Contents
Purpose
What is Deactivation?
Deactivation is the process of placing a radiologically or chemically hazardous
facility into a safe and stable condition for interim storage prior to
decommissioning and dismantlement. The goal of deactivation is to reduce risks
to the workers, public and environment, and limit the long-term cost of
surveillance and maintenance.
About This Site
The purpose of this handbook/WEB site to make deactivation experience readily
available across the DOE complex. The practices, methods, and examples
described are those previously and successfully used across DOE’s complex. They
can be readily adapted to a wide range of projects and facilities, and can be
used as well for stabilization activities that precede deactivation. This
handbook/WEB site is represents a third tier of information that follows from
DOE O 430.1A, DOE Order 430.1A, LIFE CYCLE ASSET MANAGEMENT  and
DOE G 430.1-3, DEACTIVATION IMPLEMENTATION
GUIDE.
Background
The Department of Energy faces an enormous task in disposing of the nation's
excess facilities. ("Facility" means a clearly delineated set of physical
structures and associated equipment and material and not necessarily a single
building.) There are many of these facilities, they are large and complex,
geographically widespread and, in many cases, contain potentially hazardous
industrial, chemical, nuclear, or radiological materials and conditions.
Eventually, all must be decommissioned, but it is not possible to do so
immediately and simultaneously for all facilities. ("Decommission" as used here
refers to activities such as decontamination, entombment or demolition; that
is, to place a facility in its final disposed-of condition.)
For excess facilities for which decommissioning funds are not immediately
available, DOE’s overall strategy is to stabilize and deactivate, as soon as
reasonable, either to address an imminent hazard or to reduce high surveillance
and maintenance costs, or both. Stabilizing and deactivating means achieving a
condition that is safe, stable, and economical to monitor and maintain for an
extended period while awaiting final decommissioning. In this way, DOE can
apply its resources to accomplish the greatest net gains in facility safety and
stability in the shortest time.
In carrying out its mission, EM either "owns" or receives an excess
contaminated facility from the program office that currently has responsibility
for it, after the current program has conducted stabilization actions. After
deactivation, management responsibility may be transferred to a different
contractor for decommissioning and/or to other organizations for ultimate
disposition. As a facility progresses from operation to decommissioning, it is
important that the activities among life-cycle phases are smoothly integrated
by respective project managers, regardless of the transferring or receiving
organization.
Deactivation of excess facilities began in earnest during the 1990s. At that
time, deactivation was a new concept leading to the development of approaches
for project management and technical planning. Since then the subject areas of
facility deactivation, as well as the closely related facility stabilization,
have accumulated considerable experience and lessons learned. The information
provided via this WEB site expands considerably upon originally published
information. (Henceforth, the use of "handbook" refers to the entire body of
information on this WEB site.)
The details here should be viewed as the experience of others who have
deactivated facilities and not as mandatory requirements. It is also important
to note that while this handbook focuses on deactivation, the processes and
methods discussed can readily and effectively be used for transition,
stabilization, and decommissioning. It is also noted that while the contents of
this handbook relate directly to deactivation project management and project
engineering, it provides only a limited set of what is needed for overall
project planning and execution.
Caution on Use
Each site, facility, and project is unique in many ways. The methods,
practices, and especially the examples provided in many cases are for specific
past applications. Therefore, users of this material should tailor it as
appropriate to their individual situations.
This web site is part of a Federal computer system used to accomplish Federal
functions. The Department of Energy monitors this web site for security
purposes to ensure it remains available to all users and to protect information
in the system. By accessing this web site, you are expressly consenting to
these monitoring activities.
Unauthorized attempts to defeat or circumvent security features, to use the
system for other than intended purposes, to deny service to authorized users,
to access, obtain, alter, damage, or destroy information, or otherwise to
interfere with the system or its operation are prohibited. Evidence of such
acts may be disclosed to law enforcement authorities and result in criminal
prosecution under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 (Pub. L. 99-474) and
the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996 (Pub. L.
104-294), (18 U.S.C. 1030), or other applicable criminal laws.
Navigation Map
The following figure generally represents annual cost trends for an excess
facility’s end of life cycle. It is used as a navigation map to information on
this WEB site. The outlined boxes represent subjects addressed in this
handbook. Select a box to jump to the indicated subject or use the subjects
listing that follows.
This figure depicts an excess facility's transition from operation, through
deactivation and extended term surveillance and maintenance, to ultimate
decommissioning. The concept is shown in the context of an annual cost profile
and a timeline. (Note - This figure is "idealized" for purposes of
illustration. There is no generic profile that applies to any particular
population of facilities. For example, the spending profiles for some
facilities are quite flat once deactivation starts.)
Navigation Table
Life Cycle Phases
The five periods illustrated in the figure are described as follows.
Period 1. Operations
Period 1 is characterized by an operating or shut down facility that is under
the control of a program office other than EM. Once this program office
establishes that there is no further need for the facility, it is declared
excess and candidate for transfer to EM. Authorization for declaring a facility
excess requires approval by DOE Headquarters.
