June 2008
ORNL takes closer look at exploding stars
These are snapshots from a "magnetohydrodynamic simulation" performed with ORNL's astrophysical simulation code GenASiS. According to Eirik Endeve of the lab's Physics Division, the purpose of the simulations is to "explore what effects an instability in the supernova shock wave has on the magnetic fields in stellar cores during core collapse supernova explosions."
Continue reading "ORNL takes closer look at exploding stars"
Journal looks at NIOSH radiation dose reconstruction
The latest issue of Health Physics is dedicated entirely to the dose reconstruction program, which is used to determine if sick nuclear workers are eligible for compensation.
Here's a link to the editorial, which was co-authored by Richard Toohey of Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and summaries of the articles in the journal. Here's another link to the journal's main page, with abstracts available on the different papers.
100 new reactors in China by 2020?
That's the word coming out of Westinghouse, as reported in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
A bad case of the dropsies at Y-12 warhead plant
In two separate incidents, bomb parts containing enriched uranium are dropped at Y-12. Here's the story.
The drops reportedly occurred at the same Y-12 facility as a March 2007 chip fire (which recently resulted in a $123,500 fine against B&W Technical Services).
'Beat me, hurt me, but spell my name right . . . '
In his June 13 letter, issuing a $123,500 fine against B&W Y-12 for nuclear safety violations, NNSA chief Tom D'Agostino misspelled the first name of Darrel Kohlhorst -- the Y-12 prez and general manager. I guess that was just salt in the wounds.
Gorilla research at Y-12?
Here's a nugget quote found in the employee newsletter at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant.
"Bring us your big hairy problem, and we'll work with you to fix it." That's from Kevin Finney, senior director of the plant's Applied Technologies group.
R&D awards
An announcement is expected today on the annual R&D 100 Awards, which recognize innovations and inventions. ORNL typically does well on these, but no word yet.
The power of Blue
Craig Blue, a materials scientist with a reputation for getting things done, has been named director of the new Energy Materials Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Blue has worked at Oak Ridge since 1995, soon after getting his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of Cincinnati. Most recently, he has been deputy director of the Materials Science and Technology Division.
According to lab statement, the new program will combine the previous Industrial Technologies and Fossil Energy programs. Its mission will be to "support fundamental and applied materials research for a variety of energy technologies, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, fossil energy and National Security materials opportunities."
Hot times on WIPP Road
Yes, folks that's true. The Oak Ridge Transuranic Waste Processing Center is located at 100 WIPP Rd., with a mailing address for Lenoir City. It's on the far west side of the Dept. of Energy's Oak Ridge reservation, near the boundary of Roane and Loudon Counties.
Tony Buhl, president of EnergyX and general manager of the Transuranic Waste Processing Facility, said today the plant had processed about 15 drums of remote-handled TRU waste.
"It's going well," he said. "We had some issues at the beginning. Some of the equipment that had been installed there for eight or nine years gave us some problem (including an elevator lift that takes casks up to the second floor)."
Boost for Oak Ridge cleanup
According to Weapons Complex Monitor, a Washington-based newsletter that covers the DOE cleanup program, Oak Ridge is among the big winners in the House's Energy and Water spending bill for '09.
Here's an excerpt from the latest issue of WCM:
Here comes No. 9
Yes, Oak Ridge Associated Universities is getting another extension on its NIOSH contract to do dose reconstruction -- an integral part of the sick nuclear worker compensation program. Pam Bonee, an ORAU spokeswoman, said today papers have been signed for an extension that will take the current contract through July 31. "It's in process," she said.
As noted previously, NIOSH seems to be struggling with the decision on a new contract becasue the bids were submitted many months ago. This is the ninth extension of the existing contract held by ORAU, in partnership with MJW Corp. and Dade Moeller & Associates.
44 millirems
That's the average annual radiation dose received by the group of nuclear workers in Y-12's Beta-2 facility -- scene of the March 2007 uranium chip fire that's gotten attention because of the Price-Anderson fine recently levied on the Oak Ridge contractor.
