Crews at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant recently finished testing “bubblers,” special equipment critical to transforming radiological and chemical tank waste into a glass form for safe disposal.
Office of Environmental Management
August 30, 2022
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RICHLAND, Wash. – Crews at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant recently finished testing “bubblers,” special equipment critical to transforming radiological and chemical tank waste into a glass form for safe disposal. Eighteen bubblers will be inserted into the top of a 300-ton melter, where a mix of tank waste and glass-forming materials will be heated to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit during vitrification, or immobilization of the waste in glass. The bubblers will inject air in the bottom of the melted glass pool to circulate the mixture and maintain an even temperature. Workers will also move the bubblers out of the melters periodically for regular maintenance. Click here to watch a video on the project.