Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, X-300 Plant Control Facility, 3930 U.S. Route 23 South, Piketon

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER OH-142-B. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS), U.S. Route 23 South, Piketon vicinity, Scioto Township, Pike County, Ohio The Plant Control Facility Building is located at Ohio State Plane South coordinates at easting ft, northing ft and at Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 17N easting m, northing m. The coordinate represents the approximate center of the Plant Control Facility Building. This coordinate was obtained on June 19, by plotting its location in EnviroInsite The accuracy of the coordinates is +/- 12 meters. The coordinate datum is North American Datum Date of Construction: Designer/Builder: Peter Kiewit Sons Construction Company Previous Owner: N/A

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER OH-142-B. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Atomic Energy Commission oversaw construction and operation of PORTS until when the Energy Research and Development Administration was established with responsibility for research and development duties from In the U.S. Department of Energy was established, overseeing operations at PORTS.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER OH-142-B. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Plant Control Facility is the control center for all plant operations; without it, it would not have been able to perform its critical Cold War mission. It houses the personnel and equipment needed for the coordination, supervision, and direction of the gaseous diffusion process. This building is part of PORTS, which was a part of the U.S. Cold War nuclear weapons complex. PORTS primary Cold War era mission was the production of highly enriched uranium by the gaseous diffusion process for defense/military purposes.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER OH-142-B. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC photographed the site in August and in November of Gray & Pape, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, served as primary authors of the historical narrative and resource descriptions drawing from numerous historical records and reports, drawings, photographs and plans. For additional contextual information, see Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, HAER no. OH-142. This Plant Control Facility Building HAER was completed in PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 2) Part I. Historical Information In support of this report, there are three appendices: Appendix A through C, which consist of survey photographs, historical photographs, and historical drawings, respectively.

Construction History of the Plant Control Facility: Peter Kiewit Sons Company awarded the subcontract for construction of the Plant Control Facility to Chism and Miller, Inc., of Springfield, Illinois, for all construction work with the exception of the instrumentation, process controls, alarm systems, and communication systems, which were installed by Peter Kiewit Sons Company. Construction work on the facility began in November (Appendix B, Figures 5 through During construction, 155 tons of reinforcing steel and cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of the walls, flooring, footings, columns, and roof slab. Additionally, concrete blocks were used to create interior wall partitions. Upon completion of concrete pouring, the structure was waterproofed and backfilled.

Interior finishes and electrical and mechanical work were undertaken concurrently with the waterproofing and backfilling, with all being complete by November The process control equipment, alarm systems, and communication equipment were then installed by Peter Kiewit Sons Company. All work was essentially completed by November with the final turnover of the facility to the operating contractor occurring on February 10, Historical drawings of building plans are included in Appendix C (Figures 15 through Part II. Site Information Description of the Plant Control Facility: The Plant Control Facility is a large circular domed, concrete building located in the east-central portion of PORTS, just east of the Process Building.

The main structure of the Plant Control Facility is approximately in diameter and features approximately square feet of floor space between the main floor and the basement (Figures 1 through 4). The Plant Control Facility essentially operates as the nerve center of PORTS. Personnel in the Plant Control Facility monitor the operating conditions vital to the production cascade and power systems. In case of an emergency, operators in the Plant Control Facility have the ability to sectionalize, shut down, and monitor the performance of process systems after the evacuation of operating personnel.

Operators also monitor and adjust the power capacity to the entire facility and provide communications to the plant, including radio, Private Automatic Exchange system, conventional telephones, plant public address systems, and evacuation alarm systems. The Plant Control Facility is housed in one of the few buildings at PORTS that features a full poured-concrete basement. Building power equipment, communications equipment, and air conditioning and ventilation equipment are located in the basement. Control and instrumentation tunnels extend from the basement of the Control Facility to each of the process buildings. These tunnels were used as a means of entry for communication, control, and instrumentation cables from the six area control rooms, the switch houses, and the telephone building.

PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 3) The circular building features reinforced concrete walls, no window openings, and a domed roof covered with concrete panels and a spray-applied plastic coating. The building was designed to be Class I Blast Resistant. The building also features a wing on the northeast that follows the curved wall of the main structure. The wing uses the same construction methods as the main building to ensure appropriate blast resistance, including the plastic coating on the wing s flat concrete roof. The wing houses the main rectangular entry with solid metal blast doors. A metal access hatch is located just north of the wing that allows secondary access to the basement level.

The X-220A Instrumentation Tunnels carry the wiring and cables that allow the Plant Control Facility to monitor and communicate with the process buildings. The tunnels terminate in an arc around the northwest portion of the basement foundation. A concrete addition with large vents is located on the west side of the building. The round shape of the Plant Control Facility serves a dual purpose. In addition to providing blast resistance, the curved walls also provide facility personnel with an unobstructed view of the control panel layout and panel-mounted equipment. The first floor contains the central control room, three offices, restrooms, a kitchen, janitor s facilities, and the specially designed entry wing.

The three offices are located in the southeast section of the building and extend from the circular outer wall to approximately halfway to the center point of the building. The offices open onto the main control room floor facing the control panel layout. A communications console is located in the sunken center of the first floor facing the control panels. The panels themselves follow the curve of the building with separate panels for each of the three process buildings and occupying approximately three quarters of the circular wall. Within this arc in the northwest quadrant of the building on the first floor, a sunken floor area houses power control instrument panels and power communications consoles.

Two small concrete stairwells access this pit from either side of the record desk near the center of the building. Between the two sets of stairs are three communications consoles from which every panel in the room can be seen. The first floor features a suspended metal acoustical ceiling with typical inset troffer-type fluorescent lighting fixtures and recessed can lights. Flooring on the first floor consists primarily of asphalt tiles and polished concrete. Two floor openings are located on the northwest of the sunken area and are covered with metal grates. PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 4) Part III. Sources of Information Department of Energy. The Role of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Cold War History. Piketon, OH: U.S.

Department of Energy, Department of Energy. Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Report for the Process Buildings and Complex Facilities Decontamination and Decommissioning Evaluation Project at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Piketon, Ohio, DOE/PPPO/03-0245&D3. Piketon, OH: U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Energy. Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis for the Plant Support Buildings and Structures at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Piketon, Ohio, DOE/PPPO/03-0207&D4. Piketon, OH: U.S. Department of Energy, October Department of Energy. National Historic Preservation Act Section 110 Survey of Architectural Properties at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Scioto and Seal Townships, Piketon, Ohio, DOE/PPPO/03-0147&D1. Piketon, OH: U.S.

Department of Energy, January Giffels & Vallet, Inc. Gaseous Diffusion Plant at Portsmouth, Ohio, Project History and Completion Report (Redacted). Washington, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 5) Appendix A: Survey Photographs Figure 1: Location and Orientation of Exterior Photographs (A-2 through A-4) PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 6) Figure 2: South Side of the Plant Control Facility, August Facing Northeast Figure 3: East Side of the Plant Control Facility, August Facing West PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No.

OH-142-B (Page 7) Figure 4: South Side of the Plant Control Facility, November Facing Northwest PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 8) Appendix B: Historical Photographs Figure 5: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, January Figure 6: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, January PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 9) Figure 7: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, January Figure 8: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, January PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No.

OH-142-B (Page 10) Figure 9: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, January Figure 10: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, March PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 11) Figure 11: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, March Figure 12: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, March PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 12) Figure 13: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, May Figure 14: Construction Photo of the Plant Control Facility, May PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No.

OH-142-B (Page 13) Appendix C: Historical Drawings Figure 15: Partition Modifications PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 14) Figure 16: Basement Floor Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 15) Figure 17: Elevations - Roof Plan - Details PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 16) Figure 18: First Floor Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PLANT CONTROL FACILITY HAER No. OH-142-B (Page 17) Figure 19: Basement Floor Plan