Treatability study operational testing program and implementation plan for the Gunite and Associated Tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

This Treatability Study (TS) Operational Testing Program and Implementation Plan identifies operational testing to be performed to: (1) Demonstrate the technical feasibility of methods proposed for the removal of radiochemical sludge heels from the underground storage tanks located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), known as the Gunite and Associated Tanks (GAAT) Operable Unit (OU). (The bulk of the radiochemical waste, which was previously stored in the tanks, was removed during the 1980s, and only a sludge heel remains.) (2) Reduce the uncertainty in meeting the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) requirements for the GAAT OU. (3) Minimize the overall costs to accomplish the first two objectives. An initial Feasibility Study (FS) effort identified uncertainties in the evaluation of various alternatives for addressing the remediation of the GAAT OU. To support future decision making, the US. Department of Energy is performing a TS to identify cost-effective remediation approaches for the GAAT OU by providing information to reduce cost and technical uncertainty and better define acceptable remediation strategies. The testing activities will be initially conducted in a nonradioactive environment at the Tanks Technology Cold Test Facility (TTCTF) at ORNL. This will permit the design and initial performance testing and training activities to be completed while minimizing the risk, employee exposure, and costs associated with the testing effort. The component design and functional testing and initial system performance testing will be completed in the TTCTF. After the component and initial system performance testing have been completed, the operations testing will continue in the North Tank Farm (NTF). This testing has an associated higher cost and risk, but is necessary to provide results for actual waste heel removal.