The Hanford Site Tank Waste Remediation System: An update

Conference · Thu Jan 27 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:10144099

Alumkal, W T; Babad, H; Harmon, H D; Wodrich, D D

The U.S. Department of Energy`s Hanford Site, located in southeastern Washington State, has the most diverse and largest amount of highly radioactive waste in the United States. High-level radioactive waste has been stored in large underground tanks since 1944. Approximately 230,000 m{sup 3} (61 Mgal) of caustic liquids, slurries, saltcakes, and sludges have {sup 137}Cs accumulated in 177 tanks. In addition, significant amounts of {sup 90}Sr and were removed from the tank waste, converted to salts, doubly encapsulated in metal containers., and stored in water basins. A Tank Waste Remediation System Program was established by the U.S. Department of Energy in 1991 to safely manage and immobilize these wastes in anticipation of permanent disposal of the high-level waste fraction in a geologic repository. Since 1991, progress has been made resolving waste tank safety issues, upgrading Tank Farm facilities and operations, and developing a new strategy for retrieving, treating, and immobilizing the waste for disposal.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-87RL10930
• OSTI ID: 10144099
• Report Number(s): WHC-SA--2124; CONF-940225--103; ON: DE94010343
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002
054000
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CESIUM 137
HEALTH AND SAFETY
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
SAFETY ANALYSIS
STRONTIUM 90
TANKS
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
WASTE DISPOSAL AND STORAGE