Chemists inside the Analytical Laboratory at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant have finished testing high-purity gas systems.
Office of Environmental Management
September 22, 2020
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RICHLAND, Wash. – Chemists inside the Analytical Laboratory at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant have finished testing high-purity gas systems that will help technicians analyze incoming samples and determine the correct glass-forming recipe for treating low-activity waste.
“The operational transition to start treating tank waste is the sum of many parts,” said Jason Young, the plant’s commissioning manager for EM’s Office of River Protection. “Getting the high-purity gas systems in the lab commissioned and ready for operations is a critical part of preparing to start treating tank waste.”
The lab’s gas systems include helium, argon, nitrogen, and methane. During future plant operations, lab technicians will use these gases, along with scientific equipment, to characterize metals and organic materials in samples of low-activity waste.
The Analytical Laboratory is key to the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) approach that will be used to treat millions of gallons of waste from Hanford’s underground storage tanks. DFLAW is a system of facilities operating together to vitrify, or turn into glass, low-activity waste. Moving these facilities from construction to commissioning is one of EM’s priorities for 2020.
“This is a big accomplishment,” said Ross Hamlett, commissioning manager with Waste Treatment Completion Company, a subcontractor to project lead Bechtel National Inc. “It was a tremendous effort by the entire team to finish the onsite testing in hot weather while implementing COVID-19 safety controls and coordinating with employees who are teleworking.”