Unexpected Radiation Release at WIPP - Updates Needed

[etudiant]

It seems there was an unexpected radiation release within the WIPP late last Friday, Feb 14, 2014.
While there are no reported injuries or external radiation leaks reported, there have been no follow up reports from the DoE apart from the very sketchy initial confirmation of the incident.

Given that the waste management issue is very much in the forefront of the opposition to nuclear power, this reflexive reversion to the nuclear industry's old 'just keep silent and hope the problem goes away' news management technique is discouraging.
Does anyone have an update on the situation?

 

[QuantumPion]

Are we going to get a news story and topic every time a continuous air monitor goes off somewhere in the world?

If this was the medical industry, the story would go something like this:
"A patient was seen coughing in a hospital last week. Is this the beginning of a new epidemic? How many people will die in the coming months as a result of this outbreak? Why are doctors keeping silent? Is it a government conspiracy to hide the danger from the public?"

 

[gmax137]

Are we going to get a news story and topic every time a continuous air monitor goes off somewhere in the world?

If this was the medical industry, the story would go something like this:
"A patient was seen coughing in a hospital last week. Is this the beginning of a new epidemic? How many people will die in the coming months as a result of this outbreak? Why are doctors keeping silent? Is it a government conspiracy to hide the danger from the public?"

You left out "we need to close all of the hospitals in the country NOW. Homeopathy is more natural, anyway..."

 

[etudiant]

Guys, these comparisons are silly.
Afaik, this is the first time ever that the WIPP personnel were told to 'shelter in place' and then evacuated.
Also, it is noteworthy that both New Mexico Senators were notified and issued statements expressing confidence, but little concrete news.
Since then, no 'all clear' that I've heard, just radio silence. An update was promised within a day, but nothing has been released.
So I don't know anything about what is happening at the WIPP, just that an alarm was issued, the people evacuated and the venting shut down. Should people be concerned? Nobody can tell.
This is the kind of 'head in the sand' news management that is killing the industry, imho.

 

[gmax137]

Guys, these comparisons are silly...

Sorry, etudiant. I thought twice before pushing the "Submit Reply" button, maybe I should have thought thrice. My bad for piling on.

 

[QuantumPion]

Guys, these comparisons are silly.
Afaik, this is the first time ever that the WIPP personnel were told to 'shelter in place' and then evacuated.
Also, it is noteworthy that both New Mexico Senators were notified and issued statements expressing confidence, but little concrete news.
Since then, no 'all clear' that I've heard, just radio silence. An update was promised within a day, but nothing has been released.
So I don't know anything about what is happening at the WIPP, just that an alarm was issued, the people evacuated and the venting shut down. Should people be concerned? Nobody can tell.
This is the kind of 'head in the sand' news management that is killing the industry, imho.

This isn't head in the sand. This is a non-news story hyped by reporters that are ignorant of how nuclear facilities operate and the nature of radiation. This is the very definition of fear-mongering:

Fear mongering (or scaremongering or scare tactics) is the use of fear to influence the opinions and actions of others towards some specific end. The feared object or subject is sometimes exaggerated, and the pattern of fear mongering is usually one of repetition, in order to continuously reinforce the intended effects of this tactic, sometimes in the form of a vicious circle.

From http://phys.org/news/2014-02-leak-mexico-nuclear.html

]US investigators were taking samples at a New Mexico underground nuclear waste site where airborne radiation was detected, though authorities stressed they had found no contamination.

Officials monitoring the possible radiation leak said there was no danger to people or the environment at the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, the nation's first repository to seal away radioactive waste, mostly plutonium, used for defense research and the production of nuclear weapons.

The waste is dumped 2,150 feet (655 meters) underground in disposal rooms excavated in an ancient, stable salt formation.

No employees were underground when the continuous air monitor at WIPP near Carlsbad, New Mexico detected underground radiation at 11:30 pm Friday (0630 GMT Saturday), an agency statement said.

It said no staffer was found to be contaminated by the radiation.

Employees on the surface were told to shelter in place as a precautionary measure and were cleared to leave the site starting at 5:00 pm Saturday (0001 GMT Sunday).

"We are continuing to monitor and we are emphasizing that there is no danger to human health and the environment," WIPP spokeswoman Deb Gill told AFP.

The agency stressed that "no contamination has been found on any equipment, personnel or facilities."

As soon as the airborne radiation was detected underground at the site WIPP's ventilation system automatically switched to filtration mode in order to prevent air exchange with the surface.

Investigators have not yet identified the source of the radiation, but WIPP said the site's system of air monitors and protective filtration system "continue to function as designed."

The site was shut down and not performing active operations at the time, according to Gill.

Earlier this month, an underground blaze prompted the evacuation of a different part of the site, after a truck hauling salt caught fire. Several workers suffered smoke inhalation.

But officials said the blaze was nowhere near radioactive material.

Material dumped at the site includes plutonium-contaminated waste from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, about 300 miles (500 kilometers) away, also in New Mexico.

