Vitrification & Grout

Lawmakers from Washington state reacted this week to news that the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) has finally turned some of its less-radioactive tank waste in glass form for disposal at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. “It’s difficult to overstate how important this milestone is in the Hanford cleanup effort,” Washington Gov. Bob […]

The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington is expected to start operations this week with only one melter in operation, an Oregon panel heard last week. The plant, designed to vitrify radioactive liquid tank waste into a glass-like solid, will start up this week operating only […]

Twenty-five years after the Department of Energy contracted Bechtel National to build a plant to vitrify radioactive sludge into a glass form, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) began operation this week at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said Wednesday Hanford’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Facility (DFLAW) at WTP […]

Twenty-five years after the Department of Energy contracted Bechtel National to build a plant to vitrify radioactive sludge into a glass form, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) began operation this week at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said Wednesday Hanford’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Facility (DFLAW) at WTP […]

The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) at the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington is expected to start operations this week with only one melter in operation, an Oregon panel heard last week. The plant, designed to vitrify radioactive liquid tank waste into a glass-like solid, will start up this week operating only […]

The Department of Energy acknowledged Thursday morning that the first liquid radioactive and chemical sludge from underground tanks at the Hanford Site is being transferred into the new Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) in Richland, Wash. “With radioactive tank waste now being transferred to Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant, the Low Activity Waste Facility hot […]

The state of Washington said Wednesday the Department of Energy has its final authorization to start turning radioactive tank waste into glass at the Hanford Site’s Low-Activity Waste Facility.  DOE faces an Oct. 15 deadline to begin operating the facility that state officials had recently feared the feds might walk away from.  The Washington state […]

ARLINGTON, VA — The new acting head of the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch reiterated here Wednesday DOE remains committed to start making glass in mid-October from the radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site in Washington state. Following his address to the National Cleanup Workshop, Joel Bradburne, acting assistant secretary for DOE’s Office […]

ARLINGTON, VA — The new acting head of the Department of Energy’s nuclear cleanup branch reiterated here Wednesday the department remains committed to start making glass in mid-October from the radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site in Washington state. Following his address to the National Cleanup Workshop, Joel Bradburne, acting assistant secretary for DOE’s […]

The Department of Energy has issued a decision to clear the way for a multi-billion-dollar plant to start turning radioactive sludge into a solid glass form at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement late Wednesday she was glad DOE […]

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is the latest official from her state to urge Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to stick with an Oct. 15 target for starting to convert radioactive sludge at the Hanford Site in a stable glass form. In a Senate floor statement on Friday Sept. 12 should not be “walking back” the […]

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson (D) said Friday his state won’t hesitate to enforce an existing federal court order if the Department of Energy attempts to cancel a multibillion-dollar plant designed to vitrify liquid radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site into a solid glass form. Ferguson, along with the head of the Washington state Department […]

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright issued a statement Tuesday seeking to knock down speculation DOE might cancel the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) weeks before it is scheduled to start converting some radioactive waste into glass at the Hanford Site. “Contrary to news reports, the Department of Energy has made no changes to its […]

Two workers at the Department of Energy’s vitrification plant at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash., were involved in a “near miss,” according to an August report more than a month after a jobsite evacuation triggered by a smoke alarm. According to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) report dated Aug. 1, the Low-Activity […]

Although the Department of Energy missed an August target to start making glass from low-level radioactive waste, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant is on the brink of operation, an advisory panel for the Hanford Site heard Wednesday. “We are so close, so close to starting that thing up,” DOE’s acting manager for the Hanford […]

The Department of Energy and Washington state have agreed to grant federal and contract managers a 75-day extension until Oct. 15 to start making glass from some of the less-radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. The prior deadline was Aug. 1 and DOE officials announced this latest extension in a Monday […]

The Department of Energy and Washington state have agreed to grant federal and contract managers a 75-day extension until Oct. 15 to start making glass from some of the less-radioactive tank waste at the Hanford Site at Richland, Wash. The prior deadline was Aug. 1 and DOE officials announced this latest extension in a Monday […]

Utah-based EnergySolutions has finished grouting and disposing of 1,000 gallons of liquid tank waste from the Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state. EnergySolutions said in a Wednesday news release it had completed solidification and disposal of 1,000 gallons of mixed low-level waste from Hanford as part of the much-anticipated Test Bed Initiative demonstration. […]

SAVANNAH, GA. – Despite its stops and starts, the Salt Waste Processing Facility is central to helping the Department of Energy address liquid radioactive waste at the Savannah River Site before 2024, a DOE executive said Wednesday. Since coming online about five years ago, the plant has treated more than 11 million gallons of salt […]

The Department of Energy and Bechtel National said Tuesday they have taken another incremental step in cold commissioning of a multi-billion-dollar plant to convert liquid radioactive tank waste into a solid glass form at the Hanford Site in Washington state. Ammonia and nitrous oxide-producing chemicals are being introduced into the melters for the Waste Treatment […]

The Department of Energy and Bechtel National said Tuesday they have taken another incremental step in cold commissioning of a multi-billion-dollar plant to convert liquid radioactive tank waste into a solid glass form at the Hanford Site in Washington state. Ammonia and nitrous oxide-producing chemicals are being introduced into the melters for the Waste Treatment […]

The Department of Energy is in no rush to transfer operation of the new Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant to the new liquid waste contractor from the builder of the multi-billion facility, the Hanford Site Advisory Board heard Wednesday. Bechtel National, which in December 2000 acquired the contract to build the plant to convert  liquid […]

The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is accepting public comments between now and April 23 on plans to grout some of the less-radioactive waste from the 200 West Area. The draft analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act looks at DOE’s plans to pretreat tank waste from the 200 West Area and […]

The Department of Energy’s Hanford Site in Washington state is accepting public comments between now and April 23 on plans to grout some of the less-radioactive waste from the 200 West Area. The draft analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act looks at DOE’s plans to pretreat tank waste from the 200 West Area and […]

PHOENIX—— The Department of Energy could ultimately solidify between 20 million and 30 million gallons of lower-level radioactive liquid waste at the Hanford Site into a concrete-like grout form, a senior manager at the nuclear cleanup site said here Wednesday. DOE managers at the Hanford Site in Washington state are talking with commercial providers on […]

PHOENIX—— The Department of Energy could ultimately solidify between 20 million and 30 million gallons of lower-level radioactive liquid waste at the Hanford Site into a concrete-like grout form, a senior manager at the nuclear cleanup site said here Wednesday. DOE managers at the Hanford Site in Washington state are talking with commercial providers on […]

A top manager at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina expects upcoming modifications to the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) should help the plant meet its elusive production goals.  When it started hot operations in October 2020, SWPF was expected to treat between four million and six million gallons of salt […]

A top manager at the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina expects upcoming modifications to the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) should help the plant meet its elusive production goals.  When it started hot operations in October 2020, SWPF was expected to treat between four million and six million gallons of salt […]

The Department of Energy last week said it would move a pair of failed melters from Savannah River Site’s Defense Waste Processing Facility to above-ground storage. The agency announced its decision in the Federal Register on Wednesday. The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) solidifies into glass-like cylinders the liquid radioactive waste created at the Savannah […]

A federal district court judge in Washington state last week formally approved giving the Department of Energy four more months to start cold commissioning of a facility to turn some of the less radioactive waste at the Hanford Site into a solid glass form. The prior deadline was Thursday Aug. 1 for startup of cold […]