Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, X-530 Electrical Switchyard Complex, 3930 U.S. Route 23 South, Piketon

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Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS), U.S. Route 23 South, Piketon vicinity, Scioto Township, Pike County, Ohio The Electrical Switchyard Complex 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 Electrical Switchyard Complex. 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-P. 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-P. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Electrical Switchyard Complex facilitates the delivery of power to the PORTS process buildings and area auxiliaries. The Electrical Switchyard Complex consists of several structures which cover an area of approximately 18 acres. Electric power was generated by the facilities of the Ohio Valley Electric Corporation and delivered to the switchyard at volts (V) by four transmission lines and reduced in voltage by the switchyard equipment and supplied at V to the switch houses for distribution to the plant facilities. This facility 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-P. 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, PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 2) HAER no. OH-142. This Electrical Switchyard Complex HAER was completed in PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 3) 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 Electrical Switchyard Complex: Special attention was paid to construction of the Electrical Switchyard Complex, as it was necessary for completing Phase I of PORTS construction, which followed a tight deadline for getting the first cascades on line. Mount Vernon Bridge Company, of Mt. Vernon, Ohio, received the contract to erect the structural steel and miscellaneous iron for the Electrical Switchyard Complex. Mount Vernon Bridge Company subcontracted the construction labor to Carl Vestal Steel Erector Company of Indianapolis, Indiana.

Construction work began in early and was completed ahead of schedule in November Brown and Kerr, of Chicago, Illinois, won the contract to install metal roof decking for the Control House and Switch Houses. Elwin G. Smith Company, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, received the contract to fabricate and install aluminum siding panels for the Control House, as well as the corrugated asbestos siding for the Switch Houses. Charles Wood & Company, of Newark, New Jersey, won the contract to install standard and special perforated-metal acoustical tile ceilings and accessories in the Control House. Johns-Manville Sales Corporation, of Cincinnati, Ohio, received a contract to install thermal insulation for air conditioning ductwork and various piping.

Thomas Moulding Floor Company, of Chicago, Illinois, received a contract to install asphalt tile flooring in the Control House and Switch Houses, and Cyclone Fence Department, of Cincinnati, Ohio, won the contract to install all fencing in and around the Electrical Switchyard.

Taylor-Wheless Company, of Jackson, Mississippi, performed site grading and backfill activities for the Electrical Switchyard Complex (Appendix B, Figures 12 and Workers began pouring footers in August (Figures 14 through Installation of structural steel commenced in September and continued through early December (Figure 17 through By late February contractors had completed installation of the main control boards (Figure By early September all work on the Electrical Switchyard Complex had been largely completed (Figure Historical drawings of building plans are provided in Appendix C (Figures 35 through Part II.

Site Information Description of the Electrical Switchyard Complex: The Electrical Switchyard Complex is located in the northwestern portion of PORTS, immediately west of the Process Building. The Electrical Switchyard Complex provides power for the operation of electrical equipment, electrical systems, and other components of the and Process Buildings, and now provides all electrical power to the gaseous diffusion plant and the Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Facility following the removal of the switchyard in Power is also supplied to the area system for general use. PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No.

OH-142-P (Page 4) The Electrical Switchyard Complex consists of the switchyard itself (X-530A) on the west of the site, a control house and two switch houses a test and repair facility an oil house two valve houses (X-530E and and an oil pumping station The buildings are mainly located on the eastern end of the switchyard, facing the Process Building. The Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plant (GCEP) Oil Pumping Station is located in the northwest corner of the switchyard. The X-530A, B, C, D, and E structures have been identified as historic processing support facilities at PORTS. Although only these five structures are the focus of this HAER documentation, all parts of the Electrical Switchyard are discussed herein, including and G.

The X-530A Switchyard is approximately wide and long square feet) and sits on a limestone gravel bed atop clay soil (Appendix A, Figures 1 through 4). The switchyard contained at one time 12 power transformers, now 10, to reduce the incoming power supply voltage from 330 kilovolts to kV for distribution to plant facilities. Four transmission lines enter the switchyard from the west, carrying power from the Kyger Creek steam plant at Cheshire, Ohio and the Pierce switching station at Pierce, Ohio. Additionally, two smaller transmission lines enter the facility from a Columbus & Southern Ohio Electric Company line and an Ohio Power Company line. These two lines are available as an auxiliary source of power.

Equipment in the switchyard, including 10 transformers, 2 of which are in service and 2 in cold standby, actively reduces the voltage for use at PORTS. One transformer is held in reserve. The Control House and Switch Houses are oriented from north to south along the eastern edge of the X-530A Switchyard. The Control House is located in the center of the Switch Houses. The Control House is a utilitarian, two-story, steel frame building that measures approximately long by 70 wide square feet) (Figure 5). The building rests atop concrete footings and grade beams under a poured concrete floor slab. Exterior walls are clad in fluted, insulated, metal paneling. Window openings are located only on the second floor in the control room, and consist of industrial metal sash.

The roof is relatively flat, consisting of metal deck panels covered with insulation and built-up material. The central bay of the Control House protrudes from the east fa ade. The first-floor interior of the Control House contains switchgear, electrical equipment, buses, and conduit installations, while the second floor contains the control room, offices, restrooms, and other work areas. The interior is functional in nature with few finishes or stylistic detailing. The Switch Houses consist of utilitarian, one-story, steel-frame structures with flat roofs of concrete slabs (Figures 6 through 7). Each building is approximately long and 67' wide (approximately square feet).