So it sounds like they had a CAM alarm which activated automatic ventilation shut offs. No actual leak or contamination has been found so far. No personnel were exposed.

 

[etudiant]

This isn't head in the sand. This is a non-news story hyped by reporters that are ignorant of how nuclear facilities operate and the nature of radiation. This is the very definition of fear-mongering:

Fear mongering (or scaremongering or scare tactics) is the use of fear to influence the opinions and actions of others towards some specific end. The feared object or subject is sometimes exaggerated, and the pattern of fear mongering is usually one of repetition, in order to continuously reinforce the intended effects of this tactic, sometimes in the form of a vicious circle.

From http://phys.org/news/2014-02-leak-mexico-nuclear.html



So it sounds like they had a CAM alarm which activated automatic ventilation shut offs. No actual leak or contamination has been found so far. No personnel were exposed.

So a non event, followed by radio silence for the next 5 days. Seems logical to me /sarc

The problem is that this kind of 'I know better' attitude is what has killed public trust in the nuclear industry, because when it eventually comes out that there was indeed a problem, people will remember.
The industry desperately needs sunlight, it is tangibly cleaner than any of the alternatives, but it will die, deservedly so imho, if it keeps up its preference for obscurity.

 

[QuantumPion]

I'm not sure what you are referring to by "the industry", this is a Department of Energy facility which is responsible for storing waste from nuclear weapons production.

 

[etudiant]

I'm not sure what you are referring to by "the industry", this is a Department of Energy facility which is responsible for storing waste from nuclear weapons production.

Precisely.
DOE sets the tone for the industry they created. Unfortunately, they have never overcome their Manhattan District security mindset. Hence the pervasive failure to communicate and the gradual loss of public trust.
In this case, I think that no news is not good news. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong.

 

[QuantumPion]

I'm sorry but you've lost me, I have no idea what you are talking about. Not sure how announcing to news media the moment something unusual happens and providing a phone number for public questions is a failure to communicate or indicative of some sort of coverup. Why don't you find out what is happening yourself instead of letting your preconceptions run wild?

 

[etudiant]

Thank you QuantumPion for the added info that there is a phone number for questions. That was not in any of the comments I saw. What is the number?
Beyond that, I don't have preconceptions running wild, just noting that the initial statements promised a follow up within a day, which still has not happened. I call that a failure to communicate.

 

[QuantumPion]

There's a number in this article.

 

[nikkkom]

I'm sorry but you've lost me, I have no idea what you are talking about. Not sure how announcing to news media the moment something unusual happens and providing a phone number for public questions is a failure to communicate or indicative of some sort of coverup.

Well, I for one would like to see more news (as in: actual information) in my news.
What kind of sensor was showing evevated readings? What were these readings, exactly? (There can be different levels of "elevated", you know).
What are their "normal" reading as a comparison? Are there other redundant sensors, what do they show? Etc...

 

[etudiant]

Well, I for one would like to see more news (as in: actual information) in my news...

The local paper filed an FOI request yesterday that DOE provide incremental data.
http://www.currentargus.com/carlsbad-news/ci_25179328/lab-radiation-detected-above-ground-near-wipp-site
So you are not alone feeling left in the dark.

 

[Hiddencamper]

One thing which would be interesting to know, what is the logic for their CAMs to trigger an alarm and automatic ventilation shift to filtered mode? If it is 1 out of 1 or something, there would be a higher potential of a false actuation. And what were the sequence of events. Did the cam go off, and procedures required shelter in place because of just the CAM alarm? Or did they have other measurements/readings which triggered the shelter in place?

I'm interested to see how this is going

 

[gmax137]

Rod Adams discusses the WIPP story on his blog today, mostly about the measured activity at offsite filter units.

http://atomicinsights.com/airborne-radiation-wipp/

 

[etudiant]

Obviously the concern is that detection of external airborne signals imply more substantial internal releases.
While this is unlikely to be a deal killer, it does suggest a real spill, which is unexpected.
Perhaps someone shipped stuff that was mischaracterized. It would not be unprecedented, look up Lockheed's experience with Pit 9 at INEL.

 

[QuantumPion]

Rod Adams discusses the WIPP story on his blog today, mostly about the measured activity at offsite filter units.

http://atomicinsights.com/airborne-radiation-wipp/

They detected 0.046 Bq of Plutonium 0.6 miles away? That's pretty astounding.

The specific activity of Pu239 is (ln2 * Na) / (HL * 239) = 2.3e9 Bq/g. So 0.046 Bq = 2e-11 g or 0.02 nanograms.

I wonder what the typical background Am and Pu concentration is due to atmospheric weapons testing.

 

[gmax137]

They detected 0.046 Bq of Plutonium 0.6 miles away? That's pretty astounding...

It sure is. Check out the comments below the two blog posts. Some pretty knowledgeable folks chime in and describe the sampling and counting process in detail. Worth a read.

