A maintenance mechanic removes a filter from the lubricating oil strainer in the C-333 Building at the Department of Energy’s Paducah Site. (Photo by Dylan Nichols, Fluor Paducah Deactivation Project)

PADUCAH, Ky. – Deactivation workers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Paducah Site completed a significant step toward preparing key facilities for future demolition by removing hundreds of thousands of gallons of lubricating oil from the site’s uranium enrichment process buildings.

More than 265,000 gallons of the oil that had been used primarily in the large buildings and supporting equipment have been pumped from large tanks and thousands of miles of pipes inside the buildings.

“By completing this project we not only have removed a potential fire hazard that existed in the process buildings, but we also took a necessary step toward preparing the facilities for future work,” said Fluor Paducah Deactivation Project (FPDP) Program Manager Bob Smith. “Our team did a great job and finished the project safely.”

To pump the more than a quarter-million gallons of lubricating oil, filters had to be removed from thousands of strainers located throughout the enrichment buildings. Each filter was removed, cleaned, and disposed of manually, which required particular employee safety controls and adherence to written instructions in the field. Once filters were removed, lubricating oil flowed more efficiently and was pumped into waste containers called “totes” for storage before disposal.

Almost half of the 265,000 gallons of the drained oil was reused as a rinsing agent for more than 60 electrical distribution transformers that contained oil with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB). Reusing the lubricating oil to rinse the transformers rather than purchasing another rinsing agent such as kerosene or diesel fuel resulted in a $500,000 savings to the project. 

Finally, the oil was shipped to Texas in 53 tanker truckloads for disposition.

Removing hazards has been an emphasis of deactivation at the site since DOE received the plant in 2014, according to Paducah Site Lead Jennifer Woodard.  “Creative ideas like the one implemented on this project are important for reducing cost while maintaining worker safety,” Woodard said.

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