The siting, construction, and operation of a proposed dry capsule storage area for the Hanford Site’s cesium and strontium capsules will be discussed at a meeting Thursday in Richland, Wash.
The capsules will be moved from underwater storage at the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility in central Hanford due to concerns that a severe earthquake could damage the storage pool. The Department of Energy said dry storage will significantly reduce the possibility of a release of radioactive material should the pool lose water, resulting in the overheating and breach of one or more capsules.
The 1,936 stainless-steel capsules holding cesium and strontium will be inserted into sleeves and housed in storage canisters, which will be overpacked in vertical concrete casks, according to a DOE report submitted to the Washington state Department of Ecology. The casks will be stored on a concrete pad, with no waste from other projects allowed to be stored there.
The capsules have been held since the early 1970s in the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility after being removed from Hanford Site storage tanks to reduce the temperature of the radioactive waste within the tanks.
Both DOE and the Department of Ecology will present information at the meeting, which is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Richland Public Library. The event will also be accessible via webinar; register here.
