At the Y-12 National Security Complex’s Alpha-4 facility, UCOR’s Deactivation and Demolition (D&D) teams have implemented an innovative drum crusher, yielding over $300,000 in cost avoidance for the project.
This strategic adoption, initiated in 2024 during Alpha-4 legacy sorting and segregation planning, aims to reduce risk, material costs, and the number of waste containers needed for disposition.
The drum crusher efficiently compacts empty drums into clean, round “pucks.” This streamlined approach significantly reduces waste volume, eliminates the sharp metal edges inherent in previous methods, and removes the need for extensive Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements, leading to material cost avoidance and more efficient use of disposal space.
Historically, reducing the size of empty waste drums involved manual cutting with reciprocating saws and shears. While functional, this method created sharp edges and occupied considerable space, posing safety concerns for handling. Additionally, the high decibel levels associated with manual cutting introduced hearing risks, necessitating additional PPE for workers and support staff.
With the drum crusher, a three-person team can now process 35-40 drums per hour, a substantial increase over the 10-12 drums per hour achieved manually. This efficiency translates directly to a decrease in the number of B25 waste boxes required for packaging and off-site shipping.
Currently, the tool is being used to crush approximately 300 empty, non-shipping compliant Alpha-4 legacy waste drums—materials that do not meet current regulatory standards for transport and disposal in their original form. To date, 184 drums have been safely crushed.
Alpha-4 marks the first Y-12 facility to utilize this equipment, with plans for its continued application across other D&D projects at Y-12 that involve large quantities of non-compliant waste containers. This initiative underscores UCOR’s commitment to operational excellence and a proactive questioning attitude, driving efficiencies and cost savings while continually reinforcing Y-12 D&D’s culture of caring for worker safety.