 

[Tricks]

I have a question regarding the storage capabilities at the WIPP facility. My initial impression of WIPP is that it was to be used for the storage of materials contaminated by transuranic elements during the manufacture and production of Department of Defense weapons. However, it appears that WIPP has started accepting shipments of the some weapons grade plutonium that was found to be to impure for conversion into MOX fuel. This plutonium, roughly 13 tons, stored at the K reactor site at Savannah River, is to be vitrified before storage at WIPP. I was unaware that Savannah River had a vitrification facility. I'm linking an article that discusses that shipments commenced starting in September of 2012. http://fissilematerials.org/blog/2012/09/united_states_begins_ship.html

Since that site appears to have an agenda I'm also linking the following article that goes into detail discussing the PMDA and options regarding the storage and disposal of the deemed excess plutonium. http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2013_0708/The-Future-of-Plutonium-Disposition

My question is three part. 1. Was WIPP equipped to store weapons grade plutonium and 2. How was the plutonium vitrified if Savannah River doesn't have the capability and 3. Storage of weapons grade plutonium at WIPP makes any kind of "event" there of more importance than just some clothing or equipment that was radiated during DoD operations.

Thanks for any input from the experts.

 

[etudiant]

The second article referenced above specifically mentions melting capability at the SRS. 'The Energy Department concluded, however, that plutonium could not simply be metered into the existing melter at the Savannah River Site. The department opted for a “can-in-canister” approach in which the plutonium first would be immobilized in cans of glass or ceramic.'
There clearly is an ongoing program to ship weapons grade plutonium to the WIPP from the SRS. It is not clear whether any of this material was in the section of the site that experienced the radioactive release. Indeed, if the plutonium was packaged as outlined in that second article, first vitrified, then packed into canisters and then the canister filled with additional glass, it would seem relatively unlikely to leak.
There are suggestions that there was possibly a cave in of some sort that damaged some of the drums containing nuclear wastes. The conference scheduled for Feb 24 should provide some additional insight,
although the site has remained closed to human access since the accident afaik.

 

[Astronuc]

If one disposes of fissile material, e.g., U-235 or Pu-239 in significant quantities, one would add neutron absorbers, e.g., boron, to the ceramic/vitrified waste form. Likely the form would be borosilicate (e.g., Pyrex) glass to the form. The boron can be enriched in B-10, a strong neutron absorber, and boron can be added to the shielding material. One can take a fissile inventory and simply design a composition in which k_∞ << 1, so that criticality is not possible.

 

[etudiant]

Interesting information.
I'd wondered why the above report stressed that SRS would add enough Cs137 to ensure the vitrified Pu slugs would be protected by a gamma ray shield.

 

[Astronuc]

Interesting information.
I'd wondered why the above report stressed that SRS would add enough Cs137 to ensure the vitrified Pu slugs would be protected by a gamma ray shield.

Cs-137 (or other hard gamma emitter) is added to provide a gamma radiation field for which one would require remote processing.

 

[Tricks]

The containers shipped to WIPP were never vitrified. The non-pit plutonium was ground down to an oxide powder at Savannah River and then they were infused with a classified material called stardust and then glass and other inert materials were added to reduce the plutonium percentage under the 10% maximum allowed by WIPP regulations. They were stored in standard 3013 containers and treated as CH waste once delivered to WIPP. The containers hold a little over 5kg of weapons grade plutonium and Savannah River ships 35 containers at a time to WIPP.

 

[etudiant]

Extraordinary!
Thank you, Tricks for a very informative post.

So presumably the Cs 137 was omitted to allow the processed Pu materials to leave the SRS as 'normal' CH waste.

 

[jim hardy]

The containers hold a little over 5kg of weapons grade plutonium and Savannah River ships 35 containers at a time to WIPP.

Surely that stuff could've been blended into power reactor fuel. Seems quite a waste.

i guess I'm a genuine packrat.

 

[Tricks]

Surely that stuff could've been blended into power reactor fuel. Seems quite a waste.

i guess I'm a genuine packrat.

It is a little over 6 tons stored at the K - reactor at Savannah River that was found to be to impure for conversion to MOX fuel. Also, they are cancelling the MOX plant at SR. They have about 60 tons of pit plutonium set aside for conversion that they will have to figure out what to do with now that the Mox factory is defunded.

 

[nikkkom]

It is a little over 6 tons stored at the K - reactor at Savannah River that was found to be to impure for conversion to MOX fuel. Also, they are cancelling the MOX plant at SR. They have about 60 tons of pit plutonium set aside for conversion that they will have to figure out what to do with now that the Mox factory is defunded.

I wonder, did US govt lose all capability to do anything right these days? Disposing of *weapons grade* Pu by burial? That's idiotic! If US can't fabricate MOX, sell Pu to French, for God's sake!

 

[etudiant]

If the facts are as laid out in this article, the DOE stewardship of the WIPP does not deserve confidence that many give it.
http://www.fukuleaks.org/web/?p=12562
The failure of the German nuclear industry to manage the waste stream with integrity was a major factor in the loss of public confidence that resulted in the nuclear exit decision by Germany. Hope the US does a better job, but the evidence here is not encouraging.