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Scientists and technicians at Argonne-West have completed processing all the sodium reactor coolant at the laboratory's Idaho site.
This included sodium coolant from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II, which was shut down in 1994, and from the Fermi reactor in Detroit, which has been stored at ArgonneWest since 1984.
Completing coolant processing is a milestone in the Site Treatment Plan, an agreement between the State of Idaho and the U.S. Department of Energy regarding hazardous waste management at the site.
"The Department of Energy is very proud of this significant accomplishment," said Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. "This helps demonstrate that DOE nuclear laboratories have the technology and expertise to place nuclear facilities that have completed their missions in a safe and environmentally responsible condition."
Molten sodium metal has been used to cool some nuclear reactors because it is an efficient heat-transfer medium. In its elemental form, however, its chemical reactions with air or water sometimes can be violent. The sodium coolant removed from EBR-II is also slightly radioactive from its years in the reactor.
EBR-II and Fermi reactor sodium was treated in Argonne-West's Sodium Processing Facility. The facility exposes sodium to moisture in a controlled environment, forming sodium hydroxide. The sodium hydroxide is pumped into 70-gallon drums to solidify into concrete-like material. When filled, each drum weighs about 1,000 pounds.
Drums are being shipped to the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) on the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory for permanent disposal. The RWMC is a licensed repository for low-level radioactive waste.
The Argonne approach represents an important improvement in treating and disposing of radioactive sodium. In some countries, the sodium is converted into a wet slurry that is dumped into the ocean or other bodies of water.
"We finished seven weeks ahead of schedule and within budget," said Paul Henslee (ENT), project manager in charge of EBR-II plant closure activities. "Our people have done a great job."
"EBRII served the nation well for more than 30 years," said ArgonneWest Manager John Sackett, "but it's good to complete this work, to know it has been done well and safely, and to get ready to move on to new challenges."
EBRII operated successfully from 1964 until the 1994 decision to suspend advanced reactor research in the United States. Operation of EBRII resulted in several significant scientific contributions, including demonstrations that nuclear reactors can be designed to use the natural properties of materials rather than engineered systems to prevent overheating and meltdown.
Argonne and INEEL are currently building on the experience and heritage of EBR-II, its predecessor EBR-I, which produced the first usable electricity from nuclear power, and several other significant nuclear reactor achievements to develop the framework for the next generation of nuclear power plants — the Generation IV nuclear power systems.
U.S. Department of Energy National Ombudsman Jeremy Wu will be available to answer questions at a meeting open to all non-supervisory employees at Argonne-East Tuesday, March 20.
The meeting will be held at the Advanced Photon Source Conference Center, Building 402, from 11 a.m. to noon.
Wu will be available for confidential, one-on-one meetings with managers, employees or organizations in the afternoon Tuesday, March 20, and Thursday, March 22. Managers and employees interested in meeting individually or in groups with Wu should call Regina Neal at (202) 586-2234, or send e-mail to regina.neal@hq.doe.gov.
DOE's Office of the Ombudsman gives DOE employees and contractors an opportunity to discuss concerns and make recommendations on issues affecting productivity or morale. The ombudsman's goals are to promote understanding, address concerns, identify systemic issues and bring about positive change.
Shuttle service for the March 20 meeting will begin at 10:30 a.m. Buses will run continuously starting from the East, 200, 300 and 900 areas. Return service will be provided.
Employees with disabilities who need accommodation should contact the Diversity Program Office at ext. 2-3021.
Establishing native plant communities and increasing biodiversity at the Argonne-East site are the ultimate goals of the laboratory's Habitat Restoration Committee — a group of employees working to restore the site's natural ecology.
Although Argonne has forests and open areas, many of the plant species living here are not native to the site. Its original forest, savannah and prairie ecosystems were converted to farmland around the turn of the last century, said Bob Van Lonkhuyzen (EAD). After the land was purchased by the federal government in the 1940s, much of the site was further disturbed by paving and construction.
Non-native species introduced into areas in which they do not normally exist can aggressively replace native species, Van Lonkhuyzen said, reducing biodiversity and increasing soil erosion. Habitats of non-native plants are often inhospitable to native wildlife.
Efforts aimed at eliminating some non-native plants and establishing a more natural habitat started in July 1996 through a collaboration between research and operations staff. The first project was funded in May 1997 by the Plant Facilities and Services-Grounds Department to establish a native prairie in the east area. The area was cleared and seeded with native grasses donated by Fermilab.
The second project was funded through the committee in the spring of 1999. Weedy shrub and tree species were cleared from two areas near North Gate, along Outer Circle Drive. In the fall of 2000, the area along the path from Outer Circle Drive to Lodging (600 Area) was cleared of non-native shrubs, vines and trees.
"When we remove the non-natives, we find that there's a whole host of native plants just waiting to come back," said Van Lonkhuyzen.
