Determination of Erosion/Corrosion Rates in Hanford Tank Farms Radioactive Waste Transfer System Pipelines

Conference · Thu Nov 05 00:00:00 EST 2015

OSTI ID:1227223

Washenfelder, D. J.; Girardot, C. L.; Wilson, E. R.; Page, J. A.; Engeman, J. K.; Gunter, J. R.; Johnson, J. M.; Baide, D. G.; Cooke, G. A.; Larson, J. D.; Castleberry, J. L.; Boomer, K. D.

The twenty-eight double-shell underground radioactive waste storage tanks at the U. S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site near Richland, WA are interconnected by the Waste Transfer System network of buried steel encased pipelines and pipe jumpers in below-grade pits. The pipeline material is stainless steel or carbon steel in 51 mm to 152 mm (2 in. to 6 in.) sizes. The pipelines carry slurries ranging up to 20 volume percent solids and supernatants with less than one volume percent solids at velocities necessary to prevent settling. The pipelines, installed between 1976 and 2011, were originally intended to last until the 2028 completion of the double-shell tank storage mission. The mission has been subsequently extended. In 2010 the Tank Operating Contractor began a systematic evaluation of the Waste Transfer System pipeline conditions applying guidelines from API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 (2007), Fitness-For-Service. Between 2010 and 2014 Fitness-for-Service examinations of the Waste Transfer System pipeline materials, sizes, and components were completed. In parallel, waste throughput histories were prepared allowing side-by-side pipeline wall thinning rate comparisons between carbon and stainless steel, slurries and supernatants and throughput volumes. The work showed that for transfer volumes up to 6.1E+05 m³ (161 million gallons), the highest throughput of any pipeline segment examined, there has been no detectable wall thinning in either stainless or carbon steel pipeline material regardless of waste fluid characteristics or throughput. The paper describes the field and laboratory evaluation methods used for the Fitness-for-Service examinations, the results of the examinations, and the data reduction methodologies used to support Hanford Waste Transfer System pipeline wall thinning conclusions.

• Research Organization: Hanford Site (HNF), Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• Contributing Organization: AEM Consulting LLC (United States); Washington River Protection Solutions, Richland, WA (United States); USDOE Office River Protection, Richland, WA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC27-08RV14800
• OSTI ID: 1227223
• Report Number(s): TOC-PRES-15-3560-FP-Rev.0; TRN: US1601922
• Resource Relation: Conference: Waste Management Symposia 2016 (WM2016), Phoenix, AZ (United States), 6-10 Mar 2016
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
HANFORD RESERVATION
STAINLESS STEELS
CARBON STEELS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
TANKS
PIPELINES
STORAGE FACILITIES
SLURRIES
CORROSION
WALLS
EROSION
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
SERVICE LIFE
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES