Influence of Contact Time on the Extraction of 233Uranyl Spike and Contaminant Uranium From Hanford Sediment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Steven C.; Szecsody, James E.

2011-01-01

In this study 233Uranyl nitrate was added to uranium (U) contaminated Hanford 300 Area sediment and incubated under moist conditions for 1 year. It hypothesized that geochemical transformations and/or physical processes will result in decreased extractability of 233U as the incubation period increases, and eventually the extraction behavior of the 233U spike will be congruent to contaminant U that has been associated with sediment for decades. Following 1 week, 1 month, and 1 year incubation periods, sediment extractions were performed using either batch or dynamic (sediment column flow) chemical extraction techniques. Overall, extraction of U from sediment using batch extraction was less complicated to conduct compared to dynamic extraction, but dynamic extraction could distinguish the range of U forms associated with sediment which are eluted at different times.

Characterization of actinide-bearing sediments underlying liquid waste disposal facilities at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, S.M.; Ames, L.L.

1975-09-01

Past liquid waste disposal practices at the U. S. Energy Research and Development Administration's Hanford Reservation have included the discharges of solutions containing trace quantities of actinides directly into the ground via structures collectively termed ''trenches''. Characterization of samples from two of these trenches, the 216-Z-9 and the 216-Z-1A(a), has been initiated to determine the present form and migration potential of plutonium stored in sediments which received high salt, acidic waste liquids. Analysis of samples acquired by drilling has revealed that the greatest measured concentration of Pu, approximately 10 6 μCi 239 Pu/liter of sediment, occurs in both facilities just below the points of release of the waste liquids. This concentration decreases to approximately 10 3 μCi 239 Pu/liter of sediment within the first 2 meters of the underlying sediment columns and to approximately 10 μCi 239 Pu/liter of sediment at the maximum depth sampled (9 meters). Examination of relatively undisturbed sediment cores illustrated two types of Pu occurrence responsible for this distribution. One of these types is composed of Pu particles (greater than 70 wt percent PuO 2 ) added to the disposal site in the same form. This ''particulate'' type was ''filtered out'' within the upper 1 meter of the sediment column, accounting for the high concentration of Pu/liter of sediment in this region. The second type of Pu (less than 0.5 wt percent PuO 2 ) was originally disposed of as soluble Pu(IV). This ''nonparticulate'' type penetrated deeper within the sediment profile and was deposited in association with silicate hydrolysis of the sediment fragments

A spectroscopic and microscopic study of uranium speciation in the infiltration pond sediments at Hanford, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Z.; Zachara, J.M.; McKinley, J.P.; Smith, S.C.; Qafoku, O.; Catalano, J.G.

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: The infiltration ponds in the '300 area' of the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site received large volumes of nuclear waste that contained tens of metric tons of uranium along with high concentrations of other metals such as Cu, Fe, Mn, Al and Ca during their operations from 1943 to 1975. Leaching and migration of uranium in the pond sediments threatens the integrity of the Columbia River that is with 100 m of these ponds. A clear understanding of the speciation of uranium in the pond sediments is key to predict the dissolution and migration behavior of uranium and to develop any necessary containment or decontamination strategies. In this work, we studied the speciation of uranium in a series of Hanford infiltration pond sediments and its changes after dissolution in various solution media including DDI water, sodium bicarbonate (pH 9.5) and 1 M sodium acetate (pH 4.8), using liquid-helium temperature time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TRLFS) and time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence imaging spectro-microscopy (TRLFISM), and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). XAS analysis indicated that uranium in the sediment primarily existed in the 6+ oxidation state. The TRLFS spectra of uranium in several sediments resembled those in natural, uranyl-bearing calcite and those reported for uranium co-precipitated synthetic calcite and aragonite, suggesting the presence of similar uranyl coordination environments. The TRLFS spectra varied with both sediment location and depth and there was not a linear correlation between the spectral intensity and the overall concentration of uranium, indicating the presence of multiple uranium species. While for some sediment the major spectral characteristics appeared to remain the same after extraction using DDI water, sodium bicarbonate and even sodium acetate, for others, spectral changes were observed. Comparison of the sediment uranium TRLFS spectra with a standard spectral

Uranium release from different size fractions of sediments in Hanford 300 area, Washington, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Jiangkun; Bao Jianguo; Hu Qinhong; Ewing, Robert P.

