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HEUMF team prepares to hit the ground running
Material handlers are testing the setup of their future work environment.
Construction of the Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility (HEUMF) is not scheduled for completion before late 2007, but the project team is already laying the groundwork for startup of operations. Representatives from just about every organization — Engineering; Manufacturing; Environment, Safety and Health; Safeguards and Security; Quality Assurance; Training; and Maintenance, to name a few — are working together to draft requirements documents, develop training and become familiar with how the new facility will look and function. This preparation is happening now so that operations can begin quickly after construction ends.
In moving from design to operation, engineers are often at the center of activities. “New construction is a rare opportunity,” said the facility engineer. “We can observe firsthand how systems such as electrical, mechanical and fire protection are being put together.” In addition to developing a knowledge base, he and the system engineers will evaluate how well design follows function. “For example,” he said, “we'll be verifying that a valve to be turned routinely isn't located 15 ft off the floor.”
Using the design specifications and required calibrations, test engineers have written the test and startup plan and drafted the criteria for accepting the new facility. Testing will be done in phases as construction is completed on each system. “When a system passes testing, it will continue to operate as more systems are checked out and brought online,” said the lead test engineer.
After the facility is turned over to operations and further testing and readiness confirmation are completed, material can be moved into HEUMF. Planning for how to make the transfer and how to use the new storage and handling equipment is under way.
To get a head start on training, an area containing the rackable can storage boxes, drum skids, representative samples of drum sizes, and a fork truck has been set up. “We want to make sure we know the requirements for the new production processes and can practice using the new equipment,” said one process engineer. If a piece of equipment does not work as expected, adjustments can be made. Already, the drum skid has been altered to accommodate additional drum sizes.
Developing the system descriptions, process descriptions, criticality safety evaluations, procedures and other technical documentation required for HEUMF operation is daunting. Combining some tasks has increased efficiency, and the number of procedures and criticality safety evaluations is dropping significantly.
Readiness experts are moving forward by scoping operational readiness activities and gathering information from other sites. The schedule they have fashioned contains about 2,500 nonconstruction activities. Team members have visited the Savannah River Site's Tritium Extraction Facility and are planning to visit other facilities, such as the Nevada Test Site, to discuss lessons learned. “Even under the best of circumstances, we're likely to have a crunch at the end,” said the readiness team leader, “but we believe our efforts now will help minimize the problems.”
The HEUMF project engineer couldn't agree more. “Preplanning is going to be the key to success on this project,” he said. “It's definitely a team effort, and the team is trying to anticipate and solve problems before they are realized.”