The concrete slab roofing supports three separate outdoor enclosures on each Switch House for 11 switchgear units and six synchronous hydrogen-cooled condensers. Exterior walls are clad in corrugated cement-asbestos siding. Walkways at roof level connect the Switch Houses to the second floor of the central Control House. Pedestrian and vehicular access doors are located on the north, south, and west fa ades of each Switch House. The first-floor interiors of the switch houses contain three groups of air compressors, two switchgear installations, electrical buses and other mechanical equipment, as well as large fan rooms. Stairways reaching from the ground floor to rooftop penthouses are located at each end of the buildings and in the fan rooms.

Like the Control House, the interiors of the Switch Houses are largely functional in nature with few finishes or detailing. Underground, box-type, concrete, power tunnels run outside the eastern wall of the Control House and Switch Houses. PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 5) The Test and Repair Facility is a one-story, rectangular plan, steel frame building located in the northeast corner of the switchyard area (Figure 8). The building measures approximately 25' by 50' square feet) and features a concrete slab foundation, walls clad in cement-asbestos siding, window openings with industrial steel sash, and a flat roof.

An overhead metal door is located on the north fa ade and is flanked by two metal storage lockers labelled Tools and Materials. The Oil House is a small, one-story, rectangular plan, steel frame building (Figure 9). It is located in the southern section of the switchyard area and measures approximately 17' by 30' square feet). The building has a poured concrete foundation, walls clad in corrugated cement-asbestos siding, window openings with nine lights, and a lightly-pitched roof covered with corrugated metal. Hollow metal double entry doors are located on the west fa ade. The building houses the equipment necessary to provide oil exchanges in switchyard electrical equipment. The Oil House is connected to large storage tanks on the east and west by surface piping.

The X-530E Valve House is located on the northeast corner of the switchyard area (Figure The X-530E Valve House consists of an underground, reinforced concrete room. The valve house consists of an enclosed stairway that sits atop a concrete pad. The pad measures approximately 20' by 25' square feet). Built of reinforced concrete, the enclosure features a single, hollow metal door with a small wire-glass window. The Valve House is a 500 square foot reinforced-concrete structure located on the south side of the switchyard (Figure It houses an emergency sprinkler main with distribution lines leading to transformers on the southern half of the switchyard.

Unlike the other Complex buildings that were built during the initial phase of construction at PORTS, the GCEP Oil Pumping Station was built in It is a 500 square foot metal building that contains pumps to maintain positive pressure on oil-filled underground pipes containing power cables. It contains two pumps, a diked aboveground storage tank, fluorescent lights, and a sprinkler system. The building sits on a concrete vault structure. There is a below-grade structure where the oil system is connected to the tie line from the X-530A Electrical Switchyard. PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 6) 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, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 7) Appendix A: Survey Photographs Figure 1: Location and Orientation of Exterior Photographs (Figures 2 through 11) PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No.

OH-142-P (Page 8) Figure 2: North Side of the Electrical Switchyard Complex with the X-530A Switchyard Shown to the Right, August Facing Southwest Figure 3: Northeast Corner of Switch House, August Facing South Figure 4: East Side of Switch House, August Facing Southwest PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 9) Figure 5: The Control House, August Facing Northeast Figure 6: The Control House, August Facing Southeast PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 10) Figure 7: Southwest Corner of Switch House, August Facing Northwest Figure 8: North Side of Test and Repair Facility, August Facing Southwest PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No.

OH-142-P (Page 11) Figure 9: Northwest Corner of the Oil House, August Facing Southeast Figure 10: Entrance to the X-530E Valve House, August Facing Northeast PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 12) Figure 11: Entrance to the Valve House, August Facing Southeast PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 13) Appendix B: Historical Photographs Figure 12: The Electrical Switchyard Complex Construction Site, May Figure 13: The Control House and Switch House, Looking North, June PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No.

OH-142-P (Page 14) Figure 14: First Structural Steel Column Being Erected for the Switch House, August Figure 15: Grading and Foundation Work for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, August PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 15) Figure 16: Foundation Work for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, September Figure 17: Foundation Work for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, September PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 16) Figure 18: Foundation Work for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, September Figure 19: Foundation Work for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, September PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No.

OH-142-P (Page 17) Figure 20: Steel Framework for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, October Figure 21: Steel Framework for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, October PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 18) Figure 22: Steel Framework for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, November Figure 23: Steel Framework for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, December PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 19) Figure 24: Steel Framework for the Electrical Switchyard Complex, December Figure 25: Looking Northwest at the Electrical Switchyard Complex, February PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No.

OH-142-P (Page 20) Figure 26: Overall View of the Electrical Switchyard Complex, March Figure 27: Looking North at Ohio Valley Electric Company (OVEC) Kv Switchyard, West of the Electrical Switchyard Complex, June PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 21) Figure 28: Looking North at the Electrical Switchyard Complex, August Figure 29: Extension to North Switch House of Electrical Switchyard Complex, August PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 22) Figure 30: The Electrical Switchyard Complex, September Figure 31: The Electrical Switchyard Complex, September PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No.

OH-142-P (Page 23) Figure 32: The Electrical Switchyard Complex, September Figure 33: Main Control Board, the Electrical Switchyard Complex, September PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 24) Figure 34: The Electrical Switchyard Complex, September PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 25) Appendix C: Historical Drawings Figure 35: Elevations and Floor Plans PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 26) Figure 36: North Grading and Drainage Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No.

OH-142-P (Page 27) Figure 37: South Grading and Drainage Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 28) Figure 38: Log of Test Borings PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 29) Figure 39: Boring Location Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 30) Figure 40: Switch House PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 31) Figure 41: Structure Details PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No. OH-142-P (Page 32) Figure 42: Foundation and Structure Details PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, ELECTRICAL SWITCHYARD COMPLEX HAER No.

OH-142-P (Page 33) Figure 43: Plan of Foundation and Structure