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RAY A. HUNTER Mr. Hunter earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, where he also served as an instructor in the Chemical Engineering Department. He began his nuclear career in 1965 Atomic Power Development Associates, Inc (APDA) in Detroit, Michigan. His responsibilities at APDA included conducting sodium technology experiments and performing operational evaluations of the Enrico Fermi Nuclear Plant, the Nation’s first commercial Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor. Mr. Hunter joined the Atomic Energy Commission, predecessor organization to U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in 1968. He rose through the ranks to enter the Senior Executive Service and became Deputy Director of the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE). For more than 15 years, he was Director of the Facilities Division within NE, and had line safety and overall management responsibilities for the operations of the Advanced Test Reactor and related facilities at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEEL);the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) West site including the Experimental Breeder Reactor II; the Fast Flux Test Facility at Hanford, Washington; the High Flux Isotope Reactor, the Radiochemical Engineering Center, and the Advanced Neutron Source conceptual design at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and the High Flux Beam Reactor and Brookhaven Medical Research Reactor at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. Mr. Hunter established the Association for Excellence in DOE Reactor Operations and was commended by the Secretary of Energy’s independent Advisory Committee on Nuclear Facility Safety for his management approach and commitment to nuclear safety. When the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board (DNFSB) was established, Mr. Hunter was given the assignment to represent DOE in addressing DNSFB safety concerns on the storage of depleted uranium hexafluoride. In close cooperation with the contractor, Mr. Hunter developed and submitted a corrective action plan. The DNFSB accepted the plan without change and the matter was considered closed. Mr. Hunter was selected to serve on numerous working groups in developing DOE Orders for Radiological Protection, Safeguards and Security, Occurrence Reporting, Safety Analyses, Conduct of Operations, and restart of Nuclear Facilities following shutdown for safety reasons. At the request of the Manager of the Savannah River Operations Office, he recommended corrective actions for restart of the tritium production plants. He was assigned the leadership role in resolving contamination events at several of the national laboratories and he was responsible for the action plan to address suspect parts in the DOE complex. Mr. Hunter also served as the Department of Energy’s senior technical advisor to the Department of State on nuclear technology matters. He accompanied State Department Officials to South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia to develop support for addressing proliferation concerns with North Korea’s nuclear program. He visited Chernobyl multiple times to develop specific technical recommendations for the Shelter Stabilization Project for damaged Unit 4. His recommendations were accepted by the State Department and the international group sponsoring the project. In discussion between State Department Officials and Chinese Officials on nonproliferation, China requested a nuclear technology cooperation agreement with the U.S. Mr. Hunter prepared an agreement and presented it to the Chinese delegation. He received the Pride Award from Secretary Federico Pena for the nuclear cooperation agreement between U.S. and China. Mr. Hunter retired from DOE in April 1998. Following a respite to try to improve his golf game and having failed that, he began to accept requests for consulting services. In late 1998, he provided specific recommendations to the DOE-Idaho Operations Office regarding a potential future initiative for a dedicated nuclear research reactor facility at the INEEL This initiative never made DOE’s budget. The Lockheed-Martin Idaho Technology Company (LMITCO) contracted with Mr. Hunter to prepare a projection on the future of nuclear energy and technology and a possible role for the INEEL in this future. Following interviews with LMITCO employees and contacts with DOE program offices, universities, industrial organizations, and foreign entities; a report was provided that identifies potential nuclear energy opportunities for INEEL. These opportunities are germane today. He provided assistance to the Bechtel/B&W team who won the DOE contract for operations of the INEEL. He was responsible for the preparation and facilitation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the team and ANL which was an important part of the winning proposal. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory requested assistance in preparing a program plan for the future the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). Mr. Hunter played a key role in obtaining Japanese and Korean support for restart of the FFTF. However, based on all of the information, Secretary Richardson decided to proceed with shutdown of FFTF. Recently, Mr. Hunter was requested by the Director of DOE-NE to assist in the reorganization of the Idaho Operations Office in preparation for the new Idaho National Laboratory. DOE-HQ has approved the proposed organization for the Operations Office. In recognition of his contributions to the development of Liquid Metal Reactor Technology, Mr. Hunter was awarded the Walker L. Cisler Medal from the American Nuclear Society in June 1998 and has been listed in the 5th edition of “Who’s Who in Science and Engineering. |