Staff Reports
NS&D Monitor
12/11/2015
Y-12 contractor Consolidated Nuclear Security has reportedly made significant progress in resolving corrosion issues within a segment of the fire-protection system at the plant’s Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, which holds the nation’s primary stockpile of weapon-grade uranium.
According to reports from Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board staff, “microbiologically-influenced corrosion” was identified in one of the pumps associated with the facility’s waste distribution system and some related piping. Those components have since been replaced, CNS said, and the company has taken steps to deal with what is believed to be the root cause. The corrosion was reportedly introduced at the site during initial tests of the pump system and grew over time until the problem was discovered.
“Plans are being finalized for a vendor to begin work on flushing the pump house piping with anti-microbial solution to further reduce the possibility of the regrowth of the MIC (microbiologically-influenced corrosion),” CNS spokeswoman Ellen Boatner said via email. “Initial work is estimated to be finished shortly after the beginning of the year. Future flushes of the system are planned to ensure the lines remain clear.”
A May 1 report by DNFSB staff said the fire water distribution system at HEUMF has three pumps: “A safety-significant diesel-driven pump, an electric-driven pump, and a small jockey pump.” The latter pump was the one mostly involved and it was replaced, according to reports. “The two larger pumps are designed to supply large amounts of water for fire suppression,” the report from DNFSB staff assigned to Y-12 said, “while the smaller jockey pump supplies a small amount of flow during quiescent period to maintain system pressure.”
CNS did not name the vendor involved but said the jockey pump was purchased from a company in Georgia, where it also was tested.
The Y-12 contractor said it plans to take some of the lessons learned on the corrosion at the HEUMF and apply them during construction and setup of the Uranium Processing Facility, a multibillion-dollar project under development not far from the storage facility. A July 31 safety board report said lessons learned should help prevent a similar problem during construction of the UPF.
Boatner said UPF project team will ask future vendors to provide “sanitization documentation of supplied equipment dependent upon applications as part of the procurement process.” Before that equipment is installed, samples could be taken in order to verify the equipment has been fully sanitized, she said.