According to Jim Barker, the radiological control chief at Y-12, the highest annual exposure for that group was 277 millirems (still well below the occupational limit of 5,000 mr). The worker doses typically fall in the range of 50 to 70 millirems, Barker said.
Students join DOE environmental board
Claire Campbell and Miranda Clower have joined the department's citizens advisory board in Oak Ridge. The board (officially the Site Specific Advisory Board) provides input and recommendations on environmental issues.
Campbell (left, in photo) will be senior at Oak Ridge High School this fall, and Clower will enter her final year at Roane County High School. The board's meetings, which are open to the public, are held on the second Wednesday of each month -- beginning at 6 p.m. -- at the DOE Information Center, 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
For more info, here's the llnk.
Going green at Y-12
New Hope Center during construction in Dec. 2006. (photo/Michael Patrick)
The New Hope Center, which serves as a conference and visitors center at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, has been certified as a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) facility. The privately financed facility was developed by Lawler-Wood of Knoxville, and it includes such green innovations as a rainwater-reclamation system (with four 12,000-gallon harvesting tanks) and associated irrigation system.
According to B&W, the managing contractor at Y-12, there are only eight facilities in Tennessee that currently have LEED certification and five of those are in Oak Ridge. Good stuff.
Alexander named 'Champion of Science'
photo Bill Clark/SHNS
The Science Coalition today added U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., to its list of science advocates, joining Tennessee's Congressman Bart Gordon and others who push basic research endeavors and support academic and science projects.
In a prepared statement released by the coalition of 45 universities and many other institutions, John Sexton, the president of New York University, said, "Senator Alexander knows first-hand the role basic research plays in driving our economy and keeping America competitive in the global marketplace. Senator Alexander understands that spending for scientific research is not an expense, but rather an investment in America's future."
Corker statement on N. Korea
Here's a statement from Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., on North Korea's reported decision to provide details of its nuclear program, which could remove the country from a list of state sponsors of terrorism and pave the way for economic assistance from U.S.
"I welcome North Korea's long overdue decision to disclose aspects of its covert nuclear program; however, we must continue to reserve final judgment until we see this repressive regime follow through with its international commitments to completely dismantle its nuclear production capability and verifiably disarm. Proliferation of nuclear weapons by rogue nations remains one of the gravest threats to global peace and security, so I hope that progress in dealing with North Korea will encourage change in other nations like Iran, which continues to ignore the international community in its development of nuclear material."
Sick workers speak out at rally
photos/Clay Owen
Oak Ridge workers were among the first to apply big pressure on the government for a compensation program, and they're working again, this time to get some legislative changes to open up the program and expand the eligibility.
Janine Anderson of CHE read letters of support from U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, and U.S. Reps. Zach Wamp and Lincoln Davis, but some folks at today's rally weren't happy that no representatives of the elected officials were at the Jackson Plaza event. Anderson, who suffers from a rare liver disease and other illnesses, tried to take part of the blame for that -- saying she was short on time in getting the word out.
Anderson coordinated the event, drawing kudos from others.
322 leaving Y-12 payroll (voluntarily)
Here are the final stats on the Voluntary Separation Programs offered at Y-12 to reduce costs at the nuclear weapons plant in prep for upcoming budget issues.
Packages have been approved for 233 salaried workers and 99 hourly workers, according to Bill Wilburn, a spokesman for plant contractor, B&W Technical Services.
"They all have to be off the payroll by the end of September," he said.
Y-12 finishes work on B61 bombs
Workers at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant have completed a years-long refurbishment project that's supposed to significantly extend the life of B61 bombs.
Oak Ridge workers had a shindig today to celebrate the milestone, and a number of defense officials from Washington were in town for the event, including Maj. Gen. (Sel.) Donald Alston, director of nuclear operations for the U.S. Air Force, and Billy Mullins, the B61 project manager for the Department of Defense.
The Oak Ridge work involved revamping the "canned subassemblies" that contain the second stage of the thermonuclear bomb.
