Steam Plant Startup Testing Begins at Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant

RICHLAND, Wash. – Workers at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant recently began startup testing of the steam system needed to support EM’s program for treating underground tank waste at the Hanford Site, called Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste.

A number of facilities and systems are going through the startup and commissioning phases to prepare for starting to treat low-activity tank waste by 2023.

Startup testing of the steam system began when crews ignited the first of three large diesel-fired boilers inside the steam plant, known as a boiler “first fire.” The steam plant will undergo functional testing throughout the summer and into early fall as part of its startup phase.

The steam plant is capable of providing 45,000 pounds per hour of steam necessary for plant-wide process and facility heating.