The Hydrogen Program: The present understanding of cyclic venting tanks
- Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
On the high-level waste tanks on the Hanford Site, 23 tanks have been identified as having a potential to generate and release hydrogen gases in a episodic manner. Efforts were initiated in 1990 to ensure safe operation of the tanks, to conduct a characterization of the waste, and to develop approaches for mitigating the release of hydrogen containing gases. The focus of the efforts has been on Tank 241-SY-101 because it has been shown to be the most active tank for the cyclic release of gases. This tank vents gases about every 100 days, and the major components have been determined to be hydrogen (fuel), nitrous oxide (oxidizer) and nitrogen in about equal portions. In some cases, the venting has resulted in mixtures that are above the lower flammability limit. This paper will describe monitoring and characterization data obtained during the most recent gas release events and the results from the analysis of a full core sample taken from Tank 241-SY-101. Summary details of changes in temperature profiles for the tank and other instrument observations during release, gas composition, and volume data are reported. The paper will provide information on the results of synthetic waste studies aimed at defining the mechanisms of flammable gas generation, storage, and release. The new data obtained from characterization, monitoring, tank behavior modeling, and research studies on waste have provided sufficient understanding of the tank behavior that the Waste Tank Safety program is exploring remediation and mitigation alternatives. Finally, the presentation will summarize preliminary steps taken to define mitigation and remediation strategies for Tank 241-SY-101 and to close out the safety issue.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-87RL10930
- OSTI ID:
- 10158300
- Report Number(s):
- WHC-SA--1406; CONF-920851--31; ON: DE92015900
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Operational experience in mitigating flammable gas releases from Hanford Site Tank 241-SY-101
Tank 241-SY-103 core sample: Interpretation of results
Related Subjects
054000
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
EMISSION
GAS ANALYSIS
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
GASES
HANFORD RESERVATION
HEALTH AND SAFETY
HYDROGEN
MITIGATION
MONITORING
NITROUS OXIDE
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SAFETY ANALYSIS
TANKS
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
VENTILATION
WASTE DISPOSAL AND STORAGE
WASTE FORMS