2012-01-01

Stirred-flow cell tests were carried out to investigate uranium (U) release from different size fractions of sediments from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford 300 Area in Washington, USA. Results show that the measured concentration of U release varies with different size fractions, with the fine-grained mass fractions (<75 μm, 75–500 μm, and 500–2000 μm) being the main U carriers. However, because the sediment is mainly composed of gravel (2000–8000 μm) materials, the gravel fraction is a non-negligible U pool. Our elution experiments give a value of 8.7% of the total U being in the gravel fraction, significantly reducing the current uncertainty in evaluating U inventory. A log–log plot of released U concentration vs. elution volume (i.e., elution time) shows a power-law relationship for all size fractions, with identical exponents for the three fine size fractions (−0.875). For the <2000 μm mass fraction, comparing our eluted U values with reported total U concentrations, we estimate that a lower bound value 8.6% of the total uranium is labile. This compares well with the previously published value of 11.8% labile U after extraction with a dilute extractant for three weeks. - Highlights: ► Stirred-flow cells were used to study U release in Hanford 300 Area sediment. ► Fine-grained size fractions have higher U concentrations. ► U in coarse fraction is less studied, but its 8.7–9.3% of total U is non-negligible. ► A power-law relationship is observed between released U and elution volume. ► About 8.6% of U in the <2 mm sediment is labile.

Chemical pathways for the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stock, L.M.; Pederson, L.R.

1997-09-01

This report reviews chemical reactions leading to the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes. The general features of the chemistry of the organic compounds in the Hanford wastes are briefly outlined. The radiolytic and thermal free radical reactions that are responsible for the initiation and propagation of the oxidative degradation reactions of the nitrogen-containing complexants, trisodium HEDTA and tetrasodium EDTA, are outlined. In addition, the roles played by three different ionic reaction pathways for the oxidation of the same compounds and their degradation products are described as a prelude to the discussion of the formation of ammonia. The reaction pathways postulated for its formation are based on tank observations, laboratory studies with simulated and actual wastes, and the review of the scientific literature. Ammonia derives from the reduction of nitrite ion (most important), from the conversion of organic nitrogen in the complexants and their degradation products, and from radiolytic reactions of nitrous oxide and nitrogen (least important). Reduction of nitrite ions is believed to be the most important source of ammonia. Whether by radiolytic or thermal routes, nitrite reduction reactions proceed through nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, the nitrosyl anion, and the hyponitrite anion. Nitrite ion is also converted into hydroxylamine, another important intermediate on the pathway to form ammonia. These reaction pathways additionally result in the formation of nitrous oxide and molecular nitrogen, whereas hydrogen formation is produced in a separate reaction sequence.

Chemical pathways for the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stock, L.M.; Pederson, L.R.

1997-09-01

This report reviews chemical reactions leading to the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes. The general features of the chemistry of the organic compounds in the Hanford wastes are briefly outlined. The radiolytic and thermal free radical reactions that are responsible for the initiation and propagation of the oxidative degradation reactions of the nitrogen-containing complexants, trisodium HEDTA and tetrasodium EDTA, are outlined. In addition, the roles played by three different ionic reaction pathways for the oxidation of the same compounds and their degradation products are described as a prelude to the discussion of the formation of ammonia. The reaction pathways postulated for its formation are based on tank observations, laboratory studies with simulated and actual wastes, and the review of the scientific literature. Ammonia derives from the reduction of nitrite ion (most important), from the conversion of organic nitrogen in the complexants and their degradation products, and from radiolytic reactions of nitrous oxide and nitrogen (least important). Reduction of nitrite ions is believed to be the most important source of ammonia. Whether by radiolytic or thermal routes, nitrite reduction reactions proceed through nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, the nitrosyl anion, and the hyponitrite anion. Nitrite ion is also converted into hydroxylamine, another important intermediate on the pathway to form ammonia. These reaction pathways additionally result in the formation of nitrous oxide and molecular nitrogen, whereas hydrogen formation is produced in a separate reaction sequence

Impact of uranyl-calcium-carbonato complexes on uranium(VI) adsorption to synthetic and natural sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Brandy D; Mayes, Melanie A; Fendorf, Scott

