WEST VALLEY, N.Y. - Workers recently removed a 38,000-pound crane from the Vitrification Facility at EM’s West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) site, allowing for continued progress in the building’s demolition.
“Using lessons learned and a deliberate approach are one of the best combinations for safety and success," said Jeff Bradford, president of CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV), EM’s WVDP cleanup contractor. “They continue to complete the demolition of the Vitrification Facility in a safe and compliant manner."
One of only two vitrification facilities to operate in the U.S., the Vitrification Facility produced 278, 10-foot-tall canisters of vitrified high-level waste between 1996 through 2002. The facility’s process crane was used to handle canisters throughout the Vitrification Cell.
WVDP Director Bryan Bower said the crane removal paves the way for the safe continuation of the Vitrification Facility demolition.
“Once again the CHBWV team did an excellent job in utilizing their planning and execution of this high hazard work," Bower said.
Before taking out the crane, crews sprayed a fixative on it for additional contamination controls. They used a large excavator with a hydraulic hammer to break away the crane rails on both sides to free the machine from its location. Switching to another large excavator with a grapple attachment, the crane and its hoists were lowered to the floor of the facility, where crews then performed additional contamination controls. Over the next few days, the crane
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
