AIKEN, S.C. - The largest collection of hot cells in the DOE complex is old enough to retire, but an ongoing renovation project will make sure its career lasts well into the 21st century.
Built in three phases beginning in the 1950s, Savannah River National Laboratory ’s (SRNL) Shielded Cells Facility is undergoing renovations, most recently the replacement of shielded cell windows in Cell Block B. The three-foot-thick windows, made of layers of lead glass, were replaced in cells 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16. Workers are also upgrading electrical and piping services and operator consoles, all scheduled for 2017 completion.
“This facility has been a crucial asset to high-hazard radioactive work," said Babb Attaway, manager of shielded cells operations. “These improvements will allow it to continue that way for many years to come."
Attaway said the upgrades, which are on schedule, are essential for the lab to continue offering these services.
The facility allows lab staff to work safely with highly radioactive materials. Cell Block A has six cells and Cell Block B has 10 cells.
High-density, reinforced concrete walls, lead glass windows - both three feet thick - and three stages of air filtration protect workers and the environment. Skilled operators, standing safely outside the cells, use manipulator arms to perform work inside the cells.
Supporting EM’s missions, the facility is key to the closure of the Savannah River Site 's radioactive waste storage tanks, including the Defense Waste Processing, Sludge, Salt Waste Processing and Saltstone facilities.
It also includes full-scale, nonradioactive replicas of the hot cells. These mockups, with the same footprint and operational capability of the radioactive cells, are used for staging equipment and developing procedures for active cell operations for testing research equipment and training laboratory technicians who operate the manipulators.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
