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Crews Finish Demolishing Brookhaven Reactor Exhaust Stack

Work crews have demolished the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) exhaust stack at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Office of Environmental Management

March 9, 2021

UPTON, N.Y. – Work crews have demolished the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) exhaust stack at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, achieving an EM program priority.

Brought to ground level on Feb. 24, the 320-foot-tall stack at the former reactor site at the national laboratory on Long Island, New York was decommissioned and demolished under the direction of DOE, with oversight by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District.

The distinctive red-and-white stack was used for a small research reactor that DOE shut down more than 20 years ago. The HFBR provided a source of neutrons for multidisciplinary scientific research in materials science, chemistry, biology, and physics.

The Brookhaven National Laboratory’s High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack before demolition.
The Brookhaven National Laboratory’s High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack before demolition.
Midway through demolition of the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack.
Midway through demolition of the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack.
The site of the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack after crews demolished it.
The site of the Brookhaven National Laboratory’s High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack after crews demolished it.

Sustained demolition of the stack started in early January using a patented concrete chimney demolition system called the MANTIS. EM crews dismantled the stack down to the base, approximately 36 feet above ground, before fully demolishing it last month.

“Our crews worked through pandemic hurdles and intense weather delays to complete the HFBR stack demolition with zero safety incidents and zero vibration disturbances to ongoing laboratory operations. Using innovative systems like the MANTIS to safely control debris and minimize personnel on the demolition platform, we’ve made huge strides in EM’s cleanup scope at Brookhaven,” said Paul Lucas, the project manager.

Sixty-five waste containers loaded onto railcars await shipment away from Brookhaven National Laboratory. It is the first of two expected shipments of debris from the exhaust stack demolition.
Sixty-five waste containers loaded onto railcars await shipment away from Brookhaven National Laboratory. It is the first of two expected shipments of debris from the exhaust stack demolition.
EM Crews use the MANTIS system to safely demolish the High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack, a prominent part of the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The MANTIS is a remotely operated demolition system for concrete chimneys.
EM Crews use the MANTIS system to safely demolish the High Flux Beam Reactor exhaust stack, a prominent part of the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The MANTIS is a remotely operated demolition system for concrete chimneys.

Eahe project’s next steps are cleanup of soils and the below-ground stack infrastructure, and verification that cleanup goals have been met. The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education will conduct independent verification of the stack cleanup.

The first rail shipment of exhaust stack debris to off-site disposal will involve 65 intermodal waste containers loaded onto a 10-railcar train. Approximately 45 additional containers are expected to be shipped as part of the second and final waste shipment.

Removal of the HFBR stack will mark the completion of the EM cleanup scope at Brookhaven required by a 2009 record of decision.

Tags:
  • Environmental and Legacy Management
  • Nuclear Energy
  • Decarbonization
  • Clean Energy
  • National Labs