Laboratory Consolidation At Savannah River National Laboratory

Savannah River Site (SRS) has operated a process control laboratory near the center of the site since the 1950s. This facility, known as F/H-Laboratory, is separate from the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) campus where nuclear laboratories for research and development purposes are located. Efforts to combine these two laboratory functions in one location began to be discussed in the 1990s without coming to fruition. More recently, declines in the process control laboratory workload made laboratory consolidation more feasible. As a result, over the last three years, necessary modifications to the main SRNL nuclear laboratory were made to accommodate the process control work scope. This effort culminated on January 31, 2021, when analytical operations ceased at F/H-Laboratory and the full process control scope was assumed by the SRNL nuclear laboratory facilities. This paper reviews the consolidation process of the last three years. Nearly 60 analytical chemistry methods, including a number of methods used for nuclear material control and accountancy (NMC&A), have been safely transferred, and several laboratory spaces have been renovated to accommodate the needed analytical equipment. Continuity of service to the customers was maintained throughout the process. Pros and cons of moving existing laboratory equipment versus acquiring and installing new equipment were evaluated. In most cases, new equipment was acquired due to the challenges associated with moving radioactively contaminated equipment. Lessons learned, both during the three-year consolidation effort and during the initial months of consolidated analytical operations, will be reviewed. Completion of this laboratory consolidation effort will allow for the layup and closure of the F/H-Laboratory facilities, reducing SRS footprint and site operating costs.