|
Press Release |
|
| |
|
OAK RIDGE, TN BNFL Inc., prime contractor for the three building decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) project at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, donated a model of a uranium enrichment converter to the American Museum of Science and Energy. The converter model was unveiled at 2:30 p.m. today, December 8, with Congressman Zach Wamp, Mayor David Bradshaw and senior representatives of the Department of Energy participating in the event. BNFL Inc. supports preserving the legacy of uranium enrichment in Oak Ridge, said BNFL Inc. Chief Operating Officer John Christian. We hope this converter model will serve as a reminder of all the accomplishments associated with the history of uranium enrichment in Oak Ridge and BNFL Inc.s contribution through the successful completion of the ETTP Three Building D&D Project. This project is the single largest nuclear D&D project in U.S. history and involves the decontamination and decommissioning of three gaseous diffusion buildings K-33, K-31 and K-29 totaling 4.9 million square feet and over 330 million pounds of metal and material. I am proud to represent a community with such a rich history and bright future, said Congressman Zach Wamp. This converter represents so much in preserving the history, and in honoring those who lived that history, to make Oak Ridge what it is today. The converter model is similar to the uranium enrichment converters found in the facilities formerly known as the K-25 site. Converters were used as the means to enrich uranium, which is the process of increasing the percentage of U-235. Located inside the converter were barrier tubes that acted as filters used to separate the heavier U-238 isotope from the lighter U-235 isotope. BNFL dismantled and removed over 1,500 converters that were similar in size and shape to the converter model. The Museum
will continue to be the center for
heritage tourism in this region, said Chief Operating Officer for DOE Oak Ridge Offices
Robert Brown.
This model will help the Museum to more effectively tell the fantastic
story of the
Manhattan Project, a
story that visitors are eager to hear. AMSE Director Steve Stow is especially pleased to accept the converter model. Community and corporate support for AMSE, as demonstrated here, is essential to ensuring the future potential for the Museum and we thank BNFL for its contribution and generosity, he said. At its peak, the ETTP project employed more than 1,400 people. With nearly 70 percent of the project workforce engaged daily in hands-on work in a heavy industrial environment, the projects injury rate remains significantly below the national average and one of the lowest in the DOE complex. The project is coming to a close and is scheduled for completion early next year. We wanted to leave behind a legacy that would symbolize the effort it took in completing this complex project, said Project General Manager Jeff Stevens. This converter model represents the final stages of the Three Building D&D Project and all those who are working diligently toward a safe a successful project completion. BNFL Inc. is an American environmental cleanup company providing waste management, decontamination and decommissioning and facility operations for the nations most difficult environmental and nuclear challenges. In addition to its operations in Tennessee, BNFL Inc. has major operations at DOE sites in Idaho Falls, Idaho; Richland, Washington; and Savannah River, South Carolina. BNFL Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of British Nuclear Group in the U.K. ### For further information, please visit our Web site at www.bnflinc.com. |
|