Hanford Reserve

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Hanford Reserve

• Presented by
• BarShaina Lamar
• Joe Holak
• Jacyln Holcombe
• Ankur Patel
• Micheal Davis

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Objectives

• What was the purpose of the Hanford Site
• What were the problems with the Hanford Site and
  how were those problems solved
• Initially, how was high-level waste stored
  compared to medium and low-level waste
• Explain the Subductive Waste Disposal Theory
• Explain the differences between a single tank and
  double tank
• Explain the 6 steps of Vitrificarion

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Magnified view of Hanford Site
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Historical Overview

• Established in 1943 to produce plutonium for the
  production of nuclear weapons that were used in
  World War II and continued throughout the Cold
  War.
• The production of plutonium ceased in 1987
• Cleanup began May 15, 1989

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Storage

• 54 million gallons of high level radioactive and
  chemical waste was stored in 177 underground tank
• 75, 000 barrels of intermediate and low- level
  waste were placed into covered trenches

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Waste Tanks

• Tanks were built in groups called tank farms.
• There are pumps connecting each of the tanks so
  that waste can be pumped between tanks.
• Liquid waste from single hulled tanks is being
  pumped to newer double hulled tanks.
• Waste in the tanks can be either in solid, liquid
  or sludge like.

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Waste Tanks
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Types of waste

• High Level Radioactive Waste (HLW)
• The main products of nuclear fission

• Types radioactive fission products include
  isotopes of iodine, cesium, strontium, xenon, and
  barium.
• 3H, 85Kr, 90Sr, 90Y, 93Zr, 99Tc, 106Ru, 106Rh,
  107Pd, 121mSn, 125Sb,125Te, 126Sn, 126mSb, 126Sb,
  129I, 134Cs, 135Cs, 137Cs, 137mBa, (in text book
  pg 639)

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Types of Waste

• High-Level Waste (HLW)
• Transuranic Waste (TRU)
• 90Sr, 137Cs, 239Pu, 240Pu, 241Pu, 238Pu, 242Pu,
  241Am, and 244Cm
• Low Level Radioactive Waste (LLW)
• Items that have become contaminated with
  radioactive material or have become radioactive
  through exposure to neutron radiation
• Protective clothing and anything if the plant
  that could have been exposed (machinery, tools,
  wood, etc)

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Problem

• 67 tanks of the high level waste have leaked
  waste into the soil, which seeps into the
  Columbia River
• Columbia river is highly depended upon by Oregon
  for farm irrigation, fishing, power generation,
  transport and recreation.
• To date, scientists estimate that 2.3 to 3.4
  million liters (600,000 to 900,000 gallons) of
  radioactive waste have leaked from single-shell
  tanks.
• 25 million cubic feet of waste
• 80 square miles of contaminated ground water
• Whilst moving the toxic waste from single shelled
  tanks, major spills have occurred and are
  dangerous for the workers involved as well as the
  surrounding environment.
• All single-shell tanks have exceeded their design
  life by about 30 years.

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Sources of Contamination
Columbia River
Vadose Zone
Groundwater / Aquifer
Flow
Flow
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Tri-party Agreement

• On May, 15, 1989 the Department of Energy,
  Environmental Protection Agency, and Washington
  State Department of Ecology signed a cleanup
  agreement.

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Solutions

• Short term plan Usage of Double Shell Tank
• Long term plan Vitrification

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Single Shell Tank to Double Shell Tank
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Double Shell Tank

• First design use copper as a outer covering
• Second design use an outer copper shell with an
  inner shell of nickel-aluminum bronze
• Third design use a thick outer layer of steel
  and a inner layer of a nickel-based super-alloy
• Copper is still being investigated as the best
  coating for the tanks

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Vitrification

• 1. Nuclear waste
• 2. Evaporator
• 3. Mixer
• 4. Stainless Seal Canister

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High Frequency Induction Heating

• Alternating electrical current (A.C.) is run
  through the coil
• An intense magnetic field is created in the
  center of the coil
• The object in the center acts a short circuiting
  transformer

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High Frequency Induction Heating
The electrons are pulled around the outside of
the object due to the intense magnetic field,
creating an immense amount of heat
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Vitrification

• 1. Nuclear waste
• 2. Evaporator
• 3. Mixer
• 4. Stainless Seal Canister

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Borosilicate Glass

• Na2O-B2O3-SiO3
• Also called Pyrex
• Constituents
• 70 Silica
• 10 Boric oxide
• 8 Sodium oxide
• 8 Potassium oxide
• 1 Calcium oxide
• Boric oxide is used to lower the melting
  temperature without compromising the effect of
  leachability

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Borosilicate Glass

• An amorphous solid
• A network of SiO4 tetrahedra (silicate) and BO3
  (borate) triangles is largely unchanged by
  addition of the waste

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Vitrification

• 1. Nuclear waste
• 2. Evaporator
• 3. Mixer
• 4. Stainless Seal Canister

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Waste Canisters

• 3 m high
• 0.6 m diameter
• holds 400 kg of the borosilicate glass and waste
  material

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Vitrification

• 5. Sealer
• 6. Cleaning
• 7. Storing
• 8. Site of Storage

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Vitrification

• Reduces the volume of HLW by 75
• Commercial vitrification plants operate in
  France, U.K. and Belgium produce about 1000
  metric tons per year of such vitrified waste
  (2500 canisters) and some have been operating for
  more than 16 years.

