At these LSDDPs, developers and vendors of improved or innovative technologies showcase products that are potentially beneficial to DOE’s projects, and to others in the D&D community. To this end, the Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area (DDFA) of the DOE’s Office of Science and Technology (OST) sponsors Large-Scale Demonstration and Deployment Projects (LSDDP). Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more cost-effective technologies for use in decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of nuclear facilities. This report compares the cost and performance of the tube and clamp scaffold to the cost and performance of the Excel Automatic Locking Scaffold. Benefits expected from using the innovative technology include: Decreased exposure to radiation, chemical, and/or physical hazards during scaffold erection and dismantlement Increased safety Easier use Shorten D&D Schedule Reduced cost of operation Excel Scaffold is compatible with tube and clamp scaffold. This demonstration investigated the feasibility of using the Excel Automatic Locking Scaffold (innovative technology) to access areas where tube and clamp scaffold (baseline) is currently being used on D&D activities. Because of the wide use of scaffold on D&D projects, a need exists for a safer more » to use, faster to set up, and overall cheaper scaffold system. In addition, the work requires more mobility than what can be achieved using ladders. In these areas, scaffold towers are used to access areas that are not accessible using mechanical methods such as manlifts or mechanical platforms. Although not addressed explicitly, the use of scaffolds is needed in several of the listed needs, including characterization, demolition, and asbestos abatement. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) LSDDP generated a list of need statements defining specific needs or problems where improved technologies could be incorporated into ongoing D&D tasks. Benefits sought include decreased health and safety risks to personnel and the environment, increased productivity, and decreased cost of operation. At these LSDDPs, developers and vendors of improved or innovative technologies showcase products that are potentially beneficial to the DOE’s projects and to others in the D&D community. To this end, the Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area (DDFA) of the DOE’s Office of Science and Technology sponsors large-scale demonstration and deployment projects (LSDDPs). The Excel system continues to evolve with additional accessories designed constantly to meet the demands of its customers.The United States Department of Energy (DOE) continually seeks safer and more cost-effective technologies for decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) of nuclear facilities. ![]() ![]() Today, Excel and its related companies hold 21 active patents. Williams designed and patented specialty pieces to assist with stairwells, trolley systems, roof adaptors, yo-yo adaptors and many other accessories that allow for unparalleled diversity. Excel is one of the few systems in which the manufacturer has certified the system as an anchorage point to most of its horizontal bars. He also designed the system to be stronger with double the weight load capacity of most systems, while maintaining a comparable per piece weight. These items alone would allow for a significant savings for Excel customers, but Williams wasn’t finished there. This reduced clutter and housekeeping issues, all while increasing productivity of managing a scaffold yard. He streamlined the system and the racks used to transport and hold the system, so that the horizontal bars had a precision fit. This allows a horizontal bar to lock onto the two nodes of vertical post without any tools being required. Williams was also able to reduce the number of repetitive actions with the locking trigger mechanism of the Excel system. This node spacing also allows the Excel system to meet both OSHA and Cal-OSHA handrail standards without any modifications necessary. ![]() Williams designed a system with a node spacing every 5.75 inches, so that decks could be placed vertically at these intervals and eliminate the need for tube and clamp modifications or alterations to a standard scaffold. Williams invented the perfect system to increase productivity, while raising the standards for safety with system scaffolding. In the scaffold industry, time equals money. A lag in significant advancements in the scaffold industry compelled Williams to call upon his years of experience and expertise- thus the Excel Modular Scaffold system was created. The Excel Modular Scaffold story begins in 1992 when Founder, Joe Williams, saw the need to improve upon system scaffolds that were in use at the time.
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