Gas generation and retention in Tank 101-SY: A summary of laboratory studies, tank data, and information needs
- comp.; Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
- Georgia Inst. of Tech., Atlanta, GA (United States)
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States)
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
Chemical and radioactive wastes from processes used to separate plutonium from uranium are stored in underground tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington state. In March 1981, it was observed that the volume of wastes in Tank 101-SY slowly increased, followed by a rapid decrease and the venting of large quantities of gases. These cycles occurred every 8 to 15 weeks and continue to the present time. Subsequent analyses showed that these gases were composed primarily of hydrogen and nitrous oxide (N{sub 2}O). In response to the potential for explosion and release of hazardous materials to the environment, laboratory programs were initiated at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT), Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), and Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC), to develop a better understanding of the physical and chemical processes occurring in this waste tank. An aggressive sampling and analysis effort is also under way to characterize the wastes as fully as possible. These efforts will provide a technically defensible basis for safety analyses and future mitigation/remediation of the tank and its contents.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5217713
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-8124; ON: DE92015635
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
GASES
EMISSION
MITIGATION
HANFORD RESERVATION
TANKS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
DATA ACQUISITION
DECOMPOSITION
GAS ANALYSIS
HYDROGEN
MINIMIZATION
NITROUS OXIDE
RADIOLYSIS
REMEDIAL ACTION
SAMPLING
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CHEMICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTAINERS
DISPERSIONS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
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MATERIALS
MIXTURES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
SUSPENSIONS
US DOE
US ERDA
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052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
054000 - Nuclear Fuels- Health & Safety