Chemists are developing the processes they’ll need to analyze radioactive tank waste before it’s turned into glass.

The Department of Energy and Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) are collaborating with a local college to help prepare chemists to eventually work at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant’s (WTP) Analytical Laboratory. A 3,300-square foot laboratory at Columbia Basin College (CBC) in Pasco, Washington, will prepare the Analytical Laboratory’s future staff for work at the real thing.

The lab will start developing the processes that will be used to support low-activity waste vitrification by a court-ordered milestone of 2023. BNI set up the lab at CBC so chemists and laboratory specialists can train with the same equipment that will be eventually transferred to the WTP Analytical Laboratory at the jobsite.

Read more about this important work at http://bit.ly/LabProcessWork.

The Water Treatment Building will distribute Hanford Site water to numerous support buildings and sends process water to the Low-Activity Waste Facility and Analytical Laboratory.

The Hanford Vit Plant is bringing more major utility systems online as the facility continues the transition from construction to startup and commissioning in support of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) plans to begin treating tank waste through its Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) vitrification approach.

Earlier this month crews finished startup testing of systems for four more Vit Plant Balance of Facilities (BOF) utility support buildings, which were handed over for commissioning. As engineers and construction crews finish all, or specific portions of, plant systems, the systems are transferred to the startup phase where they are verified and tested as complete and in safe working order. After the startup phase, systems undergo a commissioning phase to ensure they are calibrated and ready to support future plant operations.

Read more about this progress toward treating tank waste at http://bit.ly/VitPlantCommissioning.

The Analytical Laboratory will analyze samples of glass to ensure it will meet regulatory requirements and standards.

The Washington State Department of Ecology has approved an operating permit for the Analytical Laboratory at the Hanford Vit Plant.

Approval of the Analytical Laboratory operating permit marks the first major Vit Plant facility to complete all phases of the state’s mandated permit life cycle – from initial design, through groundbreaking and construction, and now to an approved operating permit issued.

Due to the unprecedented scale and complexity of vitrifying Hanford’s radioactive tank waste, the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of River Protection (ORP) and contractor Bechtel National Inc. requested the permit well in advance before the Vit Plant comes online. This ensured the necessary public participation and comment periods could occur, and the permit would be available well before the Vit Plant's Low-Activity Waste vitrification comes online.

Read more about this accomplishment at http://bit.ly/LabOperatingPermit.