Fit-for-purpose: SRNS says that the new maintenance pilot program at H Canyon is part of broad modernization and streamlining efforts that SRNS began in March in order to “accelerate non-nuclear, non-complex construction projects” while “implementing commercial requirements paired with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)+ safety standards.” The pilot program also fits in with the “urgency and acceleration” priorities of the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration.
According to SRNS, maintenance activities at SRS have long been based on a one-size-fits-all work-control approach that applies uniform nuclear operation standards to every project, regardless of project size or risk.
The new approach “introduces fit-for-purpose work packages” that are structured according to whether a job has been classified as having low, medium, or high risk. Low-risk jobs have “little to no hazards” and “require only basic work package rigor and rely primarily on employee training,” according to SRNS. Medium-risk jobs “may need additional guidance but avoid formal instructions unless necessary.” High-risk jobs “require detailed instructions to ensure safety and effectiveness.”
After the fit-for-purpose pilot program is demonstrated at H Canyon, similar modernization initiatives are expected to be implemented at other SRS facilities.
Major step forward: In an SRNS release, H Canyon Facility Manager Kevin Moeller points out that implementation of the new processes “will significantly improve our efficiency and effectiveness. In H Canyon, where operational tempo is high and legacy infrastructure requires constant attention, the ability to streamline work preparation without compromising safety is a major step forward for mission readiness.”
SRNS Director of Site Maintenance and Facility Support David Sanders observes that the pilot program “is about working smarter, not harder. If equipment is already locked out and poses no hazards, complex packages are replaced by simple, two- to three-page packages. By focusing planning resources where they matter most, we’re freeing up our teams to act with clarity and confidence.”
Background on H Canyon: The H Canyon, or H Area complex, is described by the DOE as the “only operating, production-scale, radiologically-shielded chemical separations facility in the United States.” After beginning operations in the early 1950s to support defense needs, the H Canyon’s mission changed after the Cold War to a focus on nonproliferation and environmental cleanup.
Uranium recovery operations were restarted at H Canyon in February. Recovered uranium can be downblended with natural uranium for reuse as fuel in nuclear reactors.
The DOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) announced this past March that HB Line operations would be restarted at H Canyon, following a reversible shutdown process in 2020. The agency stated that operation of the specialized processing facility within the H Canyon complex will provide “the capability to power America’s nuclear future by recycling surplus plutonium and partnering with industry to produce uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for advanced nuclear reactors.” The HB Line operations will also “accelerate EM’s plutonium disposition mission by 10 to 13 years” and “recover valuable isotopes available in limited quantities domestically.”
