Appendix F
Waste Retrieval Status
TABLE F-1 Status of Tank Waste Retrieval Operations at the Three Sites
Site |
Tank Identifier |
Nominal Tank Capacity (gallons) |
Volume of the heel (gallons) (percentage of initial volume) |
Radioactivity in the heel (percentage of initial radioactivity) |
Residual Waste Retrieval Technology Used |
Comments |
Savannah River Site (51 tanks) |
Tank 16a |
1.06 million |
9.5 kg solidsa |
830 Ci (30.7 TBq) |
Water washing, chemical cleaning |
Completed to the limit of technologies. Most of the radioactivity is due to insoluble strontium-90 inventory. The tank annulus requires additional cleaning. |
|
Tank 17b |
1.3 million |
2,200 gallons sludge |
2,400 Ci (89 TBq) |
Water washing, Sluicing and pumping |
Completed (closed) |
|
Tank 20b |
1.3 million |
1,000 gallons sludge |
500 Ci (18.5 TBq) |
Sluicing and pumping |
Completed (closed) |
|
Tank 18b |
1.3 million |
4,300 gallons wet solids |
27,600 Ci (1.02 PBq) |
Sluicing and pumping |
Completed. Most of the radioactivity is due to cesium-137 and barium-137 trapped in residual zeolites (46% of the heel volume and ~88% of the total curies). Strontium-90 and yttrium-90 make up another ~10% of the radioactivity |
|
Tank 19b |
1.3 million |
15,100 gallons wet solids |
96,000 Ci (3.6 PBq) |
Sluicing and pumping |
Most of the radioactivity is due to cesium-137 and barium-137 trapped in residual zeolites (66% of the heel volume and ~99% of the total radioactivity) |
Hanford |
C-106c |
530,000 |
2,768 gallons (370 cubic feet) |
136,700 Ci (5.06 PBq) |
Modified sluicing, oxalic acid dissolution |
Completed to the limit of technologies. Most of the radioactivity is due to insoluble strontium-90 inventory |
|
C-203d |
55,000 |
138 gallons (18.5 cubic feet) |
36 Ci (1.3 TBq) |
Vacuum retrieval system |
Completed |
|
C-202e |
55,000 |
147 gallons |
Results not available |
Vacuum retrieval system |
Completed |
|
S-102f |
758,000 |
321,000 gallons (in progress) |
Results not available |
Modified sluicing, saltcake dissolution |
Retrieval still under way |
Site |
Tank Identifier |
Nominal Tank Capacity (gallons) |
Volume of the heel (gallons) (percentage of initial volume) |
Radioactivity in the heel (percentage of initial radioactivity) |
Residual Waste Retrieval Technology Used |
Comments |
Hanford |
S-112f |
758,000 |
23,000 gallons |
Results not available |
Modified sluicing, saltcake dissolution, Salt Mantis |
Retrieval complete to the limit of technology for modified sluicing and saltcake dissolution; additional technology (Salt Mantis) deployed, retrieval still in progress |
Idahog |
WM-180 |
300,000 |
7,600 gallons liquidsg 542 kg solids |
1,047 Ci (38.7 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
|
|
WM-181 |
300,000 |
7,300 gallons liquidsg 246 kg solids |
475 Ci (17.6 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
|
|
WM-182 |
300,000 |
6500 gallons liquidsg 1238 kg solids |
2,394 Ci (88.6 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
|
|
WM-183 |
300,000 |
8000 gallons liquidsg 702 kg solids |
1,363 Ci (50.4 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
|
|
WM-184 |
300,000 |
3100 gallons liquidsg 558 kg solids |
1,077 Ci (39.8 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
|
|
WM-185 |
300,000 |
5800 gallons liquidsg 720 kg solids |
1,391 Ci + 3,850 Ci in the sandpad (194 TBq ) |
Pumping and water washing |
|
|
WM-186 |
300,000 |
6,600 gallons liquidsg 334 kg solids |
646 Ci (23.9 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
|
|
WM-103 |
30,000 |
19 kg solids |
37 Ci (1.4 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
Conservative estimates of solids based on a biological film layer at the bottom of the tank |
