Pilot retrieval and inspection of stored transuranic waste drums

Journal Article · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society

OSTI ID:186302

Demiter, J A; DeRosa, D C; Duncan, D R ^[1]

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1. Westinghouse Hanford Company, Richland, WA (United States)

Retrieval, inspection, characterization, and treatment, as required, of stored transuranic (TRU) wastes must be accomplished prior to wastes being designated for final disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. The WIPP is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) research and development facility designed to demonstrate the safe and environmentally acceptable disposal of TRU wastes generated from national defense programs. Due to high radiotoxicity arid long half-lives, transuranium isotope wastes generated after 1970 were to be stored as contamination-free packages designed to last 20 yr. The Hanford site, located in Washington State, stores 36 264 drums and other containers filled with TRU wastes (generated from 1970 to 1987) in 26 underground trenches up to 300 m (900 ft) long. The stored TRU wastes are mandated to be retrieved, inspected, and repackaged for final disposal at WIPP. The Hanford site Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) facility will conduct this function on a full-scale basis. This paper discusses a pilot-scale program whose scope is inspection, retrieval, and characterization of stored TRU wastes at Hanford to provide retrieval, inspection, characterization, and operational throughput data for the WRAP facility.

• OSTI ID: 186302
• Report Number(s): CONF-950601--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society, Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society Vol. 72; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
CONTAINERS
GASES
HANFORD RESERVATION
HAZARDS
INSPECTION
SPECIFICATIONS
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
WASTE RETRIEVAL