The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Nevada Program is preparing to receive a new real-time radiography (RTR) drive-through portal that will expand the radioactive waste verification capabilities at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).
Office of Environmental Management
June 25, 2024
minute read time
A look at two versions of the new real-time radiography drive-through portal device side by side. The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Nevada Program will soon receive one of them.
AS VEGAS — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) Nevada Program is preparing to receive a new real-time radiography (RTR) drive-through portal that will expand the radioactive waste verification capabilities at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS).
The scanner portal will allow for larger items to be screened by the NNSS at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex.
“This should further offer stakeholders assurance that the NNSS is vigilant about working with generators to enhance confidence that waste received is compliant with the waste acceptance criteria,” said Radioactive Waste Acceptance Program (RWAP) Manager Marilew Bartling.
A look at the current real-time radiography (RTR) unit at Area 5. RTR technician Byron Smith observes barrels being loaded onto the scanner.
Currently, the NNSS has one RTR device at Area 5. The device takes what are essentially X-ray images of waste packages to scan for prohibited items such as liquids, batteries or electronics. The biggest limiting factor with the current RTR unit is size restrictions.
"The current system weight capacity is 11,000 pounds. This limits the size of packages that are viewed in a single RTR observation,” said RTR technician Byron Smith. "The new system is a drive-through portal, which will allow us to examine a wider variety of waste containers, furthering our ability to identify multiple types of waste items."
EM Nevada is responsible for the safe disposal of low-level and mixed low-level waste shipments received from RWAP-approved DOE and U.S. Department of Defense generators across the United States. The waste is placed in waste disposal cells at the NNSS, which collectively make up the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, an engineered land disposal unit built into the desert terrain.
Dimensions of the portal are shown here. The right image displays an example of the machine distinguishing plastics from metal using different colors. The driver will pass through the scanner before full power is initiated.
The new drive-through portal will not replace the existing RTR unit, rather it will offer an additional valuable screening tool for shipments entering the site. The portal will allow entire trucks to be scanned and features technology that distinguishes between specific materials such as liquids and solids or plastics and metals.
“More containers will be subject to RTR technology,” Bartling said. “RWAP will support NNSS management and operating contractor Mission Support and Test Services (MSTS) if any indeterminate items are detected during screening.”
The scanner can penetrate up to 305 millimeters of steel. The system will use one operating mode, “cargo only,” which detects the gap between cab and trailer, ensuring the driver has passed through before initiating the X-ray source at full power. Drivers will maintain a speed of 2 to 10 mph.
The drive-through portal is the result of an additional $15 million in funding allocated by Congress to the EM Nevada Program in 2022. MSTS crews have built a new access road for trucks to reach the area and are installing two trailers to house a control room, equipment and extra office space. They will add walkways, power lines and other necessary infrastructure. MSTS also plans to expand the storage pad behind the existing RTR building so more containers can be staged to support RTR operations.
A closer look at the portal and the power boxes it is equipped with.
The drive-through portal is currently in California, where it has been tested and determined to be functional. MSTS is awaiting a design plan to determine how best to install the unit.
“They're going to have a design for where the unit's going to sit and how the utilities have to go to that unit to power it,” said MSTS Environmental Management and Compliance Manager Reed Poderis. “After that’s done, we’ll complete the walkway and remaining infrastructure improvements.”
Poderis expects to receive the design plan in the coming months and accept the unit this summer. After it is put in place, crews will run power lines, finish setup of the operator building and complete necessary additions. The scanner is expected to be operational in 2025.
To learn more about radioactive waste acceptance at the NNSS, click here.
-Contributor: Grant Johnson
To receive the latest news and updates about the Office of Environmental Management, submit your e-mail address.