Workers at EM Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant have completed construction of six more systems.
Office of Environmental Management
October 20, 2020
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RICHLAND, Wash. – Workers at EM Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant have completed construction of six more systems in the plant’s Effluent Management Facility (EMF) and turned them over to startup testing.
That progress over recent months means nearly 65 percent of EMF systems have been completed and turned over to startup testing.
EMF is a key new plant facility in the assembly of existing and new facilities that will enable the start of Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) treatment operations at Hanford, an EM 2020 priority.
“The team is doing an amazing job working as an integrated construction and startup team — everyone onsite and teleworking,” said Rick Holmes, general manager for the Waste Treatment Completion Company, which is working for prime contractor Bechtel National Inc. “We’re receiving quality constructed systems from our construction teammates, which are making walk-downs and turnover packages seamless for the startup team.”
The construction team’s efforts to deliver quality systems allowed the startup team to begin testing the systems earlier than planned. In turn, this approach is pacing the startup team to hand over tested systems to plant management earlier than expected.
During DLAW operations, secondary liquid, called effluent, is generated from the plant’s low-activity waste vitrification melter off-gas system and when transfer pipes are flushed. These liquids go to the EMF main processing building, where excess water is evaporated and transferred to Hanford’s nearby Liquid Effluent Retention Facility, and the remaining concentrate is sent back into the vitrification process. The EMF also includes electrical powerhouse and utility support buildings.
The EMF encompasses 77 integrated systems. As of early October, startup testing is complete for 11 systems which have been handed over to plant management to prepare for the commissioning phase. Startup testing is underway for 48 systems, and construction is nearing completion for the remaining 18 systems.