Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, X-330 Process Building, 3930 U.S. Route 23 South, Piketon

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

The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) 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 (DOE) was established, overseeing operations at PORTS.

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

The Process Building housed process equipment for the intermediate phase of uranium enrichment, enriching to levels between those of and the lower and upper ends of the PORTS diffusion cascade. 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 (HEU) by the gaseous diffusion process for defense/military purposes. Uranium was enriched at PORTS from until May PORTS enriched uranium for the longest period of time and to the highest levels within the DOE complex.

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

Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC photographed the site in August Gray & Pape, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, served as the primary author 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 Process Building HAER was completed in PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 2) Part I. Historical Information In support of this report, there are three appendices that are provided: Appendix A through C, which consist of survey photographs, historical photographs, and historical drawings, respectively.

Construction History of the Process Building: The Process Building was built under a lump-sum subcontract. Peter Kiewit Sons Construction Company awarded subcontracts for foundation work and underground installations, structural steel, roofing, siding, exterior doors, freight elevators, acoustic tile, refrigeration systems, glass and glazing, and numerous other tasks necessary for the building s operations. Stripping of the building area in preparation for laying the foundation began in November by Peter Kiewit Sons Company.

The Penker Construction Company began installation of the concrete footings, piers, grade beams, and walls in March Approximately cubic yards of concrete and 920 tons of reinforcing steel were used in this work, which was complete by November Pouring of the ground floor slab was completed in February The R. C. Mahon Company furnished and erected approximately tons of structural steel. Construction of the steel structure began in May at the north end of the building and proceeded toward the south. Brown and Kerr installed the metal roof deck and built-up roofing. These activities began in July and were complete by April Furnishing and installation of all corrugated cement-asbestos siding and related work was performed by Standard Asbestos Manufacturing and Insulating Company.

This work was completed during July through February Peter Kiewit Sons Company laid masonry blocks, face tiles, and ceilings from September through April Subcontracts were awarded for tasks such as lathing, plastering, painting, and the installation of tile ceilings, ceiling suspension systems, and exterior doors. Installation of interior electrical systems, plumbing, heating and ventilation, air conditioning, and alarm systems was complete by December as was the installation of air drying equipment, compressors, motors, converters, process gas and auxiliary piping, and instrumentation.

The building was completed and turned over to the AEC in July Historical photographs for the Process Building are provided in Appendix B (Figures 6 through Historical drawings of building plans are provided in Appendix C (Figures 32 through Part II. Site Information Description of the Process Building: The Process Building is located just west of the Process Building and just north of the Process Building. The Process Building housed the intermediate phase of the uranium enrichment process. The uranium enrichment process was initiated in the Process Building and then continued in series to the and Process Buildings. The Process Building was used for the intermediate phase of uranium enrichment and for the withdrawal of waste materials, known as tails.

Uranium was enriched at PORTS until May From the end of the Cold War in until production ceased in PORTS produced only low enriched uranium (LEU) for commercial power plants. PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 3) Like the other two process buildings and the equipment in the Process Building was on two floors, with the auxiliary equipment, support equipment, and control rooms on the first floor, also known as the operating floor or ground floor. The diffusion process equipment was located on the second floor, known as the cell floor. Two Area Control Rooms are located on the first floor. A basement is located below each Area Control Room and provides access to the underground instrument tunnel system.

Measuring long by wide, the Process Building has a combined floor space of 64 acres (two stories) (Appendix A, Figures 1 through 5). It is the second largest of the three process buildings at PORTS. The building stands 66' in height and includes the cell floor at 6'' above the ground floor level. The cell floor supports the operating equipment for the many cells that occupy the building. The design of the Process Building is based on the Building at Paducah, KY, PORTS sister facility that was completed one year prior to PORTS. The Process Building is comprised of 11 building units, which house the and Facilities. The 11 units are divided by transverse roller-type expansion joints spaced at intervals of Altogether there are 22 bays across the length of the Process Building.

The framing is arranged to provide an open span of A travelling crane spans the width of the building. Engineers designed the Process Building specifically to house gaseous diffusion equipment, process auxiliaries, and support equipment. Process auxiliaries (e.g., steam, nitrogen and dry air distribution; coolant transport and recovery; heating and ventilation; electrical power) are ancillary systems used to facilitate the primary enrichment process. Support equipment (e.g., computer and communication equipment, sanitary and sewage utilities, security equipment) assist in process building operations, but are not directly associated with the enrichment process.

Like the other two process buildings, the exterior of the Process Building is covered with large, white, corrugated cement asbestos tiles, also known as transite tiles. There are no windows in the building; however, "port holes" within the building can be propped open to allow air flow. Large vents are positioned atop the roof, which consists of a flat metal deck that is covered with insulation and gravel. The building also includes a depressed truck alley with a railroad spur imbedded in the paving. The alley and spur enter the building at the northwest corner. The truck alley and the railroad spur were used for the delivery and pickup of process equipment.

