Student tour of DOE site investigates nuclear materials management
A group of students recently visited the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, near Aiken, S.C., to get a close look at L Area, a facility the DOE considers critical to nuclear materials management and nonproliferation missions at the site.
The purpose: Coordinated by SRS Education Outreach Programs, the visit centered around the safe management and handling of spent nuclear fuel.
“The significance of these educational tours goes beyond just explaining what we do—it emphasizes why we do it,” said Kim Mitchell, education outreach lead for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS), which is responsible for SRS's management and operations. “These discussions help raise awareness among attendees and increase the likelihood of future engagement with SRS, as informed citizens or part of the future workforce.”
Downey took the students to the legacy reactor process room in L Area during the tour. (Photo: DOE).
The tour: Led by SRNS operations manager Tristan Downey, the tour offered the group of students from South Carolina State University and Claflin University a detailed view of the repurposed reactor facility in L Area. Highlights included the storage of moderators used in nuclear reactors, the storage and processing of spent nuclear fuel, and the importance of underwater basin operations.
“Each facility has a unique function. L Area processes spent nuclear fuel shipped from foreign and domestic research reactors,” said Downey. “Since 1964, an estimated 47,000 fuel assemblies have been received and safely stored in L Basin. The students explored the operational side of the facility, learning about off-site fuel receipt, the disassembly basin, and the transfer of fuel to the H Canyon chemical separations facility at SRS for processing.”
One mission in L Area is to unload aluminum-clad uranium fuel into an underwater storage facility called the L Area Disassembly Basin. Assemblies are loaded underwater into specialized aluminum bundles. When ready for processing, the L Basin team removes the bundles and safely transports them by on-site rail to H Canyon.
Feedback: Amonté Middleton, a junior nuclear engineering student, expressed her excitement and newfound appreciation for SRS operations. “The site was intimidating at first because of its size, but the tour made me want to explore even more,” she said. “Seeing how spent fuel is managed and processed was very impressive.”
Jayden Briggs, a junior civil engineering student, was struck by the duality of the control room in L Area, where legacy equipment stands alongside operational panels. “I knew we were getting into serious business when I saw that SRS operated under the Department of Energy,” he said. “The cautiousness required in the control room was eye opening. The tour educated me on what SRS truly does and provided a strong sense of national security.”
Douglas Barnes, a career counselor from Claflin University, echoed the sentiments of the students. He emphasized the importance of safe nuclear fuel storage and its applications in research and medicine. “I plan to share the insights gained from the tour with Claflin students, informing them about internships and entry-level positions at SRS,” he said. “I’m interested in future collaborations and ongoing visits to the site to help students understand the diverse career opportunities available right here in our backyard.”
