Post by Ex_Nuke_Troop on Mar 24, 2014 13:51:20 GMT
Current-Argus : WIPP : Radiation leak investigation is a 'balance of risks'
By Zack Ponce
zponce@currentargus.com @zackponce12 on Twitter
Posted: 03/22/2014 11:20:14 PM MDT
CARLSBAD >> More than a month after a radiation leak at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the cause of the incident remains unknown.
The Department of Energy and Nuclear Waste Partnership has spent weeks training for the day when teams are sent below ground to investigate the transuranic nuclear waste drums, and the agency has targeted next weekend as the likely date for the mission.
The preparation has focused on worker safety and how to not cause further radiological disruption as the underground teams investigate the cause of the leak. A wide spectrum of scenarios has been vetted and in the end, the military-like tactics will consist of a balance of risks according to Re-entry Team Leader Wes Bryan.
"We want to make sure that we balance all of the risks, not just the environment but to the worker, you have to be worried about his physical condition and his physiological aspects," Bryan said.
A myriad of factors play a role in the underground investigation process and any mistake has the possibility of derailing the task.
All underground personnel will don three sets of protective clothing and a closed-circuit air system so they are not exposed to radioactive particles but the layers present heat stress concerns for the workers according to Bryan.
"It may be that we end up making subsequent entries so you don't just go walk for two hours," Bryan said.
Two teams are expected to descend underground and the plan according to Bryan is to have as few personnel on the mission as possible while also having the expertise necessary in order to successfully carry out the mission. Members include licensed mine rescue and emergency medical technicians, scientists to assess potential damage and expert radiological waste handlers.
A bulk of the training and studying has related to contamination prevention for the workers and environment.
Bryan has focused on meshing the cultures of miners and those with backgrounds in radiological hazards and even a task as simple and overlooked as walking must be analyzed and practiced.
"There are a lot of labor-intensive challenges to be dealt with, but on the same token it's the delicacy of a surgeon and issues of contamination," Bryan said, comparing the necessary requirements for both scenarios. "It's a different profession but very similar tactics involved with managing cross-contamination, so you've got a miner by his career that has never really been in an environment where he has to be concerned with how he walks (but) there is a unique way in which he needs to walk. You don't need cuffs at the bottom of your clothing because all you're going to do is stir up the ground and re-suspend contamination into the air."
The teams ran simulations on Thursday underground at the Mosaic Company potash mine and came away with a better understanding of what to expect come next week.
"It was extremely valuable to experience that and it was worthwhile," Bryan said.
Among the findings, Bryan said the vinyl shoe covers were more durable than expected, the miner's light that was placed underneath the protective gear caused a glare, and name plates need to be added to the outside of worker's suits for better identification purposes.
"I don't expect any real significant surprises as far as ventilation and air flow, that sort of thing, but to some degree we are blind," Bryan said.
The unmanned probe that DOE sent underground last week measured air flow data and confirmed no radioactive particles have been spread to where entry will take place. Much like a scouting report in sports, Bryan has prepped his mine rescue team how to respond to any and all "worst case scenarios."
Scenarios have run the gamut from how to respond to communications failures to a region-wide power outage and everything in-between. Bryan has also created a check list of human contamination possibilities and prioritized the response.
For example, Bryan said, if the closed air circuit for a rescue team member fails, that person should remove their helmet because suffocation poses a greater and more immediate threat of death than breathing in radioactive particles underground.
The mission is expected to run smoothly, but inherent risks and dangers cannot be overlooked and the mine rescue team is ready to risk everything to ensure the safety of the Carlsbad and surrounding communities.
--
Underground Phases
Phase 1: A handful of workers will ride the salt shaft cage down into the mine and inspect the cables and integrity of the shaft on the way down. The personnel will return above ground and repeat the same process with the air intake shaft to make sure the hoist is in good working condition in the event workers need to evacuate above ground.
Phase 2: A team will be sent underground down the salt shaft and will verify if the emergency telephone communications are operational. If so, the team will set up a base camp for continued operations underground.
Phase 3: From the base camp, a team will traverse south to Panel 7 and investigate the cause of the radiation leak.
In the "worst case scenario," the entire mission will take about two hours according to Bryan, but is expected to be completed much quicker.
