Page 5 - SRNS Today January 2022

JANUARY 2022 | SRNS TODAY | 5

SRS Tritium projects complete banner year

T o continue successfully serving the NNSA missions at SRS, will eliminate the lab’s reliance on aging ventilation associated with
SRNS is carrying out a number of construction projects.
HAOM. The first phase focused on a new 100-foot exhaust stack. In
Much has been said about the large NNSA capital projects
three separate sections, the early work included clearing and grading
currently underway; however, there are numerous lesser-known SRNS addition to assembling and erecting the stack itself, which came in
construction projects that are also vital to ensuring that SRS is able the area, installing a new road, and removing existing overhead power
to continue fulfilling these important national needs, especially in the lines and a power pole. The remaining work, which includes ductwork,
Savannah River Tritium Enterprise (SRTE). fans, an electrical building, and an emergency diesel generator, is
scheduled to complete during 2022.
“We refer to these as ‘small projects,’ but that may give the wrong
impression. That term refers to anything that does not require a For 2022 and beyond, SRNS is ramping up to an even higher level
separate line item in the Congressional Budget, which means any of small project performance. This calendar year, plans include
project with a Total Estimated Cost less than $20 million. That includes completion of construction for the MCC replacement, completion of
some really substantial projects,” said Allen Neiling, SRNS Director, construction for the MTF ventilation project, and replacement of four
Savannah River Tritium Facility Projects. These represent many more oxygen monitors.
different ways in which SRNS is modernizing SRTE to keep it safely and To avoid impacts to the SRTE production schedule, which the U.S.
efficiently carrying out its national security missions. Department of Defense relies upon, SRNS plans to take advantage of
2021 was a banner year for SRTE’s “small” projects, with SRNS a scheduled partial facility outage in 2025 to carry out six significant
achieving several highly anticipated milestones and meeting objectives maintenance and repair projects totaling nearly $100 million. These
for spending. Those milestones included the installation and connection projects support the Thermal Cycling Absorption Process
of the new diesel generator. The diesel generator is part of the (TCAP — the process SRTE uses to produce the highest-quality
“bridging” strategy to maintain H Area Old Manufacturing (HAOM) until tritium by isolating the pure tritium from other gases) and focus on
the new Tritium Finishing Facility (one of SRNS’ large NNSA capital replacing a portion of the system equipment, including the TCAP
projects, now in design and planning), is completed and comes online column and the hot-and-cold nitrogen system that allows the beds to
to replace it. It provides emergency power to HAOM in the event site function properly. SRNS has completed the conceptual designs and
power is lost, to maintain the ventilation that prevents radiological estimates for these six projects; initiation of final designs and long-
release from the facility. lead procurements will begin in this year.
The installation project installed the new diesel generator foundation,
diesel generator and enclosure, fuel tank, and associated electrical
commodities, including the switchgear. The connection project involved
the tie-in of the electrical power from HAOM to the diesel generator
to include installation of cable tray and supports, conduit, cable, and
terminations. Two significant electrical outages to 234-H were required
to tie in the electrical power to the diesel.
“COVID-19 certainly impacted our schedule for completing the
generator replacement,” Neiling said, “but in the end we were able to
successfully complete the work and turn the new generator over to
Operations ahead of the negotiated milestone extension.”

Other projects that are part of the formal bridging strategy for HAOM
will help enable the aging facility to continue safe operations. One of
these is the replacement of four 60-year-old motor control centers
(MCCs), which kicked off in 2021, mobilizing seven weeks ahead of
the milestone due date. The fan control cabinet was fabricated and
the four MCCs were received in 2021. Like several of the projects in
SRTE, the transfers to the new MCCs have to be scheduled to take
place during planned outages, so they can be accomplished without
disrupting SRTE’s operations.
A number of “small” projects serve to modernize other SRTE facilities.
Among the most significant of these is the replacement of about
30 outdated oxygen monitors in H Area New Manufacturing facility
gloveboxes. In 2021, SRNS replaced five, the most ever done in
a single year. Like the MCC work, this must be scheduled to be
performed without impacting operations.
A new exhaust stack erected as part of the multiphase project to provide new exhaust
A large, multiphase project to provide new exhaust ventilation for ventilation for the Savannah River Tritium Enterprise’s Materials Test Facility lab.
SRTE’s Materials Test Facility (MTF) lab began in 2021. This project