Major Deactivation Progress Moves Oak Ridge Reactor Closer to Teardown

Teams use a 20-ton overhead crane to lift a portion of a reactor vessel to pull it from the Oak Ridge Research Reactor facility. Its removal opened the door for major deactivation work to begin inside the facility.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — The Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management has made significant headway deactivating the Oak Ridge Research Reactor since crews successfully removed its reactor vessel two years ago.

With the extracted vessel loaded into a 32,000-pound protective shipping cask for offsite disposal, crews shifted focus to address hazards in the basement of the large facility in the central campus of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), bringing the structure a step closer to demolition.

“Removing the reactor was a tremendous accomplishment, but it also opened the door to the next phase of cleanup,” said UCOR Project Manager Steven Reed. “Our crews continue making steady progress every day, safely removing contaminated systems and preparing the building for the work that will ultimately lead to demolition. It’s complex work, but every milestone brings us one step closer to completing this mission.”

Crews remove the eighth of 13 process tanks from the basement of the Oak Ridge Research Reactor.

Deactivation progress at the reactor takes place alongside multiple cleanup projects reshaping ORNL’s central campus. Together, these projects eliminate hazards, clear aging nuclear infrastructure and open space for modernization to support future scientific discoveries.

Operating from 1958 until its shutdown in 1987, the reactor supported groundbreaking neutron research, isotope production, materials testing and reactor development, helping establish Oak Ridge as a global leader in nuclear science.

Decades of research also left behind highly contaminated systems and infrastructure requiring deactivation before crews can safely take down the building.

Crews have removed more than 300,000 pounds of lead from multiple floors of the Oak Ridge Research Reactor while venting, purging, draining and inspecting piping filled with contaminants from legacy missions.

Workers have rid the facility of more than 160 waste containers, 16,000 linear feet of contaminated piping, six gloveboxes and approximately 300,000 pounds of lead shielding while continuing extensive characterization activities. They expect to finish clearing remaining radiologically contaminated equipment from the basement this year. Next, crews will move to the upper floors to address additional piping and equipment removal.

Following deactivation, crews will place a concrete-like mixture throughout the lower level to create a stable foundation to support future demolition equipment.

Demolition is expected to begin in 2029.

-Contributor: Ryan Getsi