2010-02-01

Adsorption on soil and sediment solids may decrease aqueous uranium concentrations and limit its propensity for migration in natural and contaminated settings. Uranium adsorption will be controlled in large part by its aqueous speciation, with a particular dependence on the presence of dissolved calcium and carbonate. Here we quantify the impact of uranyl speciation on adsorption to both goethite and sediments from the Hanford Clastic Dike and Oak Ridge Melton Branch Ridgetop formations. Hanford sediments were preconditioned with sodium acetate and acetic acid to remove carbonate grains, and Ca and carbonate were reintroduced at defined levels to provide a range of aqueous uranyl species. U(VI) adsorption is directly linked to UO(2)(2+) speciation, with the extent of retention decreasing with formation of ternary uranyl-calcium-carbonato species. Adsorption isotherms under the conditions studied are linear, and K(d) values decrease from 48 to 17 L kg(-1) for goethite, from 64 to 29 L kg (-1) for Hanford sediments, and from 95 to 51 L kg(-1) for Melton Branch sediments as the Ca concentration increases from 0 to 1 mM at pH 7. Our observations reveal that, in carbonate-bearing waters, neutral to slightly acidic pH values ( approximately 5) and limited dissolved calcium are optimal for uranium adsorption.

Mineral transformation controls speciation and pore-fluid transmission of contaminants in waste-weathered Hanford sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Perdrial, Nicolas; Thompson, Aaron; O'Day, Peggy A.; Steefel, Carl I.; Chorover, Jon

2014-09-01

Portions of the Hanford Site (WA, USA) vadose zone were subjected to weathering by caustic solutions during documented releases of high level radioactive waste (containing Sr, Cs and I) from leaking underground storage tanks. Previous studies have shown that waste-sediment interactions can promote variable incorporation of contaminants into neo-formed mineral products (including feldspathoids and zeolites), but processes regulating the subsequent contaminant release from these phases into infiltrating background pore waters remain poorly known. In this paper, reactive transport experiments were conducted with Hanford sediments previously weathered for one year in simulated hyper-alkaline waste solutions containing high or low 88Sr, 127I, and 133Cs concentrations, with or without CO2(aq). These waste-weathered sediments were leached in flow-through column experiments with simulated background pore water (characteristic of meteoric recharge) to measure contaminant release from solids formed during waste-sediment interaction. Contaminant sorption-desorption kinetics and mineral transformation reactions were both monitored using continuous-flow and wet-dry cycling regimes for ca. 300 pore volumes. Less than 20% of contaminant 133Cs and 88Sr mass and less than 40% 127I mass were released over the course of the experiment. To elucidate molecular processes limiting contaminant release, reacted sediments were studied with micro- (TEM and XRD) and molecular- (Sr K-edge EXAFS) scale methods. Contaminant dynamics in column experiments were principally controlled by rapid dissolution of labile solids and competitive exchange reactions. In initially feldspathoidic systems, time-dependent changes in the local zeolitic bonding environment observed with X-ray diffraction and EXAFS are responsible for limiting contaminant release. Linear combination fits and shell-by-shell analysis of Sr K-edge EXAFS data revealed modification in Sr-Si/Al distances within the zeolite cage. Wet

Transuranic Contamination in Sediment and Groundwater at the U.S. DOE Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cantrell, Kirk J.

2009-08-20

A review of transuranic radionuclide contamination in sediments and groundwater at the DOE’s Hanford Site was conducted. The review focused primarily on plutonium-239/240 and americium-241; however, other transuranic nuclides were discussed as well, including neptunium-237, plutonium-238, and plutonium-241. The scope of the review included liquid process wastes intentionally disposed to constructed waste disposal facilities such as trenches and cribs, burial grounds, and unplanned releases to the ground surface. The review did not include liquid wastes disposed to tanks or solid wastes disposed to burial grounds. It is estimated that over 11,800 Ci of plutonium-239, 28,700 Ci of americium-241, and 55 Ci of neptunium-237 have been disposed as liquid waste to the near surface environment at the Hanford Site. Despite the very large quantities of transuranic contaminants disposed to the vadose zone at Hanford, only minuscule amounts have entered the groundwater. Currently, no wells onsite exceed the DOE derived concentration guide for plutonium-239/240 (30 pCi/L) or any other transuranic contaminant in filtered samples. The DOE derived concentration guide was exceeded by a small fraction in unfiltered samples from one well (299-E28-23) in recent years (35.4 and 40.4 pCi/L in FY 2006). The primary reason that disposal of these large quantities of transuranic radionuclides directly to the vadose zone at the Hanford Site has not resulted in widespread groundwater contamination is that under the typical oxidizing and neutral to slightly alkaline pH conditions of the Hanford vadose zone, transuranic radionuclides (plutonium and americium in particular) have a very low solubility and high affinity for surface adsorption to mineral surfaces common within the Hanford vadose zone. Other important factors are the fact that the vadose zone is typically very thick (hundreds of feet) and the net infiltration rate is very low due to the desert climate. In some cases where

Changes in Uranium Speciation through a Depth Sequence of Contaminated Hanford Sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Catalano, Jeffrey G.; McKinley, James P.; Zachara, John M.; Heald, Steve M.; Smith, Steven C.; Brown, Gordon E.