Oak Ridge reps win awards at small biz conf.
Keith Joy, the small business program manager at ORNL, won M&O program manager of the year at the Dept. of Energy Small Business Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
Other Oak Ridge winners included B&W Y-12 (the contractor at Y-12), which got the DOE Mentor Award, and Haselwood Enterprises, which received DOE Small Business of the Year.
Below is DOE's full press release:
Continue reading "Oak Ridge reps win awards at small biz conf."
RSI wins Portsmouth contract
An Oak Ridge company has received a contract to provide support for cleaning projects at a nuclear facility near Portsmouth, Ohio.
Restoration Services Inc.'s contract with DOE has a potential value of $67 million over five years. RSI's team also includes two other small businesses, Haselwood Enterprises Inc. and Hill International.
Push to reform sick worker compensation program
Dozens of sick nuclear workers showed up today for an hour-long rally at Oak Ridge's Jackson Plaza, where the Dept. of Labor's Resource Center is located. Workers and their advocates are pushing for a change of the federal legislation to broaden the criteria and make it easier to collect from the fund. Here's a story link.
None of the state's elected reps in Washington were on hand, but letters of support were read from U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, as well as U.S. Reps. Zach Wamp and Lincoln Davis.
Here is link to proposed changes. Will have more later.
Oak Ridge's Friendship Bell
Edward Lollis has started an interactive website on the history of the International Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge.
HFIR back in operation
The world's most powerful research reactor returned to operation today. The High Flux Isotope Reactor at ORNL was shut down over the weekend when an electrical relay line failed. Here's the story.
Oak Ridge team scores at security competition
Electrical problem at HFIR
Kelly Beierschmitt, director of nuclear operations at ORNL, confirmed this afternoon that there was an unplanned shutdown of the High Flux Isotope Reactor over the weekend. Sounds like it got kind of busy Saturday night. Here's the story.
Rally for sick workers
Sick nuclear workers and their advocates will hold a rally Wednesday to protest "unfair practices and illegal actions" in the current compensation program and call for legislative reform of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.
Here's a link to the proposed reforms.
Advice for a price
Tyler Przybylek, former chief counsel at DOE's Oak Ridge Operations who later moved to bigger things at NNSA (serving as chief operating officer and playing key roles in contract rebids at Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore), has been hired as an advisor to the board of directors at Pro2Serve.
"In this capacity, Mr. Przybylek will provide strategic guidance to Pro2Serve's board and corporate leadership as it continues to expand its role in providing critical infrastructure engineering services in support of national security," the Oak Ridge-based company said in a press release.
In other words, he's been hired to help them win more contracts.
Update on HEUMF
Repairs have been completed on a section of roof slab that had to be replaced at the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility -- the new storage complex for bomb-grade uranium at Y-12. The original concrete pour in March failed to set up properly, and that apparently was attributable to vibrators used in the pouring process, according to a May 23 report from the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.
The overall construction project is "going very well," according to Y-12 spokesman Bill Wilburn, who said the schedule calls for completion in August.
Contract extensions for ATLC?
Garry Whitley, president of the Atomic Trades and Labor Council, confirmed today that he'd received permission from the council's executive board to talk with Oak Ridge contractors (UT-Battelle at ORNL and B&W at Y-12) about possible contract extensions. The current contracts for the two sites are currently due to expire in June 2009.
Whitley said he'd been approached by both contractors, and he confirmed that, indeed, B&W is interested in getting the unions to agree to 4/10-work schedules at Y-12. That, of course, is a hot-button issue that's been rejected by hourly workers in the past.
No RRW money in House energy and water markup
Here's the statement from U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind., who chairs the House Appropriations energy and water subcommittee. (Scroll down to the section on "Confronting Nuclear Threats.")
Visclosky basically said there'll be no money for new warheads until there's a new post-Cold War strategy that better addresses national security needs in the 21st century. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., who could become the ranking Republican member of the powerful subcommittee in the next Congress, has indicated he will support the Reliable Replacement Warhead.
