Established 1983

Decontaminating and Decommissioning

Department of Energy (DOE) facilities

Tapping private-sector technologies

In February 1995, the U.S. Department of Energy's Morgantown Energy Technology Center in West Virginia was selected to be the lead organization for the decontamination and decommissioning focus area. METC's role is to implement the technical program for the focus area. Initiatives met Robert Bedick, the product manager for environmental and waste management, and Paul Hart, the lead technical manager for implementing the D&D focus area, at METC on August 28. On August 30, Initiatives spoke with Stephen Lien, the Office of Technology Development (EM-50) representative on the focus area team. Lien works at DOE headquarters to coordinate policy and strategy for the D&D focus area.

According to Paul Hart, "This focus area has the highest private-sector involvement of any of the five." In fact, 78 percent of the $42 million budget for the decontamination and decommissioning focus area is dedicated to the private sector ... [which includes] industry, universities, and non-profit organizations." Hart continued, "That is by design because there is a general awareness that solutions [to D&D problems] reside out there. We simply need to bring them into the complex, validate them, and foster their implementation."

Robert Bedick wanted to make clear, however, that "We don't intend to cut out the labs from research and development opportunities. If the labs have the best people and the best way of doing things, we want to draw on that expertise."

But the fact is, Hart said, "There are lots of radioactive facilities in the private sector belonging to the commercial nuclear power industry, research reactors at private companies, non-profit organizations, and universities," and they face problems similar to the D&D focus area.

These problems include 7,000 contaminated buildings in the weapons complex that require deactivation, 700 of which are currently planned for full decommissioning. Also, Hart explained, "There is a huge amount of contaminated metal [550,000 metric tons] and concrete [23 million cubic meters] in contaminated buildings that require disposition." Plus, the D&D focus area is looking for ways to reduce the high safety and health risks associated with working in these contaminated facilities.

Bedick and Hart agree that METC was selected to be the lead organization for the D&D focus area because of its successful track record of working with industries. METC's relationship with the Office of Technology Development began in 1990 when METC started managing industry solicitations for OTD.

D&D workshop

An initial step in getting industry input for the direction of the D&D focus area was a workshop held in July at METC. Bedick said, "Since one of the industries that may bring some solutions is the nuclear utility industry, we made an effort to include utilities and architectural and engineering firms and specialty D&D contractors that typically work with the utility industry."

One of the main things Bedick got out of the workshop was that industry would like METC to help identify the DOE market for D&D technologies. He found that industry needs a clearer understanding of the market and more assurance of the profitability of developing D&D technologies. Another comment that kept being raised during the workshop, Bedick said, was "the need for better characterization and monitoring activities [because D&D] is so labor intensive and has a potentially high risk to workers." There also were comments about the need for personal protection equipment for workers.

"The really important thing [about the workshop]," in Hart's opinion, "was that METC and the DOE complex were able to sit down with industry and exchange information. We are sincere that we want to involve industry because we have similar needs and they have potential solutions that can be quickly implemented in the DOE complex."

As a result of the workshop and other preliminary work of the focus area team, Bedick said, "We have consolidated a lot of the projects and started to focus on some large-scale demonstrations working cooperatively mainly with EM-40 [the Office of Environmental Restoration], but also EM-30 [the Office of Waste Management] and EM-60 [the Office of Nuclear Material and Facilities Stabilization]. We're finding out the scope of what EM-40 needs to clean up. We want to bring in some new technologies to do it better, at lower cost to reduce environmental risk and worker exposure risks, or do something we currently can't do."

In July, METC issued an informal call for proposals from DOE operations offices for the D&D focus area to work cooperatively on large-scale D&D demonstrations. Proposals are currently under review.

D&D technologies

Hart and Bedick explained a few technologies currently being worked on by the focus area. Solid uranium deposits inside process equipment and piping is a major problem at DOE sites. Hart said, "We have completed a pilot-scale demo in Oak Ridge [of a technology that] converts solid uranium deposits into a gaseous uranium form so it can be removed without having to dismantle the equipment."