Period 2. Transition
Transition occurs between operations and disposition in a facility’s lifecycle.
Transition begins once a facility has been declared or forecast to be excess to
current and future DOE needs. It includes placing the facility in stable and
known conditions, identifying hazards and characterization the facility
conditions, eliminating or mitigating hazards and conducting stabilization, and
transferring programmatic and financial responsibilities from the operating
program to the disposition program. In preparation for the disposition phase,
it is important that material, systems, and infrastructure stabilization
activities be initiated prior to the end of facility operations. Where
possible, materials requiring special handling (e.g., classified equipment or
nuclear materials) should be removed at shutdown.
At this juncture, DOE Headquarters coordinates with its field office
counterpart (Field Office Manager) for the facility to reach agreement for
transfer of the facility. The agreement defines the condition of the facility
at turnover, consistent with requirements stated in DOE’s Life Cycle Management
Order (see Scope and Applicability below).
During transition, a determination is made as to whether the facility will be
either deactivated for reuse, deactivated in preparation for eventual
decommissioning (decontamination and/or dismantling), or decommissioned
immediately. The organization that will be responsible for follow on activities
must be involved in this determination.
For some facilities an operational campaign may be required to establish
stabilized conditions before proceeding to final shutdown. Examples include: 1)
a run to process a large quantity of highly radioactive or chemically reactive
liquids for the purpose of cleaning a process system, and 2) removal of nuclear
fuel so an area can be made accessible.
Period 3. Deactivation
During this period surveillance and maintenance continues to assure public,
environment, and worker safety. As deactivation proceeds, unneeded systems
within the facility are terminated, additional hazard reduction may be
conducted, and the surveillance and maintenance burden decreases commensurate
with achieved risk reduction, resulting in a stable, low risk condition which
is economically and technically practical to maintain for an extended period.
Update of safety documentation to reduce a nuclear facility's hazard
classification will be of value to post-deactivation surveillance and
maintenance.
Activities during this period, for example, include disposal of remaining
hazardous chemicals, isolation of systems and equipment, and removal of
valuable excess equipment. Appropriate characterization and documentation
should be conducted for remaining contamination and waste, and for other
sensitive materials that cannot be removed (chemical, hazardous, radioactive,
fissile, nuclear fuel, special nuclear, and other accountable materials). This
is to support safety updates, specifying deactivation end points, and planning
post-deactivation surveillance and maintenance.
Period 4. Post-Deactivation Surveillance and Maintenance
The facility is in a safe storage mode, with ongoing, low levels of
surveillance and maintenance. The general intent is that the facility be
unoccupied and locked except for periodic inspections. If the period between
completion of deactivation and beginning of decommissioning becomes extended,
an occasional need for refurbishment or repair may be needed; for example, roof
repairs, exhaust fan replacement, surveillance instrumentation maintenance,
etc. Radioactive and hazardous materials may remain in the facility and are
subject to ongoing regulatory oversight.
Period 5. Decommissioning
Based on DOE's resources, decommissioning and ultimate disposition of a
facility will be scheduled in accordance with an overall national priority.
Scope and Applicability
This handbook supports the requirements of
DOE Order 430.1A, LIFE CYCLE ASSET MANAGEMENT (LCAM)
and aids in the planning and implementation of stabilization, deactivation, and
decommissioning activities at DOE facilities that have been declared excess to
any future mission requirements.
LCAM directs that DOE, in partnership with its contractors, shall plan,
acquire, operate, maintain, lease, and dispose of physical assets in a safe and
cost effective manner to meet DOE's mission. According to LCAM, this management
of physical assets from acquisition through operations and disposition shall be
a seamless process. LCAM further directs that industry standards, a graded
approach, and performance objectives are to be used in managing an asset
throughout its life-cycle, including the disposition phase. The disposition
phase of an asset may consist of activities within any or all of the following
categories: surveillance and maintenance, deactivation, and decommissioning.
This handbook provides contractors and DOE personnel with non-mandatory guidance
and information about DOE's expectations on meeting existing requirements and
DOE policies. Specifically, this handbook illustrates procedures and practices
that are consistent with the acceptable methods and approaches discussed in the
DOE G 430.1-3, DEACTIVATION IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE and
DOE G 430.1-5, TRANSITION IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE . It does not itself
impose any requirements. However, it may repeat requirements already imposed by
DOE or other Federal agencies.
In addition to the orders and guides above, LCAM implementation is addressed in
the following documents that are closely associated with the material in this
handbook:
Integrating Safety
into Activities
Stabilization and deactivation should be conducted with comprehensive attention
to worker, public, and environmental safety. Emphasis on safety is currently
done by reference to specific sections of
DOE-STD-1120-98, INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENT, SAFETY AND HEALTH INTO FACILITY
DISPOSITION ACTIVITIES in the LCAM Deactivation Implementation
Guide. These sections provide guidance for ensuring the protection of the
worker, the public and the environment during the performance of deactivation
work.
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