The Paducah Site met a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) 2024 priority by safely and successfully removing 1 million pounds of R-114 refrigerant — a legacy environmental hazard stored at the site — this year.
Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office
December 19, 2024
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Paducah meets million-mark challenge for fourth consecutive year
PADUCAH, Ky. — The Paducah Site met a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) 2024 priority by safely and successfully removing 1 million pounds of R-114 refrigerant — a legacy environmental hazard stored at the site — this year.
Since 2020, the site has shipped 5.9 million pounds of the refrigerant for disposal offsite out of its total inventory of 8.5 million pounds of R-114. Significant improvements, including upgrading shipment trailers and strategic partnerships with commercial incinerators, ensure the continued safe and compliant disposal of R-114 from the site.
“This is a significant accomplishment for the Paducah Site,” Portsmouth Paducah Project Office Manager Joel Bradburne said. “Reducing site hazards continues to be one of EM’s strategic objectives over the next several years. This is a giant step to reaching that goal.”
R-114 is an ozone-depleting refrigerant that has been stored at the site for many years. The disposition of 1 million pounds of it is equivalent to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by taking thousands of gas-powered vehicles off the roads for a year.
During uranium enrichment operations, Paducah produced large quantities of heat when uranium hexafluoride gas was compressed. The heat was removed by pumping R-114 into the system to control temperatures during the conversion process.
EM deactivation and remediation contractor Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership (FRNP) led the effort to remove the environmental hazard from the site. It was the fourth consecutive year FRNP met the EM priority to dispose of 1 million pounds of R-114 within a calendar year.
“Achieving these goals ahead of schedule is a testament to the ingenuity of our team and their proactive approach.” FRNP Program Manager Myrna Redfield said. “The team has worked diligently to ensure the continued safe and successful removal of this hazard from the site.”
-Contributors: Dylan Nichols, Chris Skates