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Vitrification
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Vitrification site at Hanford
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Borosilicate Glass with Waste

• The nuclear waste from the production of nuclear
  electrical energy of one persons entire life is
  contained in the object in the hand.

Aka Fast Glass
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Storage

• Burry waste approximately 500 meters deep in a
  dry, stable geological formation (rock structure,
  mountain)
• In a wet environment the stainless steel capsule
  can be coated with bentonite clay and incased
  with an absorbent material to inhibit the flow of
  ground water to the tank, therefore, decreasing
  the chance of the tanks leaking.

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Other Possible Solution

• Synroc
• Subductive Waste Disposal
• Incineration

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Synroc

• Definition a titanium-based, polyphase, ceramic
  material made of specific natural minerals
  including TiO2, ZrO2, Al2O3, BaO2, and CaO.
• Holds 20 of high level waste
• Problem Does not hold liquid waste, still needs
  to be stored in a safe environment.

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Synroc

• The particulate matter that has settled to the
  bottom of the tanks, called salt cakes, can be
  calcined to a more stable solid.
• Salt cakes consist of carbonates, phosphates,
  sulfates, and nitrates.
• The majority of the radioactive materials of the
  waste is in the salt cakes.

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Synroc

• The main minerals in Synroc-C are hollandite
  (BaAl2Ti6O16), zirconolite (CaZrTi2O7) and
  perovskite (CaTiO3).

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Subductive Waste Disposal

• Definition when one tectonic plate slides over
  another
• Theory The tectonic plate that is being
  readmitted into the earth can be the vessel that
  carries the nuclear waste into the mantle of the
  earth to be incinerated, therefore, when the
  waste is re-emerge through an area where the
  plates are pulling apart. The waste will be so
  dilute that the waste will no longer be
  considered to be a contaminant to the environment.

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Subductive Waste Disposal
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Incineration

• Plutonium and Uranium (spent nuclear fuel) can be
  incinerated
• Step 1 burn waste at 900ºC to produce solid
  waste and gas waste
• Step 2 Dispose of the solid waste after testing
  it to ensure it is no longer harmful
• Step 3 Draw the gas waste
• and any airborne particles into
• an afterburner for at least 2
• seconds at 1200ºC
• Step 4 pass the remaining
• gas through a pollution control
• system to guarantee that the
• products being released
• are no longer harmful.

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General Facts

• Currently the United States' most contaminated
  nuclear site
• Occupies 586 square miles in Benton County,
  Washington
• Approximately half the size of Rhode Island.
• Established in 1943
• Code named Site W!
• 230 million dollars to build.
• 177 tanks storing 55 million gallons of high and
  low level waste
• To date, the cost of the project is exceeding
  3.74 billion

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Summary

• So, what was the purpose of the Hanford site?
• Originally it was established in 1943 to
  produce plutonium. Plutonium was used to make
  nuclear weapons.
• Plutonium made at the Hanford Site was used to
  build the first nuclear bomb.
• Plutonium from the site was used to build Little
  Boy and Fat Man bombs that the USA dropped on
  Japan on August 6th and 9th, 1945, respectively.
• Currently it is no longer used to produce
  plutonium and is the most contaminated nuclear
  site in the USA.

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Summary

• What were the problems with the Hanford Site?
• Leaking of the tanks which is causing seeping
  into the Columbia river.
• Columbia river is depended upon for farming,
  irrigation and fishing waste products getting
  into water table and in food chain.
• Tanks are old, but transporting the waste to new
  tanks is causing spills, thus further
  contamination.

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• Vitrificatoin
• Can reduce the volume of HLW by 75
• Synroc
• Can store 20 of high levels of waste
• Still needs to be stored safely
• Subductive Waste Disposal
• Carry nuclear waste into mantle of the earth
• Incineration

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Summary
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References

• http//www.hansford.gov
• http//www.hanfordwatch.org/introduction.htm
• http//surj.stanford.edu/2004/pdfs/lichtenstein.pd
  f
• http//seattlepi.nwsource.com/specials/eternity/vi
  tri1.html 
• http//www.uic.com.au/wast.htm
• http//www.uic.com.au/wast.htm
•