The cell floor extends over the truck alleys, and hatches under each crane bay allowed heavy process equipment to be lifted to the cell floor for installation or storage. Additional truck access doors are located along the other three sides of the building. The metal roof deck is supported by steel trusses over the crane bays and by steel beams and framing over the pipe galleries. Engineers designed the framing for the building to withstand wind loads of 20 pounds per square foot and live loads on the roof at 30 pounds per square foot. Part III. Operations and Process A. Operations: At PORTS, uranium was enriched using a process called gaseous diffusion.

Through the process of diffusion, gaseous uranium hexafluoride (UF6) is passed through a conversion system to produce enriched, or diffused, uranium-235 and undiffused uranium-238. The process of uranium enrichment increases the proportion of uranium-235 to that of uranium-238. Enriched uranium contains uranium-235 at approximately 4 to 5 percent of the total uranium mass. PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 4) The gaseous diffusion process requires the use of UF6 to separate the uranium-238 and uranium-235 isotopes. During diffusion, UF6 gas is forced through a series of porous membranes, or "barriers" with microscopic openings. Barriers are used to achieve separation in the gaseous diffusion process.

To maximize the amount of separation achieved, the porous barrier material must meet exacting standards so that "diffusive" flow occurs. Uranium-235 moved through the barriers more easily, increasing the concentration of uranium-235 as it moved through the process. The tendency for uranium-235 to pass through the barrier more quickly is the basis for the gaseous diffusion process. The basic separation equipment for gaseous diffusion is a "stage." At PORTS, a stage consisted of a converter that contains porous separation media, a gas cooler, a compressor to move the UF6 gas through the converter, and interconnecting piping and control valves to contain and control the gas flows. One stage was capable of only very slight enrichment.

Stages operated in a cascading system, and thousands of stages in the process buildings were connected in series to produce HEU. The Process Building contains stages. Stages were grouped into "cells," which were the smallest groups of stages that could be removed from service, bypassed, and shut down for maintenance or other purposes. There are 10 stages per cell in the Process Building, and the building housed 110 cells. Cells were further grouped into "units," which were groups of cells that shared common auxiliary systems. The 110 cells in the Process Building are grouped into 11 units. The process equipment, piping, and instrument lines that contained process gas were enclosed by cell housing and bypass housing.

The cell housing for the process equipment has a steel frame and transite siding, and the top of the housing has removable hatches that allow for equipment removal. Feed material entered the uranium enrichment process at the Process Building. After cascading through the Process Building, the uranium enrichment process continued in the Process Building. The Process Building contains intermediate sized equipment that is smaller than the equipment in the Process Building but larger than the equipment in the Process Building. The two sizes of process equipment in the Process Building are referred to as the size (i.e., which is the larger of the two sizes, and the size (i.e., which is the smaller of the two sizes.

In the Process Building, one unit with sized equipment and two units with sized equipment served as the stripping section of the cascade. The stripping section consists of the stages located below the feed point of the cascade. From the sized unit, waste material was withdrawn from the cascade at the PORTS Tails Withdrawal Station. The PORTS Tails Withdrawal Station is located in the northeast corner of the Process Building. The waste, or tails, from the gaseous diffusion process consisted of depleted process gas. Depleted process gas from the enrichment process was withdrawn from the gaseous diffusion cascade, compressed, and condensed into a liquid that flowed by gravity to cylinders located on scales. Cranes were used to move these cylinders to cooling areas and load them for transport.

PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 5) B. First Floor: The first floor of the Process Building supports the auxiliary systems, electrical power substations, the control centers for the main process equipment, and numerous enclosed areas that were used for operational purposes. Each of the 11 units includes their own battery rooms and open pits for lube-oil equipment. The south end of the first floor also housed nitrogen plant and the main portion of the plant s dry air production facility.

Additionally, the first floor housed the Interim Purge system which was utilized to bring the plant on line prior to completing of the Purge Cascade in The design of the enclosures for the various rooms within the Process Building follows the same basic plan as that for the and Process Buildings. All building finishes were designed for cleanliness and sanitation. C. Second Floor (Cell Floor): All of the process equipment is located on the cell floor. The equipment contains six units (60 cells and 600 stages) and the contains 5 units (50 cells and 500 stages). Engineers called for reinforcing of the concrete floor to withstand temperature changes and load transfers at the joints. The cell floor is divided according to functionality, as well as for expansion.

Each of the 11 units includes ten cells of ten operating units, also known as stages. Altogether, the Process Building houses stages. These stages were split into enriching stages and stripping stages. The enriching stages were used to further enrich gaseous UF6 from the Process Building, which then entered the Process Building. The stripping stages were used to remove waste materials from the gaseous diffusion cascade. The east side of the building includes three booster stations and three freight elevators. The three booster stations were used for increasing the pressure of process gas. Two of the booster stations were dedicated to accelerating the flow of enriched gaseous UF6.

