The US Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) and clean-up contractor UCOR have completed demolition of another ageing, contaminated structure at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Demolition of Building 3003 began in June and workers have now finished removing debris from the project.
Removal of the facility cleared 10,000 square feet of space essential to support future teardowns of neighbouring facilities. Heavy equipment operators now have room necessary to demolish two remaining Graphite Reactor support facilities – the adjacent Building 3002 and Building 3018, a 200-foot-tall stack.
“While finishing up deactivation and making our way to demolition start, challenges would arise, but all were faced with teamwork and problem-solving mindsets,” said UCOR ORNL Area Cleanup Project Manager Zachary Dew. “The skill of our craft and strength of our partnerships provided us with a clear path to success.”
Building 3003, located on a small footprint in a heavily congested area on a hilltop, presented many challenges during demolition. To overcome spatial constraints, OREM and UCOR developed a plan to use the nearby footprint of the former Low Intensity Test Reactor. Workers built a ramp connecting the two areas and used the footprint to reduce the size of debris and load 80 shipments of waste for disposal without further congesting the active demolition site.
Built in 1943, Building 3003 contained a fan house and provided ventilation for the Graphite Reactor. The fan house drew air from the reactor through underground ducts and released it through the stack.
The Graphite Reactor, constructed in only nine months, achieved criticality in 1943, and it was the world’s first continuously operating nuclear reactor. Its initial mission involved showing plutonium could be extracted from irradiated uranium. After the Manhattan Project, it supported nuclear energy and medical research missions.
The Graphite Reactor was shut down in 1963, and it was designated a national historic landmark in 1965. Today, the facility is part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Taking down Building 3003 has removed risks near the historic facility, opened land for reuse and enhanced access for park visitors.
Read more: Stepping forward on cleanup
