Management of Aging 

Infrastructure at Sites with

DOE Defense Nuclear Faciliti

Joyce L. Connery, Board Chair

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

2023 EFCOG Annual Executive Council Meeting

June 2023
Why Worry about Aged Infrastructu

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting

Aged infrastructure reduces personnel safety and p• Reduces morale in workers• Encourages acceptance of lower standards• Increases housekeeping needs• Places heightened pressure on maintenance personnel• Increases the potential for errors and accidents• Interferes with safe conduct of work and leads to declining prodAge-related degradation increases risk to facility sa• Increases component failure rates and reduces system reliabil• Reduces system resilience by limiting ability to respond to off-n• Introduces common-cause failure modes that challenge safety • Creates failure modes that challenge SSCs or triggers unantici

sequences
What is “Infrastructure?”

• In this discussion, the word infrastructure refers to all real pro

and their installed equipment that enables or supports actDepartment’s mission at a site 

• Basically, infrastructure is a system of systems; the function

infrastructure is created by the combined functionality of the inproperty assets that support it

• Infrastructure Management is about making informed decisio

systematic approach to evaluating component and system adevulnerability, understanding intersystem dependencies, and depotential consequences of system failure

• Aging management programs are some of the tools of Infras

Management, but the two are not synonymous

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting
Board Perspective on Infrastructu

DOE’s challenges extend to managing its aging infrastructure, ...systematically evaluating the infrastructure that supports the operation of its defense nuclear facilities.DOE appears to struggle with implementing and maintaining neceinfrastructure and safety controls, even after recognizing the imthose systems and controls to DOE’s ability to ensure adequatits workers, the public, and the environment.

Defense Nuclear Facilitie

33rd Annual Report to Congres

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting
Aging Infrastructure Impact on NN

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting

A well-organized, well-maintained, and modern infrastructure sysbedrock of a flexible and resilient nuclear security enterprise. Mopercent [of NNSA’s assets and facilities] are beyond their life with some of the most important dating back to the Manhatta

NNSA Adminis

House Armed ServiSubcommittee on S

M

Building 9212, Y-12 National Security Complex
Aging Infrastructure Impact on EM

Hanford’s 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste stored in 177 aging storage tanks represent EM’s greatest environmental risk and financial liability. Recognizing that additional delays bring greater environmental risks, exacerbate the impacts of already aging infrastructure, and increase costs, we are 

focused on moving the entire Hanford tank waste mission forward.

William “Ike” White

Senior Advisor for DOE-EM

Senate Armed Services Committee 

Subcommittee on Armed Forces

April 18, 2023

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting 241-C Ta

Waste Trea
DOE’s Continuity Challenge

41 years ago: Some multiprogram laboratory facilities are in obvious n

DOE management is aware of this, [but] it does not know the true cond

facilities. (GAO, February 1982.)

33 years ago: DOE faces major challenges including modernizing facildeteriorated over the 30 to 40 years since their construction. DOE musthat it operates in compliance with current environmental, safety, and h(GAO, September 1990.)19 years ago: The seriousness of infrastructure deficiencies, combined 

needs...and historical weaknesses in project management, make implem

infrastructure revitalization a management challenge for [DOE]. (GAO, 

11 years ago: Of the few major [NNSA] projects that were successfully 

could find no successful historical major project that both cost more thaand achieved CD-4 in less than 16 years. (Institute for Defense Analysis, Nov

5 years ago: NNSA may have to defer certain modernization work planyears 2018 through 2021. ...this deferral could exacerbate a significant modernization funding needs that NNSA projects for the out-years. (GAO

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting
Why No Continuity?

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting

As a government entity, DOE faces inherent challenges that compto maintain continuity on long-term programs like renewing its infra• Frequently changing missions, priorities, 

budgets, leadership, and world events

• The urgent need for continued and 

expanded operations in aging facilities

• Aged property assets may degrade faster 

than they can be refurbished or replaced

• High costs associated with nuclear and 

specialized products and construction

• Changing workforce and loss of 

corporate knowledge and experience

Tritium Facility, Sava
Sub-recommendation 1 of R2020-

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting

From reaffirmed Recommendation 2020-1: Develop and implement an integrated approach

—incl

requirements—for the management of aging infrastrthat includes formal processes to identify and perform infrastructure upgrades necessary to ensure facilities anstructures, systems, and components can perform their functions.