He continued, "Gloveboxes contaminated with plutonium is also a huge problem across the DOE complex. We have a demonstration under way at Savannah River of an industrial decontamination technology." A glovebox is a controlled enclosure for handling plutonium that has two rubber gloves that extend inside. At one time, workers actually put their hands in the gloves and manipulated things inside the box. Now that is done with remote manipulation. A chemical decontamination process removes the plutonium from a glovebox in a form that can be converted to glass for final disposal. Bedick added, "We don't actually know how clean the gloveboxes have to be, which is why we're doing the demo. We're hoping we will be able to dispose of them as a low-level or non-radioactive waste."

According to Hart, "About a third of the resources for DOE's robotics program is devoted to the D&D focus area." Robotics technology is especially important because it removes workers from hazardous situations. Robots can also be used for surveillance and maintenance of the 7,000 buildings on the list for deactivation.

If you have a technology that might benefit the D&D focus area, call Paul Hart at (304) 285-4358. He said, "I'd be happy to get those calls."

Headquarters perspective

Like DOE's other four focus areas (radioactive tank waste remediation, mixed waste treatment, landfill stabilization, and contaminant plume containment), policy and strategy concerns of the D&D focus area are managed by a team including representatives from the Office of Environmental Management in DOE headquarters (EM-30, EM-40, EM-50, and EM-60). Stephen Lien represents the Office of Technology Development on the team.

Currently, standards exist for the lowest acceptable level for materials to be contaminated on the surface before they can be released for reuse. One of the long-term strategies for the D&D focus area is to facilitate the adoption of release standards for materials that are contaminated throughout. "If we don't have release standards [for bulk contaminated materials]," Lien explains, "we cannot release that material or use technology for the most beneficial type of disposal option: reuse of the materials."

Another problem facing the D&D focus area is that its activities can easily be delayed when Congress has a funding shortage. Lien collectively refers to the facilities needing decontamination as a "sleeping giant." He warns, "You can keep the giant snoozing for only so long. One day, this giant will wake up," and when it does, he hopes to have technologies ready to start a massive D&D job.

The five Ds of D&D

There are really more than two Ds in the D&D focus area. If you're confused, here are some simplified definitions of how DOE uses the terms.

Deactivation is a process by which a facility is taken out of service. It includes stabilizing the facility so surveillance and monitoring can be done at a reduced level of effort. All other Ds follow deactivation. There are 7,000 buildings in the weapons complex that require deactivation.

Decontamination is the removal of radioactive material from equipment or structures in a facility that has been deactivated.

Dismantlement involves breaking equipment and structures into pieces and removing them from the facility. Dismantlement occurs after decontamination and prior to decommissioning.

Disposition refers to getting rid of pieces of equipment or structures after decontamination and dismantlement. The material is disposed of as waste or recycled. DOE has 550,000 metric tons of metal and 23 million cubic meters of concrete in contaminated buildings that require disposition.

Decommissioning is the result after the other Ds are completed. There are 1,200 contaminated buildings in the weapons complex that require decommissioning.
 

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Last modified: 04/12/03

APPROACH

Harmon Distributing Systems uses Soda or Sand to remove most coatings from almost any surface. The equipment & media is combined for a wide use of applications to remove paint, rust, dirt, carbon, oil and grease from steel, stainless steel, aluminum, galvanized metal, concrete, glass and more.....

SODA BLASTING
SANDBLASTING

Cob blasting

What is it?
Uses

Why It Works
Examples

Advantages

Examples

SODA BLASTING EXAMPLES

WHAT IS SODA BLASTING?
It is a process where a surface is cleaned or paint is removed or coatings of any kind are stripped from a substrate. It is very similar to traditional sand blasting yet has the significant advantage of cleaning the surface without causing any harm to the substrate or the environment.

APPLICATIONS

From the removal of graffiti from brick and concrete to the cleaning of boat bottoms, from the removal of carbon, char, and odors from buildings damaged by fire to refurbishing stainless steel kitchen equipment, from removing oil and grease from engines to removing offensive odors in stairwells, from cleaning washrooms in manufacturing facilities to removing paint from brick and steel, from removing rust and paint from cars to the line removal off highways, this approach has proved to be successful time and time again. The system has been used for:

Paint Removal
Engine Parts
Brick & Concrete
Hard Wood
Odor Elimination
Cleaning Boats
Anilox Rolls
Fiberglass
Rust Removal
Cars-Paint/Rust
Airplane Parts
Stain Removal
Graffiti Removal
Fire Restoration
Conveyor Systems
And More!

