Crews at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) recently started the permanent joule heating system in the second of two melters in the plant’s Low-Activity Waste Facility.
Office of Environmental Management
May 7, 2024
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EMTV: Crews at the Hanford Site Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant began removing temporary startup heaters from a second 300-ton melter after initiating its permanent heating system.
RICHLAND, Wash. — Crews at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) recently started the permanent joule heating system in the second of two melters in the plant’s Low-Activity Waste Facility.
Mat Irwin, Office of River Protection acting assistant manager for the WTP Project, highlighted the significance of both melters reaching operating temperatures.
“The WTP team is now operating the two largest glass melters in the world on a 24/7 schedule,” said Irwin. “This is another important step in our preparations to start treating radioactive and chemical waste from Hanford’s large underground tanks by immobilizing it in glass for disposal.”
In joule heating, electrical current passes through a pool of molten glass in the melter to create and maintain heat. After the melter reached operating temperatures, WTP crews began removing startup heaters. They replaced them with bubblers that circulate air in the molten glass to help maintain an even temperature.
“Our team will continue building operational proficiency as we prepare to pour clean test glass from Melter 2 into a container,” said Rick Holmes, Bechtel National Inc. principal vice president and general manager for WTP. “These achievements set the stage for several months of ‘cold commissioning’ using simulated waste to test the Low-Activity Waste Facility’s processing and exhaust treatment systems.”
When “hot commissioning” using actual tank waste begins in 2025, the plant will treat millions of gallons of waste using vitrification, which is when waste is mixed with glass-forming materials in the two 300-ton melters, poured into containers, and transferred to Hanford’s Integrated Disposal Facility for safe disposal.
-Contributor: Tyler Oates
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