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Radioactive Waste Cleanup Project Becomes More Efficient, Greener
According to Newton, a single tag on a vehicle will be encoded with information as frequently as six to eight times each day, and will be read between 40 and 50 times within that same period.
All data is collected and sent to GlobeRanger's software, which resides on a Bechtel Jacobs back-end server. The system provides two dashboard options for management. One shows the trucks' movement within the system and displays alerts when certain conditions are met, with an icon indicating each vehicle's location, based on observations in the field collected by the portable sensor units. The other dashboard is exclusively for use by the disposal facility, providing an "air-traffic controller" display of information identifying estimated times of arrivals for all incoming shipments to the facility. This functions much like an advance shipping notice, allowing disposal facility managers to accommodate the various types of vehicle entering the site, as well as the preassignment of dump ramps, based on vehicle type, cell volume and staff availability.
The elimination of manual paperwork from the waste-shipment process, as well as the resulting decrease in truck idle time, supports Bechtel Jacobs' sustainable-development goals, Newton says. In the 12-month period following the project's initial deployment, he notes, the use of the RFID-enabled solution has led to a reduced consumption of fuel by approximately 60,000 gallons. In addition, nitrogen dioxide emissions were reduced by 6,500 pounds, and carbon dioxide emissions by 350,000 pounds. With a paperless process, Newton states, approximately 100 pounds of air pollution and two tons of paper were avoided, thus saving 40 trees, 12,500 gallons of water and 7,500 kilowatt hours of electricity that would have otherwise been used in paper-production processes.
What's more, management can now analyze the data and determine how trucks need to be prepared and dispatched, in order to improve overall operational efficiencies. Newton says he is now in the process of rolling the system out in other DOE sites, though he declines to specify which ones.
Bechtel is utilizing RFID at another hazardous waste-disposal location, the Hanford Nuclear Site (see RFID Helps Hanford Manage Waste). But in this case, it is using active RFID tags. At the ETTP site, Newton says, the use of passive tags reduces the cost of the overall system. It "has been a huge cost advantage," he says. "The system turned one year old on March 2, and has supported over 22,000 shipments, including ARRA projects, and is adopted at three DOE facilities. This project has played a huge role in supporting DOE initiatives."
All data is collected and sent to GlobeRanger's software, which resides on a Bechtel Jacobs back-end server. The system provides two dashboard options for management. One shows the trucks' movement within the system and displays alerts when certain conditions are met, with an icon indicating each vehicle's location, based on observations in the field collected by the portable sensor units. The other dashboard is exclusively for use by the disposal facility, providing an "air-traffic controller" display of information identifying estimated times of arrivals for all incoming shipments to the facility. This functions much like an advance shipping notice, allowing disposal facility managers to accommodate the various types of vehicle entering the site, as well as the preassignment of dump ramps, based on vehicle type, cell volume and staff availability.
The elimination of manual paperwork from the waste-shipment process, as well as the resulting decrease in truck idle time, supports Bechtel Jacobs' sustainable-development goals, Newton says. In the 12-month period following the project's initial deployment, he notes, the use of the RFID-enabled solution has led to a reduced consumption of fuel by approximately 60,000 gallons. In addition, nitrogen dioxide emissions were reduced by 6,500 pounds, and carbon dioxide emissions by 350,000 pounds. With a paperless process, Newton states, approximately 100 pounds of air pollution and two tons of paper were avoided, thus saving 40 trees, 12,500 gallons of water and 7,500 kilowatt hours of electricity that would have otherwise been used in paper-production processes.
Bechtel is utilizing RFID at another hazardous waste-disposal location, the Hanford Nuclear Site (see RFID Helps Hanford Manage Waste). But in this case, it is using active RFID tags. At the ETTP site, Newton says, the use of passive tags reduces the cost of the overall system. It "has been a huge cost advantage," he says. "The system turned one year old on March 2, and has supported over 22,000 shipments, including ARRA projects, and is adopted at three DOE facilities. This project has played a huge role in supporting DOE initiatives."
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