UT-Battelle's $100,000 gift to Roane State
The gift will be used to build new labs at Roane State Community College's Oak Ridge campus, supporting a fund-raising campaign to expand the educational capabilities there.
UT-Battelle, since become the government's managing contractor at ORNL in 2000, has donated more than $4.5 million to educational outreach programs -- including some significant investments in the region's high schools.
Wow! Nano microscope on a chip
Here's the report conveyed by Roland Piquepaille at Emerging Tech Trends. It was brought to my attention by in-house techie Tracey Trumbull.
A prototype from a UK company may be available within six months, reportedly offering resolution greater than today's best scanning electron microscopes.
Irony?
On Monday, the 50th anniversary of the worst nuclear accident in Oak Ridge history, the Y-12 contractor gets slammed (and fined $123,750) for a fire that exposed more than 100 workers to "unnecessary" radiation doses.
Here was what B&W, the Y-12 contractor, posted about the 1958 accident on its internal website:
The beauty of materials science
Nice, you say, but what is it? It's a micrograph from Lynn Boatner, a Corporate Fellow at ORNL and one of the lab's top materials researchers. It shows a "thermo-chemically treated" single crystal of zinc oxide.
Read on for more info.
Y-12 contractor fined $123,750 for uranium fire
The fine was issued today by NNSA. The report said that 111 workers received radiation exposures from inhaling radioactive materials generated by the uranium chip fire. At the time of the fire in March 2007, B&W, the Oak Ridge contractor, said no workers were injured and none was contaminated.
Here's the link to the story. Here is another link to the preliminary notice of violation.
More honors for Ed Westcott
One of the unforgettable images from the Westcott camera
For many of us, our best view of the historic Manhattan Project is through Ed Westcott's eyes. He was the government's photographer, beginning with the earliest construction, at the Oak Ridge sites, and there are wonderful, wonderful images of those incredible times.
The Dept. of Energy is hosting a reception tommorrow and will make a special awards presentation. Unfortunately, I have a conflict and won't be able to make it. But I want to add my congratulations to Mr. Westcott. His contributions were immense.
He's also one heck of a nice guy. He photographed my parents' 1945 wedding in Oak Ridge and decades later went to the trouble to find those negatives and give them to me. What a guy.
50th anniversary of Y-12's worst nuke accident
On June 16, 1958, eight workers were hospitalized after they were exposed to high radiation fields in a production facility at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. A batch of highly enriched uranium went critical when it was inadvertently mixed in an unsafe container, zapping everyone in the vicinity with neutrons.
It was the only documented criticality accident in Oak Ridge history, but it remains in the minds of everyone who charts nuclear safety requirements at Y-12 and other facilities where fissile materials are stored and processed.
Wilbanks sees improved lab leadership
Tom Wilbanks, chair of the Corporate Fellows Council and longtime researcher at ORNL, talks about Lab Director Thom Mason and the leadership trend. Here's the column in Knox Biz Journal.
Seeking public comment on radioactive nickel
The Dept. of Energy has issued a draft environmental assessment on plans to get rid of about 15,000 tons of radioactively contaminated nickel that's stockpiled at Oak Ridge and Paducah, Ky. The proposal is to allow private industry to use the material in a "controlled manner" to make products for radiological applications only.
The comment period is through July 16. Here's a link to DOE's letter to stakeholders. The nickel was recovered from equipment once used to enrich uranium.
Continue reading "Seeking public comment on radioactive nickel"
Parade of views on plan to import nuke waste
EnergySolutions' proposal to import Italian nuclear waste to the U.S. (processing it at Oak Ridge before sending the residues west for disposal in Utah) continues to gain attention. Thousands of people submitted opinions to the NRC, which will decide whether or not to approve the import license -- unless legislation pending in Congress prohibits it.
The Tennesseean today has a series of opinion pieces, including an editorial, a column by EnergySolutions CEO Steve Creamer, and a piece by Don Safer of the Tennessee Environmental Council.