2006-01-01

The disposal of basic sodium-aluminate and acidic U(VI)-Cu(II) wastes into the now-dry North and South 300 A Process Ponds at the Hanford site resulted in U(VI) groundwater plume. To gain insight into the geochemical processes that occurred during waste disposal and that will affect the future fate and transport of this uranium plume, the solid-phase speciation of uranium in a depth sequence from the base of the North Process Pond through the vadose zone to the water table was investigated using electron microprobe measurements and x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Uranium in sediments from the base of the pond was predominantly coprecipitated with calcite. From ∼2 m below the pond base to the water table uranium occurred dominantly in a sorbed form, likely on the surface aluminosilicate clay minerals. The presence of a U(VI)-phosphate phase was also observed in this region, but it only occurred as a major uranium species at one depth. The initial sequestration of U(VI) in these sediments likely occurred through coprecipitation with calcite as conditions did not favor adsorption. As the calcite-bearing pond sediments have been removed as part of a remediation effort, future uranium fate and transport will likely be controlled primarily by adsorption/desorption phenomena

Carbon Tetrachloride Partition Coefficients Measured by Aqueous Sorption to Hanford Sediments from Operable Units 200-UP-1 and 200-ZP-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wellman, Dawn M.; Riley, Robert G.; Cordova, Elsa A.; Parker, Kent E.; Mitroshkov, Alexandre V.

2007-01-01

Kd values obtained on sediment samples from 200-UP-1 and 10-ZP-1 contribute to a larger Kd database that exists for other Hanford sediments, and contains significant desorption data for CCl4. Adsorption results presented here validate the use of a linear adsorption isotherm (Kd) to predict short contact time CCl4 adsorption to sediments in 200-UP-1 groundwater plume for a distinct ranges in CCl4 concentration. However, this does not imply that values of Kd will be constant if the groundwater chemical composition at 200-UP-1 changes with space or time. Additionally, results presented here suggest the potential significance of slower intraparticle diffusion on the long-term fate of CCl4 within the subsurface Hanford environment. Such behavior could afford prolonged desorption of CCl4 and serve as a long-term source of contaminant CCl4 to the aquifer. Further evaluation of possible bimodal sorption behavior for CCl4 and the mechanism of CCl4 sequestration should be the subject of future investigations to provide a thorough, mechanistic understanding of the retention and long-term fate of CCl4. Comparison of previous data with new results (e.g., from this study) will allow inferences to be made on how the 200-UP-1 Kd values for CCl4 may compare with sediments from other Hanford locations. This site-specific sorption data, when complemented by the chemical, geologic, mineralogic, hydrologic, and physical characterization data that are also being collected (see Sampling and Analysis Plan for the 200-UP-1 Groundwater Monitoring Well Network, DOE 2002) can be used to develop a robust, scientifically defensible data base to allow risk predictions to be generated and to aid in future remediation decisions for the 200-UP-1 and 200-ZP-1 operable units

Colloid Genesis/Transport and Flow Pathway Alterations Resulting From Interactions of Reactive Waste Solutions and Hanford Vadose Zone Sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, Jiamin; Tokunaga, Tetsu K.

2001-01-01

Leakage of underground tanks containing high-level nuclear waste solutions has been identified at various DOE facilities. The Hanford Site is one the main facilities of concern, with about 2,300 to 3,400 m3 of leaked waste liquids. Radionuclides and other contaminants have been found in elevated concentrations in the vadose zone and groundwater underneath single shell tank farms. We do not currently know the mechanisms responsible for the unexpected deep migration of some contaminants through the vadose zone, and such understanding is urgently needed for planning remediation. Due to the extreme chemical conditions of the tank waste solutions (very high pH, aluminum concentration, and ionic strength), interactions between the highly reactive waste solutions and sediments underneath the tanks can result in dissolution of primary minerals of the sediments and precipitation of secondary phases including colloidal particles. Contaminants can sorb onto and/or co-precipitate with the secondary phases. Therefore transport of strongly associated contaminants on mobile colloids can be substantially greater than without colloids. The overall objective of this research is to improve our understanding on the effects of interactions between the tank waste solution and sediments on deep contaminant migration under Hanford Site conditions. This objective will be achieved through the following four tasks: (1) colloid generation and transport studies, (2) studies on sediment permeability and chemical composition alterations, (3) quantifying associations of contaminants with secondary colloids, and (4) studies on the combined effects of the aforementioned processes on deep contaminant migration

Moisture and textural variations in unsaturated soils/sediments near the Hanford Wye barricade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heller, P.R.; Gee, G.W.; Myers, D.A.