One of these two stations transmitted gas to the Process Building and the other delivered gas to the Process Building. The third booster station was used to boost the stream of depleted UF6 gas to Access between the ground and cell floors was facilitated by steel stairways, ladders, platforms, and catwalks. Each building unit features three sets of stairs. Each of the 22 bays includes its own electric, overhead crane. Each crane has a lifting capacity of 15 tons. The evacuation system within the Process Building provided a means for the removal of process gas and light gas contaminants. Evacuation piping is connected to the process piping at each cell and extends to the cold-trapping and surge-drum storage facilities on the first floor of the building.

An evacuation station is connected to the evacuation piping. At the evacuation station, process gas and air was withdrawn from the piping and equipment, and pumped into cold-traps or into storage. Gas evacuated from the system entered into a recovery process. The gas recovery system (Cold Recovery) solidified the UF6 while venting the light gas impurities. The recovered UF6 was returned to a gaseous state to be held in drums and later returned to the diffusion cascade. PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 6) Steam was supplied to the Process Building in order to heat the process gas pipe enclosures, the cell enclosures, and the interplant process gas tie-line enclosures.

A steam heating system was used to prevent the gas from condensing inside the process piping. In emergency situations, the temperature of the cell enclosures could be increased using unit heaters. A heater could provide heat to five cells and the heating system could heat ten cells simultaneously. The uranium enrichment process was initiated in Process Building and continued in series to and Process Buildings.

Materials were withdrawn from the cascade at the following four locations: Product Withdrawal Station (90 to 97 percent uranium-235 during HEU production, 2.0 to 5.0 percent uranium-235 during LEU production) Extended Range Product Station to 5.0 percent uranium-235) Low Assay Withdrawal Station to 5.0 percent uranium-235) Tails Withdrawal Facility to 0.3 percent uranium-235 and 1.0 to 5.0 percent uranium-235). A diagram showing the gaseous diffusion cascade at PORTS is shown below. PORTS Gaseous Diffusion Cascade PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 7) Part IV. Sources of Information Benedict, Mason and Clarke Williams. Engineering Developments in Gaseous Diffusion Process. New York: McGraw-Hill Books Company, Inc., 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. Record of Decision for the Process Buildings and Complex Facilities Decontamination and Decommissioning Evaluation Project at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Piketon, Ohio. 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 Department Of Energy. Highly Enriched Uranium: Striking a Balance, A Historical Report on the United States Highly Enriched Uranium Production, Acquisition, and Utilization Activities from to September 30, Revision 1. Washington, National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, 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 Virtual Museum accessed at operated and managed by Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth for DOE. PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 8) Appendix A: Survey Photographs Figure 1: Location and Orientation of Exterior Photographs (Figures 2 through 5) PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 9) Figure 2: North Side of the Process Building, August Facing Southwest Figure 3: North Side of the Process Building, August Facing Southeast PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No.

OH-142-D (Page 10) Figure 4: South Side of the Process Building, August Facing Northwest Figure 5: South Side of the Process Building, August Facing Northeast PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 11) Appendix B: Historical Photographs Figure 6: Steel Framework of the Process Building, June Figure 7: Steel Framework of the Process Building, June PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 12) Figure 8: Grading and Construction for the Process Building, June Figure 9: Steel Framework Construction of the Process Building, August PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No.

OH-142-D (Page 13) Figure 10: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, August Figure 11: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, August PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 14) Figure 12: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, August Figure 13: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, August PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 15) Figure 14: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, August Figure 15: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, August PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No.

OH-142-D (Page 16) Figure 16: Excavation and Grading Work for the Process Building, August Figure 17: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, August PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 17) Figure 18: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, August Figure 19: Construction of Unit in the Process Building, August PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 18) Figure 20: Looking North at the Construction of the Process Building, August Figure 21: Looking East at the Interior of the Process Building, August PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No.

OH-142-D (Page 19) Figure 22: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, September Figure 23: Foundation Construction of the Process Building, September PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 20) Figure 24: Construction of the Process Building, October Figure 25: Construction of the Process Building, January PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 21) Figure 26: Cell Floor Construction of the Process Building, January Figure 27: Cell Floor Construction of the Process Building, January PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No.

OH-142-D (Page 22) Figure 28: Cell Floor of the Process Building, January Figure 29: Converter Installation in the Process Building, February PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 23) Figure 30: Looking West at the Cell Floor of the Process Building, February Figure 31: Waste (Tails) Withdrawal Area in the Process Building, July PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 24) Appendix C: Historical Drawings Figure 32: Seismic Modifications PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 25) Figure 33: Building Access Plan - North PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No.

OH-142-D (Page 26) Figure 34: Ground Floor Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 27) Figure 35: Building Access Plan - South PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 28) Figure 36: North and South Elevations PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 29) Figure 37: West Elevations PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 30) Figure 38: East Elevations PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 31) Figure 39: Cell Floor Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 32) Figure 40: Ground Floor Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No.

OH-142-D (Page 33) Figure 41: Ground Floor Details PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, PROCESS BUILDING HAER No. OH-142-D (Page 34) Figure 42: Cell Floor Plan