Oak Ridge conference for veteran-owned businesses
Y-12 and the UT Center for Industrial Services are joining with a bunch of other agencies and companies to host an Aug. 5 conference. The goal is to increase biz opportunities for veteran-owned businesses.
The conference will be held at the New Hope Center near the entrance to Y-12 on Scarboro Road in Oak Ridge. It will last from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. There's no charge, but limited space. Deadline for registering is July 29.
To register call toll-free at 888-763-7439 or visit this online site.
Continue reading "Oak Ridge conference for veteran-owned businesses"
Oak Ridge rally for sick workers June 25
According to information being circulated by the Alliance for Nuclear Workers Advocacy Groups, rallies are being planned multiple sites, including Oak Ridge, to push for reform of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.
The Oak Ridge rally is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. near the Dept. of Labor's Oak Ridge Resource Center, 800 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
Fort Knox of Uranium (update)
photo Brett Pate/B&W
This is the latest photograph of the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility that's been cleared for release by classification folks at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. Construction of the new storage complex for bomb-grade uranium in Oak Ridge is supposed to be completed by summer's end. Note the gun ports, etc., at the high-security complex Photogragh was taken May 20.
DOE compliance with Executive Order 12989
DOE spokesman John Shewairy said he believes the agency and its Oak Ridge contractors are currently doing what's necessary to verify the legality of its workers, but he said it won't be clear what needs to be done and what the impact of the new Executive Order will be under DOE HQ issues some guidance.
Here's the link on the Bush order that's designed to keep federal contractors from employing "unathorized alien workers." The Dept. of Homeland Security has designated a system known as E-Verify to validate workers and help enforce immigration laws. DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff was quoted as saying it's "embarrassing" to discover illegal aliens working on federal projects (a situation that occurred at Y-12 a couple of years ago).
Spoons to head info resources
Charles Spoons had been named director of DOE's Information Resources Management Division in Oak Ridge. He has worked for DOE across the country, from Washington State to Washington, D.C. He has a degree in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee.
According to info from DOE, Spoons also served as a major in the Tennesse State Guard's 3rd Brigade and is a reserve deputy sheriff with the Knox County Sheriff's Dept. In a statement, DOE manager Gerald Boyd said Spoons "brings the highest caliber of character and work experience needed to continue (the division's) progression forward."
ORNL's (would-be) fusion experiment bites the dust
A proposed Oak Ridge fusion experiment, which has lingered in the early development stages for about a decade, isn't going to happen.
That's the word from Stan Milora, director of the fusion energy division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Milora said there's no funding for the Quasi-Poloidal Stellarator in the 2009 federal budget, adding, "It had exciting physics characteristics that hadn't been explored. We thought it was really great . . . But funding never came (for construction). DOE never requested it. It's time to move on."
Continue reading "ORNL's (would-be) fusion experiment bites the dust"
A two-month classification review?
The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has two safety reps assigned to the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, and they file weekly reports to their bosses in Washington -- outlining issues, concerns and activities in Oak Ridge. Those reports must pass through a classification review before they are posted at the DNFSB website.
Unfortunately, there's been a long delay. The last report posted at the site was dated April 4 -- more than two months ago. I talked today by telephone with Don Owen and Dave Kupferer, the site reps at Y-12, and -- without comment -- they said the missing reports are still under review by Dept. of Energy classification folks.
What's the hold-up??
Tighter watch on illegal workers?
The Y-12 nuclear weapons plant apparently won't be affected by a new executive order requiring fed contractors to make sure all site workers are legal. Since 2005. when some construction workers at Y-12 and a nearby leased site were found to have falsely claimed to be U.S. citizens, there have been tightened controls.
"When we discovered that, we notified the IG (Inspector General) and immediately put into effect tighter controls on access," said Steven Wyatt of the NNSA's site office at Y-12. Since that time, Y-12 has required all site workers and visitors -- including members of the news media -- to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, he said.
Folo on Plummer and Distinguished Scientists
Last week's report about the ORNL decision not to renew Ward Plummer's contract drew a bunch of attention in research and academic circles.