|
WM-104 |
30,000 |
19 kg solids |
37 Ci (1.4 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
Conservative estimates of solids based on a biological film layer at the bottom of the tank |
|
WM-105 |
30,000 |
19 kg solids |
37 Ci (1.4 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
Conservative estimates of solids based on a biological film layer at the bottom of the tank |
|
WM-106 |
30,000 |
19 kg solids |
37 Ci (1.4 TBq) |
Pumping and water washing |
Conservative estimates of solids based on a biological film layer at the bottom of the tank |
NOTE: Only tanks that had most waste retrieved at the time of writing (December 2005) are shown; other tanks may be in process. The table has been fact-checked by the three sites. a Fowler, 1981. b DOE-SRS, 2005a. c Hewitt, and Sams, 2005. d Quintero, 2005b. e. Quintero, 2005b. f Dodd, 2005. g DOE-ID, 2005a. h A volume of flush water is left in the tanks after the last wash cycle, to allow for sampling, keep any remaining solids in a state to allow further removal during the grouting phase, and allow enough volume to permit restart of the transfer jets during tank grouting. During the tank grouting phase,the transfer jets will be operated to remove the remaining liquid and whatever solid particles come with it. |
TABLE F-2 Summary of Main Waste Retrieval Tools in DOE’s Toolbox
Mobilization or Collection Technique |
Tool Considered or Developed |
Tool Tested |
Tool Deployed |
“Wet” technologies |
|
|
|
Mixing or sluicing technologies |
|
|
|
Low pressure (<1000 psi) |
|
|
Slurry pumps (several SRS tanks); waterbrush (SRS Tank 17); Flygt Mixer (SRS Tanks 17 and 19); bladed agitators (several SRS tanks— small processing vessels); Advanced Design Mixer Pump (SRS Tank 18); Hanford C-103 Sluicer (Hanford Tank C-103); Hanford C-106 Sluicer (Hanford Tank C-106);washball or directional nozzle wash system (INL tanks) |
Moderate pressure (1,000 < psi < 3,000) |
|
|
Borehole miner (several ORNL tanks); water mouse (SRS Tank 17) |
High-pressure (>3,000 psi) |
|
|
Hydrolaser/hydrolance (SRS Tank 19); Salt Mantis (Hanford S-112); Confined Sluicing End Effector (CSEE; ORNL); bilateral sluicers (SRS Type I Tanks) |
Pulsating mixing devices |
|
AEA Technology Power Fluidics (cold tested at Hanford) |
|
|
|
Russian Pulsating Mixer Pump (PMP) (tested at PNNL and at ORNL) |
|
Chemical cleaning |
|
|
|
Using sluicing |
|
|
Modified sluicing and acid dissolution (Hanford tank C-106) |
Using mixers |
|
|
Oxalic acid (SRS Tanks 16 and 24) |
Dry or semidry technologies |
|
|
|
Vacuum |
|
|
Vacuum retrieval system (Hanford C-202, C-203, C-201) |
Scarifier or grinder |
Rail or pneumatic wheel-based systems used in the mining industry (never tested or deployed in DOE tanks); dry retrieval system (considered for Hanford Tank C-104 but never deployed) |
|
Burnishing tool (deployed at West Valley); scarifier (deployed at ORNL using both the Houdini™ and the Modified Light Duty Utility Arm (MLDUA) |
Mechanical conveyance systems |
|
|
|
Deployment devices or delivery tools |
|
|
|
Simple mast |
Delphinus (never deployed) |
|
Vacuum retrieval system (Hanford Tanks C-202, C-203, C-201), Mast Tool Delivery System (West Valley Tank 8D-1) |
Multijoined arm |
SRS Crawler (designed for deployment in SRS Tank 19 but never deployed), VAC TRAX (never deployed), Pit Hog (never deployed), ESG/LATA Trac-Pump (never deployed) |
EMMA (tested for use at Fernald but never deployed), ReTRIEVR (tested for use at Fernald but never deployed), Tarzan (partially built for use at West Valley but never completed) |
Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA) and MLDUA (Oak Ridge) |