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Title: Level sensor replacement/sampling of Tank 241-SY-101 at the Hanford Site

Abstract

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for management and storage of waste accumulated from the processing of defense reactor irradiated fuels for plutonium recovery at the Hanford Site. DOE is proposing to remove three level detectors from Tank 241-SY-101 and analyze the waste that is presently encrusted on the detectors. The proposed sampling is less intrusive than core sampling and will provide data regarding characterization of the crust to support future core sampling. The purpose of this environmental assessment (EA) is to provide information about the proposed action such that a decision can be made on whether a Finding of No Significant Impact should be issued or an environmental impact statement should be prepared. Therefore, this EA evaluates the proposed action and the no action alternative, in keeping with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality, Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, parts 1500--1508. 6 refs.

Publication Date:
Research Org.:
USDOE Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health, Washington, DC (USA). Office of NEPA Oversight
Sponsoring Org.:
DOE/EH
OSTI Identifier:
6465206
Report Number(s):
DOE/EA-0479
ON: DE91004350; TRN: 91-000639
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; HANFORD RESERVATION; WASTE MANAGEMENT; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS; COMPLIANCE; ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY; IMPLEMENTATION; NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT; REGULATIONS; LAWS; MANAGEMENT; NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; US DOE; US ERDA; US ORGANIZATIONS; 053000* - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects; 052000 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Management; 056000 - Nuclear Fuels- Legislation & Regulations- (1987-)

Citation Formats

Not Available. Level sensor replacement/sampling of Tank 241-SY-101 at the Hanford Site. United States: N. p., 1990. Web. doi:10.2172/6465206.
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Not Available. Level sensor replacement/sampling of Tank 241-SY-101 at the Hanford Site. United States. doi:10.2172/6465206.
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Not Available. Mon . "Level sensor replacement/sampling of Tank 241-SY-101 at the Hanford Site". United States. doi:10.2172/6465206. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/6465206.
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@article{osti_6465206,
title = {Level sensor replacement/sampling of Tank 241-SY-101 at the Hanford Site},
author = {Not Available},
abstractNote = {The US Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for management and storage of waste accumulated from the processing of defense reactor irradiated fuels for plutonium recovery at the Hanford Site. DOE is proposing to remove three level detectors from Tank 241-SY-101 and analyze the waste that is presently encrusted on the detectors. The proposed sampling is less intrusive than core sampling and will provide data regarding characterization of the crust to support future core sampling. The purpose of this environmental assessment (EA) is to provide information about the proposed action such that a decision can be made on whether a Finding of No Significant Impact should be issued or an environmental impact statement should be prepared. Therefore, this EA evaluates the proposed action and the no action alternative, in keeping with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality, Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, parts 1500--1508. 6 refs.},
doi = {10.2172/6465206},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990},
month = {Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1990}
}
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Technical Report:
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DOI:  10.2172/6465206
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  • ; ; ; ...
    Los Alamos National Laboratory (Los Alamos) is performing a comprehensive probabilistic safety assessment (PSA), which will include consideration of external events for the 18 tank farms at the Hanford Site. This effort is sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE/EM, EM-36). Even though the methodology described herein will be applied to the entire tank farm, this report focuses only on the risk from the weapons-production wastes stored in tank number 241-SY-101, commonly known as Tank 101-SY, as configured in December 1992. This tank, which periodically releases ({open_quotes}burps{close_quotes}) a gaseous mixture of hydrogen, nitrous oxide, ammonia, and nitrogen, was analyzed firstmore » because of public safety concerns associated with the potential for release of radioactive tank contents should this gas mixture be ignited during one of the burps. In an effort to mitigate the burping phenomenon, an experiment is being conducted in which a large pump has been inserted into the tank to determine if pump-induced circulation of the tank contents will promote a slow, controlled release of the gases. At the Hanford Site there are 177 underground tanks in 18 separate tank farms containing accumulated liquid/sludge/salt cake radioactive wastes from 50 yr of weapons materials production activities. The total waste volume is about 60 million gal., which contains approximately 120 million Ci of radioactivity.« less

  • This safety assessment addresses each of the elements required for the proposed action to remove a slurry distributor and to install, operate, and remove a mixing pump in Tank 241-SY-101,which is located within the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington.The proposed action is required as part of an ongoing evaluation of various mitigation concepts developed to eliminate episodic gas releases that result in hydrogen concentrations in the tank dome space that exceed the lower flammability limit.

  • This safety assessment addresses each of the elements required for the proposed action to remove a slurry distributor and to install, operate, and remove a mixing pump in Tank 241-SY-101, which is located within the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington. The proposed action is required as part of an ongoing evaluation of various mitigation concepts developed to eliminate episodic gas releases that result in hydrogen concentrations in the tank dome space that exceed the lower flammability limit.

  • ; ;
    Ozone was investigated as a reagent to oxidize and destroy organic species present in simulated and genuine waste from Hanford Site Tank 241-SY-101 (Tank 101-SY). Two high-shear mixing apparatus were tested to perform the gas-to-solution mass transfer necessary to achieve efficient use of the ozone reagent. Oxidations of nitrite (to form nitrate) and organic species were observed. The organics oxidized to form carbonate and oxalate as well as nitrate and nitrogen gas from nitrogen associated with the organic. oxidations of metal species also were observed directly or inferred by solubilities. The chemical reaction stoichiometries were consistent with reduction of onemore » oxygen atom per ozone molecule. Acetate, oxalate, and formate were found to comprise about 40% of the genuine waste`s total organic carbon (TOC) concentration. Ozonation was found to be chemically feasible for destroying organic species (except oxalate) present in the wastes in Tank 101-SY. The simulated waste formulation used in these studies credibly modelled the ozonation behavior of the genuine waste.« less

  • ; ; ; ...
    Tank 241-SY-101 is a double-shell, high-level waste tank located in the 200 West Area on the Hanford Site. This tank contains about one million gallons of concentrated neutralized waste. Shortly after the waste was put in the tank, the waste begin to expand because of gas generation. In 1990 this tank was declared to have an unreviewed safety question because of the generation of flammable mixtures of hydrogen and nitrous oxide gas that was periodically released to the tank dome space and ventilation system. A safety program was established to characterize the waste and released gases and to determine anmore » effective means to prevent the accumulation of those gases in the tank dome space and ventilation system. Results of the expanded characterization conducted in fiscal year 1991 are presented. Instrumentation placed in the tank helped to provide more detailed information on tank temperatures; gas pressure, gas flow rates, and gas composition.« less