U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) crews at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site continue to make progress using repurposed Cold War-era facilities to treat potentially hazardous metals, rendering them safe for offsite disposal.
Office of Environmental Management
May 14, 2024
minute read time
Crews treat a potentially hazardous metal inside a hot cell at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center to render it safe for offsite disposal.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) crews at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Site continue to make progress using repurposed Cold War-era facilities to treat potentially hazardous metals, rendering them safe for offsite disposal.
Workers with the Waste Management Program of EM contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition are using “hot cells” at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) to treat the contents of 130 canisters containing metal with uranium and plutonium fines, and sodium and potassium, all of which can be reactive and ignite in air or water. The hot cells — large concrete enclosures with shielded glass and mechanical manipulators that allow operators to safely handle highly radioactive or hazardous materials — were constructed to assist in the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing mission at INTEC until 1992.
The waste containing the challenging metals undergoing treatment originated from the former Argonne National Laboratory-West, now called the INL Site’s Materials and Fuels Complex, and liquid metal fast breeder reactor programs from the 1960s through the early 2000s. At one time, the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II, which operated from 1965 to 1994, provided nuclear power to all INL Site facilities.
Treating and repackaging the waste involves opening an overpack, which serves as a secondary layer of protection, to access an inner waste can. The waste can is transferred to a hot cell and opened in a plexiglass chamber filled with argon gas to make it an oxygen-poor environment to allow for controlled waste treatment.
Because sodium and potassium react vigorously in water, they’re treated with water spritzing, in which extremely fine mists of water are introduced in the chamber. Operators immerse more complexly shaped metals containing sodium or potassium in water while maintaining the oxygen level at or below 3.3%. Infrared cameras and monitors gauge the level of reaction, allowing operators to adjust the oxygen level or water usage.
Uranium and plutonium fines, which are reactive in air, are treated by adjusting the oxygen level in the chamber. Testing is performed to ensure all reactive metals have been treated and the material is safe to ship for disposal.
“What sounds like a relatively simple process is only achieved through the teamwork of the operators, radiological protection personnel, engineers, maintenance staff, shipping experts and many others,” INTEC Nuclear Facility Manager Travis Barney said. “The controlled reactions can extend from minutes to hours. Everyone operates with safety in mind.”
Once treatment of the waste is complete, it is packaged and placed in a 55-gallon drum and transferred to a shielded cell. Crews then complete a process to determine the shipping technique and final waste disposition facility.
-Contributor: Erik Simpson
To receive the latest news and updates about the Office of Environmental Management, submit your e-mail address.