Interestingly, it also attracted comment at LANL: The Rest of the Story, a blog for the Los Alamos crowd, where the story was posted. Some folks noted (with envy) the high salary and perks of the Distinguished Scientist appointment.
Continue reading "Folo on Plummer and Distinguished Scientists"
Catching up
ORNL hosted a shindig last week to promote a super-duper electric water heater, which is part of a collaboration with General Electric.
The GE hybrid is supposed to be 50 percent more efficient than a standards 50-gallon electric water heater and affordable, too. GE and ORNL entered a cooperative R&D agreement to test and market the units, with the expectation that they'll be widely available on a commercial basis by late 2009.
Whistleblower conference
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is sponsoring a whistleblower rights conference in Washington, D.C., on June 23. Here's the link for agenda and other info.
Y-12 cranks up uranium process
The Y-12 nuclear weapons plant has restarted its Oxide Conversion Facility for the first time since September 2006, a spokesman confirmed today. Oxide conversion is a key part of the plant's enriched-uranium recycling operation.
In early April, Y-12 officials confirmed the process had been approved for restart, but noted that restart had been put on hold because of funding questions.
Boyd on 'Scientists Gone Wild'
For those who missed DOE's Gerald Boyd talking to CBS for the "Scientists Gone Wild" piece (regarding the IG report released a couple of weeks ago on ORNL's outlandish spending on scientific conferences), here's the link to the story and video.
DOL's Hallmark responds on compensation issues
Shelby Hallmark of the Dept. of Labor responds to some of the issues raised by advocacy groups for sick nuclear workers, including the high percentage of claims dismissed under Part E of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.
Here's a link to Hallmark's response, forwarded by ANWAG (Alliance for Nuclear Workers Advocacy Groups).
A Roadrunner in the weapons program
Energy Secretary Sam Bodman announced the breaking of the petaflop barrier with new IBM supercomputer to support weapons certification at Los Alamos.
Here's the press release:
His golf game's gone all to heck
photo/Saul Young
The downside of being the boss? "That's one thing I can say about this job. It ruined my handicap," Y-12 GM Darrel Kohlhorst said.
Don't feel sorry for him. He still plays to about a six. Most golfers would shed blood for a single-digit handicap.
Ward Plummer & ORNL (cont.)
Here's more information, some of which didn't make it into print story or online updates.
Much of Plummer's Oak Ridge research takes place at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, a new $65 million nanoscience facility. "He's obviously a very creative person and has great ideas," said Linda Horton, the center's director. She said Plummer would continue to have an office at CNMS and be a welcome researcher and, hopefully, a senior science adviser.
ORNL pulls Plummer's contract
photo UT/AP
Physicist Ward Plummer, elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2006, apparently will go full-time to UT as Oak Ridge National Laboratory opts not to renew his contract under the the Distinguished Scientists Program. Full story will be posted online shortly at Knoxnews.com.
Plummer said he thinks the action was taken because of his outspoken criticism of ORNL management. He has held the joint UT-ORNL appointment since 1993.
Kids day at Y-12
Thursday is "Bring Our Children to Work Day" at the Y-12 National Security Complex, with a number of events planned for the kids (6th through 12th graders) -- including lunch in the Jack Case Center.
Another story from the 'Kitchen'
My recent story about historic Katy's Kitchen has drawn a lot of comment and attention. David Page, a partner in a tech startup company and former research asst. professor at UT, shared an anecdote from 1989 -- when he was a co-op student working at ORNL.
Here's what he wrote:
World War II re-enactment in Oak Ridge
My pal Fred Brown has the low-down on plans for the WWII re-enactment at this year's Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge. Here's the blog link for Roll Call & Reveille.
Genetics at ORNL: mousing around
photo Brynn Voy/ORNL Biosciences
ORNL has a cool project called Collaborative Cross, which is creating a specialized mouse population for genetics studies. The photo above shows the eight diverse mouse lines that are being cross-bred in a systematic way to create 1,000 special inbred strains for research.