Reporter Zack Ponce can be reached at (575) 689-7402.
www.currentargus.com/carlsbad-news/ci_25402724/wipp-radiation-leak-investigation-is-balance-risks
By Zack Ponce
zponce@currentargus.com @zackponce12 on Twitter
Posted: 03/22/2014 11:20:14 PM MDT
CARLSBAD >> More than a month after a radiation leak at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the cause of the incident remains unknown.
The Department of Energy and Nuclear Waste Partnership has spent weeks training for the day when teams are sent below ground to investigate the transuranic nuclear waste drums, and the agency has targeted next weekend as the likely date for the mission.
The preparation has focused on worker safety and how to not cause further radiological disruption as the underground teams investigate the cause of the leak. A wide spectrum of scenarios has been vetted and in the end, the military-like tactics will consist of a balance of risks according to Re-entry Team Leader Wes Bryan.
"We want to make sure that we balance all of the risks, not just the environment but to the worker, you have to be worried about his physical condition and his physiological aspects," Bryan said.
A myriad of factors play a role in the underground investigation process and any mistake has the possibility of derailing the task.
All underground personnel will don three sets of protective clothing and a closed-circuit air system so they are not exposed to radioactive particles but the layers present heat stress concerns for the workers according to Bryan.
"It may be that we end up making subsequent entries so you don't just go walk for two hours," Bryan said.
Two teams are expected to descend underground and the plan according to Bryan is to have as few personnel on the mission as possible while also having the expertise necessary in order to successfully carry out the mission. Members include licensed mine rescue and emergency medical technicians, scientists to assess potential damage and expert radiological waste handlers.
A bulk of the training and studying has related to contamination prevention for the workers and environment.
Bryan has focused on meshing the cultures of miners and those with backgrounds in radiological hazards and even a task as simple and overlooked as walking must be analyzed and practiced.
"There are a lot of labor-intensive challenges to be dealt with, but on the same token it's the delicacy of a surgeon and issues of contamination," Bryan said, comparing the necessary requirements for both scenarios. "It's a different profession but very similar tactics involved with managing cross-contamination, so you've got a miner by his career that has never really been in an environment where he has to be concerned with how he walks (but) there is a unique way in which he needs to walk. You don't need cuffs at the bottom of your clothing because all you're going to do is stir up the ground and re-suspend contamination into the air."
The teams ran simulations on Thursday underground at the Mosaic Company potash mine and came away with a better understanding of what to expect come next week.
"It was extremely valuable to experience that and it was worthwhile," Bryan said.
Among the findings, Bryan said the vinyl shoe covers were more durable than expected, the miner's light that was placed underneath the protective gear caused a glare, and name plates need to be added to the outside of worker's suits for better identification purposes.
"I don't expect any real significant surprises as far as ventilation and air flow, that sort of thing, but to some degree we are blind," Bryan said.
The unmanned probe that DOE sent underground last week measured air flow data and confirmed no radioactive particles have been spread to where entry will take place. Much like a scouting report in sports, Bryan has prepped his mine rescue team how to respond to any and all "worst case scenarios."
Scenarios have run the gamut from how to respond to communications failures to a region-wide power outage and everything in-between. Bryan has also created a check list of human contamination possibilities and prioritized the response.
For example, Bryan said, if the closed air circuit for a rescue team member fails, that person should remove their helmet because suffocation poses a greater and more immediate threat of death than breathing in radioactive particles underground.
The mission is expected to run smoothly, but inherent risks and dangers cannot be overlooked and the mine rescue team is ready to risk everything to ensure the safety of the Carlsbad and surrounding communities.
--
Underground Phases
Phase 1: A handful of workers will ride the salt shaft cage down into the mine and inspect the cables and integrity of the shaft on the way down. The personnel will return above ground and repeat the same process with the air intake shaft to make sure the hoist is in good working condition in the event workers need to evacuate above ground.
Phase 2: A team will be sent underground down the salt shaft and will verify if the emergency telephone communications are operational. If so, the team will set up a base camp for continued operations underground.
Phase 3: From the base camp, a team will traverse south to Panel 7 and investigate the cause of the radiation leak.
In the "worst case scenario," the entire mission will take about two hours according to Bryan, but is expected to be completed much quicker.
Reporter Zack Ponce can be reached at (575) 689-7402.
www.currentargus.com/carlsbad-news/ci_25402724/wipp-radiation-leak-investigation-is-balance-risks