EM Office of River Protection (ORP) tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) is ready to begin assembling additional melters to support the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program at the Hanford Site.
Office of Environmental Management
October 25, 2022
minute read time
RICHLAND, Wash. – EM Office of River Protection (ORP) tank operations contractor Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) is ready to begin assembling additional melters to support the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program at the Hanford Site.
“The melters are the heart of DFLAW, making it vital to have replacements assembled and ready to change out the first set of melters when they reach the end of their expected lifespans,” said Delmar Noyes, ORP assistant manager for Tank Farms Project. “This will ensure the continuity of glass immobilization operations and provide cleanup progress on the Hanford Site.”
Vince Bass, journeyman carpenter with subcontractor Fowler General Construction, installs one of two rails at the Low-Activity Waste Melter Assembly, Storage and Transportation facility in Richland, Washington, near the Hanford Site. The steel rails will be used to move the 300-ton melter shells into the facility where they will be fitted with the components needed to heat up the waste and glass-forming materials.
ORP contracted with WRPS to assemble two spare melters at an offsite location in addition to procuring critical replacement parts to support Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) operations at Hanford. Replacement melters cannot be assembled at WTP once waste treatment has started because assembly can take up to two years.
“We worked closely with the Department and WTP staff to identify the parts critical to continued operation of the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility in the post-commissioning phase,” said Allan Exley, program manager of WTP operational spares at WRPS.
Two melters inside the WTP will vitrify, or immobilize in glass, radiological and chemical tank waste left over from plutonium production during World War II and the Cold War. WTP contractor Bechtel National Inc. assembled the first two 300-ton melters inside the WTP.
In September, WRPS installed a set of high-capacity transport rails at its assembly and storage facility near Hanford. The steel rails will transport and hold melter parts for assembly and storage until new melters are needed to replace the existing ones at WTP. Each melter has an expected lifespan of about five years. The replacement melter assembly is expected to begin shortly after the first set of outer shells for replacement melters are delivered to the facility next year.
To receive the latest news and updates about the Office of Environmental Management, submit your e-mail address.