the execution of several work plans.

The field work to remove the tank began in the fall of 2020, when the team built a mock-up of the tank and trained to gather images and samples of the contents of the tank. The team safely obtained the required images and samples in December 2020; liquid contents were discovered in the heel of the tank. Using this data, the team developed three work plans – to drain the tank of its hazardous contents, to remove the lead brick shielding surrounding the tank and to remove the tank from the building.

This achievement demonstrates excellence in planning and executing high-hazard radiological work. In order to keep workers safe and reduce dose to workers, the team built a mock-up to test their methodology and equipment on prior to execution. The team also designed a remote engineered pumping system and designed and procured a specialty flask for the liquids. This approach not only increased the safety of the job, but significantly reduced the duration of the field execution which directly corresponded to much lower dose to workers.

This achievement is the first time in CNL’s modern decommissioning program to complete the scoping, characterization and removal of such highly active liquid contents in a legacy tank.