EM Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant team recently finished startup testing for the Low-Activity Waste Facility's uninterruptible electrical power system, one of the plant's vital safeguards in the unlikely event of temporary power loss.
Office of Environmental Management
July 13, 2021
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RICHLAND, Wash. – The EM Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant team recently finished startup testing for the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility's uninterruptable electrical power system (UPS), one of the plant's vital safeguards in the unlikely event of a temporary power loss.
“The uninterruptable power system is an important step in the commissioning sequence and preparing for an upcoming loss-of-power test and then melter heatup later this year," said Mat Irwin, EM deputy assistant manager for the plant.
A loss-of-power test will demonstrate the plant’s ability to respond in the unlikely event of a loss of electrical power by placing the LAW Facility into a safe configuration and restoring power to two 300-ton melters for continued operations.
Once the melters are heated, they must be kept at a high operating temperature or will need to be replaced. During waste treatment operations, the melters will heat Hanford’s low-activity tank waste and glass-forming materials to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit — a process called vitrification — before the mixture is poured into stainless steel containers for disposal.
The plant’s main electrical switchgear building feeds power to the LAW Facility's utility systems, the melters, and critical safety systems. The UPS is located inside the LAW Facility and consists of several sets of industrial-sized backup batteries that can provide near-instantaneous backup power to plant systems.
“Our startup team and support groups did a tremendous job to get the uninterruptable power system across the finish line," said Roy Tyrie, startup director for Waste Treatment Completion Company, subcontractor to EM Office of River Protection contractor Bechtel National, Inc. “We're continuing our focus to finish LAW Facility startup testing in preparation for the loss-of-power test this summer.”
The UPS has been handed over to the plant management team to initiate the commissioning phase. The commissioning phase ensures the utilities and process systems are integrated and ready to support future plant operations. A total of 59 of the LAW Facility’s 94 total systems have been handed over to plant management.
Information on the commissioning process, including melter heatup, is available on the Journey to Melter Heatup website. The plant facilities can be viewed using the self-guided Hanford Virtual Tour.
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