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DOE Lecture Series – Natural Hazards and their Mitigation at DOE Nuclear Sites
April 18, 2018 @ 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
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Dr. Stephen McDuffie
Seismic Engineer for the Chief of Nuclear Safety
US Department of Energy
Richland, Washington
Dr. McDuffie’s lecture will discuss the natural hazards that can impact DOE’s nuclear facilities and the requirements for characterizing and mitigating these hazards. He will discuss hazard analysis techniques and present examples focused on the Hanford Site.
The Hanford Site, part of the DOE nuclear weapons complex, encompasses about 580 square miles along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington State. During World War II and the Cold War period the government built and operated nine nuclear reactors for the production of plutonium and other nuclear materials.
Several active nuclear facilities remain on the Hanford Site to support the ongoing environmental restoration mission, and new facilities are being constructed to treat the radioactive waste still held in underground tanks.
Both the existing and new nuclear facilities must be designed to withstand natural phenomena (earthquakes, floods, high winds, etc.) to ensure the facilities continue to serve their safety functions during such events.
Dr. McDuffie has a B.A. in Geology from Whitman College; M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Johns Hopkins University, and an MBA degree from Washington State University Tri-Cities with a focus on decision sciences and revenue management.