Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility Discharges in 2017
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
This report documents radioactive discharges from the TA50 Radioactive Liquid Waste Treatment Facility (RLWTF) during calendar year 2017. During 2017, all treated water was fed to the effluent evaporator. The evaporator was operated 3574 hours on 224 days, primarily in one-burner mode (63% of the time). A total of 3.42 million liters of treated water were fed to the evaporator, and 3.36 million liters were discharged to the environment as steam from the evaporator stack. Evaporator operation continued the single-tank feed mode that was begun in 2014. Specifically, when a Frac tank was filled with treated water, contents of the tank were mixed; a representative sample was collected; and the sample was analyzed to assess water quality. A total of 49 tanks of treated water were sampled, analyzed, and then fed to the evaporator during 2017. Tank samples were analyzed for gross alpha, gross beta, tritium, and a few inorganic parameters such as nitrate and dissolved solids. Frac tank samples of evaporator feed were held, then composited at the end of each month. Each monthly composite sample was then analyzed for gross alpha, gross beta, tritium, and 36 radioisotopes (eight alpha-emitting isotopes, 28 beta emitters). Samples were also collected of water drained from the evaporator. These samples, analyzed for alpha, beta, and tritium concentrations, were then used to estimate radioactive quantities present in evaporator drain water. The difference, rad fed less rad drained, yielded quantities of radioactivity discharged through the stack into the environment . Table 1 summarizes this information.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Programs (DP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396
- OSTI ID:
- 1425784
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-18-22090
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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