Crews recently performed a second run using water to test for receiving sodium hydroxide at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Effluent Management Facility (EMF) on the Hanford Site.
Office of Environmental Management
January 17, 2023
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RICHLAND, Wash. – Crews recently performed a second run using water to test for receiving sodium hydroxide at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Effluent Management Facility (EMF) on the Hanford Site.
The sodium hydroxide will be the first chemical fed to the plant’s melter to simulate tank waste feed and will treat byproducts generated during direct-feed low-activity waste (DFLAW) operations. The chemical will also be used in the EMF treatment process and the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility emissions treatment system.
“These test runs use water to help our team and the vendor simulate the receipt process and identify and resolve any questions in the equipment or procedures,” said Rick Holmes, general manager for Waste Treatment Completion Company, a subcontractor to Bechtel National Inc., which is designing, building and commissioning the WTP for EM’s Office of River Protection. “This in turn will allow the team to troubleshoot and perfect the process before bringing the actual material onsite.”
During DFLAW operations, treated waste from Hanford’s underground tanks will be fed directly to melters inside the LAW Facility. The waste will be mixed with glass-forming materials and heated in the melters, then poured into specially designed stainless steel containers for disposal at the Integrated Disposal Facility on the site. Secondary liquid, called effluent, will be generated and sent to the EMF, where excess water will be evaporated and the remaining waste returned to the LAW Facility for treatment.
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