WHY THIS APPROACH

Equipment is easy to use
Equipment is transportable, in many cases a one-man operation
Short set-up time
Media is environmentally sensible (USDA Approved as an A1 cleaner)
Media is water soluble, gentle yet effective
Safer than solvents, caustics and acids
Media is an odor-eater
Clean up is relatively easy


WHY IT WORKS...

The cleaning effectiveness of blast soda is a direct result of its physical properties. These qualities allow the media to be used in a wide variety of applications.

The magic of baking soda is due to: Granulation resulting in consistent sizing of the cleaning media
Shape is multi sided leads to an improved cleaning capability
Hardness is such that it will not damage delicate substrates
Friability (easily crumbled) enhances the cleaning process
pH of media (8.2) greatly reduces any
caustic effect


These properties provide the cleaning power of media:
1. High friability with consistent angular fractures results in smaller, uniformly angular cleaning particles. This feature ensures that all surfaces of a part can be cleaned effectively.

2. media is very soft (2.4 on Mohs Scale of Hardness) and is a friable cleaning agent. This means that blasting with soda is like throwing a snowball at a fence whereas other less friable media (plastic at 3.5 and glass at 5.0 on Mohs Hardness Scale) is like throwing a stone at a fence.

3. media imparts a cleaning effect where other abrasives use a hit and cut method to clean or chop away the coating.

4. soda crystals begin at less than 70 microns. At impact the crystal crumbles and gently imparts the energy into a cleaning mass. Much of this energy is transferred perpendicular to the angle of the blast across the entire structure. The result is a clean surface.

5. Easily remove carbon, grease, oils, gasket material, surface corrosion, paint and coatings from a variety of alloys, plastics and composites without substrate damage or distortion, even leaves hard anodized coatings intact.

6. Reduce cycle time by cleaning, de-greasing, de-painting in one step. Unlike glass beads or plastic media, soda requires no pre-wash and its water solubility allows for complete rinsing, eliminating the risk of spent media lodging in tight spaces or critical passageways.

ADVANTAGES...

Cleaning & De-Coating in One Step
Standard abrasive blasting is a dirty process, often loading and even embedding the surface with contaminants (grease, oil, tar & abrasive particles) in the process of removing the coating. Recycled abrasives compound this problem by loading increasing amounts of contaminants into the substrate. Soda blast media's effectively de-coats and cleans the substrate in one step; producing a level of surface cleanliness not seen with most processes. The media is not reusable thus eliminating the issue of blasting with re-used media. Coating adhesion relies heavily on surface cleanliness and a surface profile has been used to offset this lack of cleanliness.

Unique Cutting Action
Soda blast media offers the unique properties of sodium bicarbonate, the primary ingredient. The softness (Mohs Hardness = 2.4) and friable nature of this crystal produces a unique cutting action with little or no effort on most substrates. For example, thick coatings can be removed from glass without any etching effect. With proper care, delicate substrates can be cleaned without damage.

No Pre-Cleaning Required
For projects where the coating is covered with grease, carbon, salt or other contaminants, the more traditional blasting methods require the coating to be fully cleaned before blasting. This is required so that the contaminants on the surface of the coating not be driven through the coating and into the surface of the substrate, causing future coating failure.

No Need To Re-Profile Steel
Standard grades of soda media (without any hard aggregates) do not profile steel. soda have a Profile grade of baking soda that imparts a profile on steel. When an operator removes a coating from a metal surface, he or she exposes the existing anchor pattern under the coating. Unless corrosion has occurred, there is no reason to re-profile the surface.

Reduced Solid Waste
soda blast media can be dissolved in fresh water. By dissolving the media and filtering out the contaminants the solution can generally be discharged to POTW treatment systems or open waterways, with proper discharge permits. Waste volume is generally reduced to less than 5% of the original waste volume. With increasing landfill costs and liabilities, this advantage becomes more important every day.

