New Robot Supports SRS Waste Tank Closures
June 16, 2010
Tizzy, a robotic crawler for cleaning waste tanks at SRS, successfully negotiates the internal maze of cooling pipes, risers and other impediments found in a waste tank
Aiken, SC -- Movie-goers may have Iron Man 2, but thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) has its own super hero – "Tizzy," a tank-cleaning robot. Tizzy will remove high-level solid radioactive material from the floor of SRS waste tanks and transfer the material to nearby waste processing facilities, operating much like a swimming pool cleaner.
A throng of onlookers including a film crew, photographers and other admirers watched as Tizzy - named for Andy Tisler, the Savannah River Remediation (SRR) Deputy Engineering Manager for Tank Closure who spearheaded the mockup and demonstration project,- recently debuted at SRS Tank 5 mock-up tank while readying for its mission of nuclear waste removal.
"This is true teaming with technology," said Phillip Giles, DOE's Director of Waste Disposition Operations Division at SRS, who observed Tizzy's debut. "Applying robotic technology will significantly accelerate our ability to cost effectively close waste tanks and enhances the safety margin for our workers."
Using a $100,000 of Recovery Act funds, SRR designed and built Tizzy and full-scale mock up of part of the interior of Tank 5. The mock up was used to ensure that Tizzy could successfully navigate the internal maze of cooling pipes, risers, and other impediments.
Mark Hasty, SRR's Waste Removal and Tank Closure Director, was on-hand to observe Tizzy's debut. He called construction of the Tank 5 mockup and assembling of the crawler a "job well done," crediting SRR mechanics Leon Hollaway and Danny Grenade.
Meanwhile at Tank 18, SRR workers successfully removed the large transfer hoses bring this waste tank one step closer to its operational closure in 2011 with Recovery Act funding.
Once the transfer of liquid waste was completed, the large hoses were removed from the tank, wrapped in heavy plastic as an extra precaution to securely contain any external contamination and lifted into large trailers for disposition.
SRS workers remove large transfer hoses at Tank 18
The inner or "core" pipe within the hose is 1-1/2 inches in diameter which is enclosed by a secondary containment pipe that is 6" in diameter. This hose-in-hose assembly is then covered by a thick layer of shielding to protect workers from radioactive exposure. The hoses were used to transfer radioactive liquid waste to nearby Tank 7 as part of the process to operationally close Tank 18.
Tank 5 and 18, two of the 49 remaining storage tanks at SRS, are among the fifteen now in the midst of closure at SRS. That represents the highest number of waste tanks undergoing closure in SRS history.
Additional information on the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management and the Savannah River Site can be found at http://www.em.doe.gov or http://www.srs.gov. For more information about the SRS Recovery Act Project, please visit www.srs.gov/recovery.
Note: SRS is owned by DOE. The SRS Liquid Waste contract is managed by SRR, a team of companies led by URS Corp. with partners Bechtel National, CH2M Hill and Babcock & Wilcox. Critical subcontractors for the contract are AREVA, Energy Solutions and URS Safety Management Solutions.