The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management’s (EM’s) plants that convert depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) to more stable compounds have now returned to full operations at both the Portsmouth and Paducah facilities.
The DUF6 facilities, commissioned in 2010 and 2011, convert decades of enrichment byproducts from the former Paducah, Portsmouth and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, gaseous diffusion plants. The resulting materials are depleted uranium oxide and aqueous hydrofluoric acid for safe reuse or disposal.
Recent plant upgrades include enhanced process control systems, upgraded uranium hexafluoride flowmeters and the implementation of a new process data historian. DOE said safely restarting nuclear facilities after being shut down takes hard work and a safe, conservative approach.
The upgraded control systems replaced the plant’s original system, offering improved reliability and security. The new flowmeters enhance the accuracy of uranium hexafluoride flow rates, facilitating better process control and reducing downtime caused by poor oxide powder quality.
Additionally, the historian collects and analyses operational data, providing insights that help manage plant operations, troubleshoot equipment issues and optimise processes. These interrelated upgrades are expected to drive continued success for the plants in the future.
“The successful restarts were achieved by our workforce through careful and deliberate adherence to conduct of operations, while also continuing to improve the plants through implementing multiple plant upgrades, setting us up for continued success in the years ahead,” said Zak Lafontaine, DUF6 lead for the Portsmouth Paducah Project Office in Lexington. “This recent experience sets a new benchmark for excellence in operational reliability for the project.”
The Paducah Site in Kentucky recently exceeded a project record by running all four conversion lines continuously for 41 straight days, demonstrating the benefits of the recent improvements as well as the determination and focus of the DUF6 team.
The Portsmouth Site in Ohio recently completed a successful planned maintenance outage, during which plant upgrades were implemented seamlessly, while maintaining a world-class safety record and surpassing 4.5 years without a lost-time injury.
Researched and written by Judith Perera
