IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – The Idaho Site’s main cleanup contractor is using a $1.8 million DOE investment to safeguard employees from the threat of second- and third-degree electrical arc flash burns.
January 27, 2016
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An Idaho Site electrician racks out a breaker so a cubicle can be cleaned as part of preventive maintenance.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho – The Idaho Site’s main cleanup contractor is using a $1.8 million DOE investment to safeguard employees from the threat of second- and third-degree electrical arc flash burns.
When an uncontrolled arc occurs, besides intense light and deafening sound, workers can be subjected to extreme heat, flying projectiles, and showered with molten metal. CH2M-WG Idaho, LLC (CWI) aims to reduce such risks from occurring on the Idaho Cleanup Project.
The $1.8 million investment covers innovative software, development of preventive maintenance work orders for all equipment, and training and equipment to support maintenance and replacement of substation breakers at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC).
INTEC was built in the early 1950s to reprocess spent nuclear fuel. After that mission ended in 1992, INTEC became the site’s main spent nuclear fuel storage facility and also continued to manage both liquid and solid radioactive waste resulting from its reprocessing operations, still requiring hundreds of megawatts of electricity annually.
Formed in 2008, INTEC Power Operations (IPO) safely operates INTEC’s high-voltage electrical system that keeps lights on, equipment operating, and utilities functioning throughout the facility without interruption.
IPO Manager Theresa Axelson said a software program funded by DOE determines arc flash capacities at individual equipment locations based on the electrical system’s configuration. The software has been installed for most of INTEC’s 13,800-volt outside power distribution system, along with new electrical breakers, but more remains to be done.
“Technology has progressed a lot. This is a very sophisticated way to determine the potential for arc flashes,” Axelson said, explaining how the system interprets what could happen in a worst case scenario and then provides the recommended level of personal protective equipment to wear when tackling a project.
Future software enhancements and installation of a new utility control system are anticipated for the rest of INTEC to further enhance safety and efficiency.
The IPO team has completed preventive measures, including the annual cleaning and calibration of breakers, and continues to maintain the complex electrical system.