The approach needs to be integrated into DOE’s current real property and nuclear facility management processes.

The concern is amanagement of not just about atechnical proces

The approach needs formal processes for identifying and performing necessary infrastructure upgrades

Reqestlev
Recipe for Success

Consider some of the most successful safety improvements • Integrated Safety Management Systems have been a key to 

facility safety for almost 30 years

• DOE Facility Representatives have provided vital day-to-day 

facility operations for over 30 years

• Operational Readiness Reviews have helped ensure the saf

facilities for over 30 years

What do these programs have in common?• The requirements are integrated into DOE’s overall system of 

• The requirements and essential elements are established at 

Secretarial level

• The approach includes formal processes and adequate guid

• The scope and intent of the programs are well defined and u

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting 
Scope of Sub-recommendation 1

The Board perceives that there has been some confusion about tthe aging infrastructure sub-recommendation • The Board’s concern extends to all real property assets and in

equipment that provide or support a personnel or facility safety 

DOE defense nuclear facility, regardless of whether those asseor outside the facility’s DSA-designated boundary

• Examples include

• Electrical substations and distribution systems• Fire stations, firewater tanks, pumphouses, and firewater pi• Emergency Operations Centers and facility assembly areas

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting 
Examples

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting 

SRS H-Canyon 

Exhaust Tunnel Structural Integrity

• Originally constructed in 1953, tunnel is critical 

part of facility’s safety class ventilation system

• Age-related degradation in tunnel has been 

documented and monitored since 1990

• Remotely-conducted observations since 2011 

have noted that degradation has become severe and may impact post-seismic functionality

• Board and DOE evaluated this issue since 2011 

with multiple analyses, letters, and briefings

• In 2019 DOE decided to pursue an alternative 

safety strategy that did not rely on the tunnel as a post-seismic safety class system
Examples (cont)

NNSS Device Assembly Facility

Firewater Supply Tank

• Tank identified as Safety Class SSC in DSA• Seismic vulnerabilities with the tank 

recognized around 2006

• Tank replacement project identified as 

planned improvement in Oct. 2008 DSA

• 2010 inspection reported significant rust 

and blisters in coatings but no deep pitting

• Inspection in 2022 reported widespread rust 

and blisters with significant deep pitting

• Facility is now operating under a JCO, 

replacement project scheduled for 2025

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting 

NNSS Device Assem

Ceiling Section 2010 
What Needs to be Done?

• DOE needs a set of requirements that create an integrated

framework for managing its infrastructure

• Infrastructure is a system of systems; DOE needs a framewor

considers the individual assets as components of the bigg

• DOE’s infrastructure is already significantly aged, DOE ne

consider establishing adequacy as a strategic goal and facility priority for the near-term restoration of its infrastructure

• Understanding risks is the key to decision-making; DOE should 

implementing an enterprise risk management system as the for managing its infrastructure

• There are agencies and international consensus standards tha

aging management, such as NRC, IAEA, and IEEE. DOE shoincorporating demonstrated processes from those entities strategies for managing its aging infrastructure

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting 
Conclusion

• The Board is encouraged to see the increased focus on agi

infrastructure at DOE

• Both EM and NNSA are building enterprise-level views of th

infrastructure and identifying performance metrics

• That effort will aid senior managers in understanding the risks 

enterprise and support sound decisions on infrastructure upgrareplacement strategies

• DOE needs to build on this increased focus by institutiona

clear and adequate directives before momentum is lost to anot

• Short term investments in infrastructure improvement will ha

payback

• And finally, DOE’s missions will also benefit from an improv

infrastructure

June 2023 2023 Annual EFCOG Executive Council Meeting