One example of an aggressive non-native species, he explained, is European buckthorn — a small tree that can change the chemistry of the soil and inhibit growth of native species by blocking sunlight. Most native plants cannot germinate in the shade of buckthorn trees.
"Right now is a critical time for Argonne's local ecology," said ecologist Kirk LaGory (EAD). "We can take cost-effective actions that will make a big difference." Waiting too long will make the situation much more difficult and expensive to reverse, he said.
The Habitat Restoration Committee has a long-range vision for increasing biodiversity and reestablishing a self-sustaining native ecosystem in the area, said Van Lonkhuyzen. However, it is a gradual process, and with limited funding and resources, the Habitat Restoration Committee investigates cost-effective solutions to projects that are prioritized, and slightly smaller in scope.
For example, the committee is developing plans for establishing native prairies that could save federal money in the long run, Van Lonkhuyzen said. By establishing prairies with native species that are adapted to the area's soil, rainfall, climate, pests, and wildlife, the need for mowing and pesticides could be eliminated.
While the work began from the bottom up, Van Lonkhuyzen said, the committee has support from Argonne and DOE management, motivation from government initiatives, and allies in their desire to restore a native ecosystem.
Executive orders from Washington have provided an additional driving force for these kinds of activities. They mandate a "greening of the government" through land management and reduction in invasive species and the reestablishment of native habitats.
The Department of Energy and Argonne are members of Chicago Wilderness, a group of 114 environmental conservation organizations in the Chicago area whose mission is to study, restore, protect and manage the natural ecosystems in the Chicago region.
— Scott Jenkins
Eric Loewen will present "Energy Perspectives: Global Security, Economics and the Environment" at Argonne-West Wednesday, April 4, at 2 p.m. in the Laboratory and Office Building Conference Room.
Loewen, a consulting engineer with the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, will present an overview of the Cooperation of the Parties Number 6 Climate Change Meeting held at the Hauge, Netherlands, in November 2000.
This meeting brought together more than 10,000 attendees from many nations to discuss issues related to green house gas emissions and their effect on world climate. Loewen attended the conference as an observer.
Tickets go on sale Monday, March 26, for a concert by "InVenTions — Music for the Ears and Eyes" Sunday, April 1, at 3 p.m. in the Advanced Photon Source Conference Center, Building 402.
The four-person group includes John Bruce Yeh and Teresa Reilly on clarinet, and T. Daniel and Laurie Willets, mimes who studied under Marcel Marceau. The ensemble will use an innovative comical and visual approach to selected classical music by Bach, Beethoven and others.
Admission is $20. Tickets will be sold in the lobby of Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria the week of March 26 from noon to 1 p.m. The Auditorium Box Office will open at 2:30 p.m. the afternoon of the performance. The concert is open to the public.
The program is sponsored by the University of Chicago and the Illinois Arts Council.
Argonne-East employees approaching retirement within the next few years will find useful information at an upcoming pre-retirement planning seminar.
The seminar, held off-site, will provide information about Argonne retirement benefits, distribution options, financial planning, estate planning, Social Security and Medicare.
Space is limited, and employees are invited on a first-come, first-served basis. A few openings remain for a seminar on Friday, April 20. Another seminar will be held during the summer. For more information, call Marge Vaught (HR) at ext. 2-2985.
The postmark deadline for submitting requests for reimbursements for calendar year 2000 under the medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts is Saturday, March 31.
For more information, call Human Resources at ext. 2-2991 (Argonne-East) or ext. 3-7227 (Argonne-West).
A new session of the Russian Language class at Argonne-East will begin in early April.
The class, "Russian Language" (HR164) offers beginning and intermediate coverage of reading, writing and speaking the Russian language. The course will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays in Building 208, Room A262, beginning Tuesday, April 3. Intermediate instruction will begin at 9 a.m and beginning instruction will begin at 10:30 a.m. The class is sponsored by Human Resources.
To enroll, contact a Training Management System representative. Call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 for more information or visit the HR Web site and select "On-site Training Courses" and then "Class Schedules."
Argonne's retirement vendors will send representatives to Argonne-East during April to meet individually with employees and answer questions about retirement plans and retirement plan assets.
To schedule an appointment, call the number listed. Appointments are for one-half hour each.
| Vendor | Day | For Appointments, call: |
| Fidelity | Tuesday, April 10 and 24 | Appointment Desk (800) 642-7131 |
| TIAA-CREF | Thursday, April 12, and Friday, April 13 | Appointment Desk (800) 842-2005 |
| Prudential (1/2 day sessions) | Wednesday, April 4, 11 and 18 | Appointment Desk-Cheryl (847) 619-3519 |
The Electronics and Computing Technologies Division (ECT) Web site has a new look for 2001 and has been designed to be easier to navigate.