Alexander chimes in on budget
Corker says budget resolution 'ignores reality'
U.S. Sen. Bob Corker was among those who voted against the 2009 budget resolution, which passed today 48-45. Here's the statement released out of his office:
Continue reading "Corker says budget resolution 'ignores reality'"
Hot times at the High Flux Isotope Reactor
ORNL's research reactor is back is operation today, having achieved full power (85 megawatts) shortly before 8 a.m., according to Ron Crone, the division director.
Restart activities began last night, and the reactor was brought up and down seven times in order to provide operations training for a series of new employees, Crone said. The reactor was shut down in late April for refueling and a series of maintenance activities.
Continue reading "Hot times at the High Flux Isotope Reactor"
More on the W76 warhead work at Y-12
Today's column is about the W76 warhead and how Oak Ridge National Laboratory assisted Y-12 in resolving the unspecified technical issues that had stalled the plant's life-extension program on the warhead.
Darrel Kohlhorst, the president and GM for B&W Technical Services, noted that ORNL personnel were called in to help on the project, but he didn't provide any details of what they did or info on the nature of the problem.
Rally for sick workers June 25
Past and current workers at federal nuclear sites around the country are planning rallies to push for reform of the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.
Here's information from organizers:
Jack Howard's retirement
Howard, a few years ago inside the K-31 building in Oak Ridge
Jack Howard, an engineer and Vietnam War vet who has overseen many of the D&D projects at the K-25 uranium-enrichment plant in recent years, has retired from the Dept. of Energy. Congrats to him. He joined DOE's Oak Ridge operations in 1992.
Howard had more than 39 years of federal service. Besides his time in Oak Ridge, Howard worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority from 1970 to 1992.
Safety milestone at Y-12
According to info provided by B&W Technical Services, the contractor at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant, the company's "direct-hire construction team" has worked 2 million hours without a lost-time accident. The safety record covers a four-year period.
The work involves the construction projects handled directly by B&W, not what's handled by subcontractors -- such as the work that Caddell-Blaine is doing on the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility.
Tick, tick, tick
No, that's not my clock. That's the number of parasites that latched onto me the other day when I was visiting the wooded site that's home to Katy's Kitchen. And, just think, some folks think radiation is the biggest hazard on DOE's Oak Ridge reservation. I guess I got too close to their home when trying to shoot video of the 1940s-era site.
Will 8th time be the charm?
Oak Ridge Associated Universities' contract for dose reconstruction has been extended for the eighth time by NIOSH. Pam Bonee, ORAU spokeswoman, said the latest extension was formalized last week and will go through June 30.
The dose-reconstruction work supports NIOSH in the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program. Oak Ridge Associated Universities performs the work in partnership with MJW Corp. and Dade Moeller & Associates.
Change the strategy on U-233?
Inspector General wants DOE to rethink the plan before proceeding with disposal of the stockpile of uranium-233, which could generate radioisotopes for cancer treatment. Story is online at Knoxnews.com.
"If we're told to change directions, we'll do that," said John Shewairy, DOE spokesman in Oak Ridge. "But right now we're following the will of Congress."
Artist's sketch of 'Installation Dog'
Meeting up with 'Katy'
I've written multiple stories on Katy's Kitchen over the years, including one in 1984 in which I interviewed the secret project's designer, Luther Agee, and visited the remote site with him.
Never, however, had I met or interviewed the woman for whom the historic facility was ultimately named -- Kathryn Howard (or Kathryn Odom as she was at the time when she went to work at Oak Ridge in 1946). At least I hadn't until recently when I spoke with her for today's story, first by phone and then visited with her at her West Knoxville home.
What a treat. She is gracious and articulate, incredibly interesting, warm and nice. Rarely have I felt so genuinely welcomed into someone's home.
Frank Munger will be covering the Dept. of Energy's Oak Ridge facilities and other things nuclear. The blog will include random thoughts and opinions, behind-the-scenes tidbits, and expanded coverage and analysis of Oak Ridge news. 