Natural Rust Inhibitor
As long as soda is on a ferrous metal surface, rust will not form. For rust to form, free moisture and an acidic condition must exist. In most cases, free moisture combines with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to form carbonic acid. This acid releases a free metal (ferrous) ion which combines with oxygen (oxidizes) to form rust. soda buffers acids, prevents the release of free metal ions and prevents rust.

Reduced Clean-Up Costs
soda blast media performs roughly the same level of work (somewhat slower) as sand blasting while producing 1/5 to 1/7 of the total waste volume. Although media costs per square foot are higher, site clean-up and residue disposal are significantly lower. The net balance id that total cost per square foot are about the same for both approaches.

Benefits In Waste Disposal
In most non-hazardous applications, the residue from blasting with soda can be rinsed into sanitary drains or sewers which flush the residue to a water treatment facility, greatly reducing the clean-up time. Sodium bicarbonate is actually beneficial to waste water treatment systems.
For industrial treatment systems, where chemical neutralization is a major cost in water treatment, soda blast media can often save significant dollars in waste treatment.

Increased Worker Safety
The safety of sodium bicarbonate to workers is well understood, since it has been in use for some 160 years. The bicarbonate buffer system is the major extracellular buffer in the human body, thus sodium bicarbonate is part of the body's normal chemistry.
Sodium bicarbonate and thus, soda is not toxic via ingestion, inhalation or dermal contact, nor is it a skin or eye irritant as defined by EPA and OSHA. Any risk to workers is primarily the containment or coating removed during the blasting operation. Removes Odors
The same odor absorbing effect seen in the refrigerator at home is present when blasting with soda media. It not only removes the contaminants, it also reduces the unfriendly odors.

Replaces Dangerous Solvents
soda formula is an excellent de-greasing media that eliminates the uses of solvents in most cleaning processes. Hydroflex does not "dissolve" or "emulsify" grease and oils, it simply coats them causing the grease or oil to release from the surface. It also eliminates the translocation of oil and grease.

Does Not Produce Sparks
Standard grades of soda blast media (without hard aggregate) will not produce thermal sparks and are suitable for use in explosion proof areas; including refineries, chemical plants and grain elevators as long as proper grounding techniques are used to prevent a static charge build up.

Improved Crack Detection
When cleaning metal surfaces for crack detection, standard abrasive blasting tends to peen the crack closed or pack the crack with abrasive, making crack detection more difficult. soda media actually cleans out the crack, leaving it exposed and easy to find.

No Residue Problems In Small Passageways
Standard grades of soda blast media (without hard aggregate) are 100% water soluble. They can be used to clean critical engine components including those with small passageways. Once cleaned, the soda residue can be thoroughly rinsed off by dissolving in water.
Traditional blast media are not water soluble and if left after cleaning, can pack into small passageways and possibly damage an engine while on operation.

Reduce Surface Acids
As a strong buffer for acids and alkalis, soda eliminates acidic conditions on the surface of the substrate. For conditions with high acid levels, acid rain or boiler fly ash, blasting with soda will reduce coating failures.

SSPC-NACE Standards
soda will attain a level of clean that will meet the standards of both NACE and SSPC.

NACE 1 (SP-5) White Metal Blast Cleaning
NACE 2 (SP-10) Near-White Blast Cleaning
NACE 3 (SP-6) Commercial Blast Cleaning
NACE 4 (SP-7) Brush-Off Blast Cleaning

Hardness Scale
soda has a hardness of 2.4 on Mohs' scale of Hardness. The softness of this media means that it can be used to remove most materials without harming the substrate.

Benefits Of Process

Environmentally Sensible
Non-Hazardous to Workers
Non-Toxic Media
Water Soluble Media
Low Blasting Pressure
Does Not Generate Explosive Dust
Does Not Pose A Threat Of Silicosis

Where Used

Industrial Maintenance
Chemical & Petro-Chemical
Oil & Gas Production
Pulp & Paper
Food & Beverage Processing
Textile Mills
Foundries & Steel Production
Printing Industry
Electrical Utilities
Mining
Aviation, Military & Commercial
OEM's, Automotive, Electronic
Marine
Transportation, Transit, Highway.