Performance Assessment of the Waste Dislodging Conveyance System During the Gunite And Associated Tanks Remediation Project

The Waste Dislodging and Conveyance System (WD and CS) and other components of the Tank Waste Retrieval System (TWRS) were developed to address the need for removal of hazardous wastes from underground storage tanks (USTs) in which radiation levels and access limitations make traditional waste retrieval methods impractical. Specifically, these systems were developed for cleanup of the Gunite and Associated Tanks (GAAT) Operable Unit (OU) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The WD and CS is comprised of a number of different components. The three primary hardware subsystems are the Hose Management System (HMS), the Confined Sluicing End-Effector (CSEE), and the Flow Control Equipment and Containment Box (FCE/CB). In addition, a Decontamination Spray Ring (DSR) and a control system were developed for the system. The WD and CS is not a stand-alone system; rather, it is designed for deployment with either a long-reach manipulator like the Modified Light Duty Utility Arm (MLDUA) or a remotely operated vehicle system such as the Houdini{trademark}. The HMS was designed to act as a pipeline for the transfer of dislodged waste; as a hose-positioning and tether-management system; and as a housing for process equipment such as the water-powered jet pump that provides the necessary suction to vacuum slurried waste from the UST. The HMS was designed to facilitate positioning of an end-effector at any point within the 25-ft- or 50-ft-diameter USTs in the GAAT OU