1985-03-01

During November and December 1983, soil samples were collected by Pacific Northwest Laboratory for hydrologic characterization of the partially saturated (vadose) zone sediments from five wells drilled near the Hanford Wye barricade, about 15 km northwest of Richland, Washington. The samples were taken from each of five boreholes in 1.5-m segments down to the water table or to a depth where further drilling became impossible, whichever was deeper. The samples were collected and handled in such a manner as to minimize water loss through evaporation. The field moisture content was determined for each sample, and for three of the five boreholes the water potential at the field moisture content was also measured. Other characterization included textural analysis, water retention characteristics, hydraulic conductivity, and soil chemistry. From the laboratory data, travel time (i.e., the time necessary for water to move a distance of 43 m, from the soil surface to the ground water) estimates were calculated: they range from 600 years for annual water influx rates that ranged from 0.5 to 5.0 cm/yr. The soil properties determined in this study will aid in modeling the transport of water and chemicals (e.g., radionuclides) to the ground water at the Hanford site

Fe-phyllosilicate redox cycling organisms from a redox transition zone in Hanford 300 Area sediments

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Jason eBenzine

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Microorganisms capable of reducing or oxidizing structural iron (Fe in Fe-bearing phyllosilicate minerals were enriched and isolated from a subsurface redox transition zone at the Hanford 300 Area site in eastern Washington, USA. Both conventional and in situ i-chip enrichment strategies were employed. One Fe(III-reducing Geobacter (G. bremensis strain R1, Deltaproteobacteria and six Fe(II phyllosilicate-oxidizing isolates from the Alphaproteobacteria (Bradyrhizobium japonicum strains 22, is5, and in8p8, Betaproteobacteria (Cupriavidus necator strain A5-1, Dechloromonas agitata strain is5, and Actinobacteria (Nocardioides sp. strain in31 were recovered. The G. bremensis isolate grew by oxidizing acetate with the oxidized form of NAu-2 smectite as the electron acceptor. The Fe(II-oxidizers grew by oxidation of chemically reduced smectite as the energy source with nitrate as the electron acceptor. The Bradyrhizobium isolates could also carry out aerobic oxidation of biotite. This is the first report of the recovery of a Fe(II-oxidizing Nocardioides, and to date only one other Fe(II-oxidizing Bradyrhizobium is known. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolates were similar to ones found in clone libraries from Hanford 300 sediments and groundwater, suggesting that such organisms may be present and active in situ. Whole genome sequencing of the isolates is underway, the results of which will enable comparative genomic analysis of mechanisms of extracellular phyllosilicate Fe redox metabolism, and facilitate development of techniques to detect the presence and expression of genes associated with microbial phyllosilicate Fe redox cycling in sediments.

First Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2008-03-21

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The Hanford Seismic Assessment Team locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. For the Hanford Seismic Network, forty-four local earthquakes were recorded during the first quarter of fiscal year 2008. A total of thirty-one micro earthquakes were recorded within the Rattlesnake Mountain swarm area at depths in the 5-8 km range, most likely within the pre-basalt sediments. The largest event recorded by the network during the first quarter (November 25, 2007 - magnitude 1.5 Mc) was located within this swarm area at a depth of 4.3 km. With regard to the depth distribution, three earthquakes occurred at shallow depths (less than 4 km, most likely in the Columbia River basalts), thirty-six earthquakes at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments), and five earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the crystalline basement. Geographically, thirty-eight earthquakes occurred in swarm areas and six earth¬quakes were classified as random events.

Data Summary Report for teh Remedial Investigation of Hanford Site Releases to the Columbia River, Hanford Site, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hulstrom, L.

2011-02-07

This data summary report summarizes the investigation results to evaluate the nature and distribution of Hanford Site-related contaminants present in the Columbia River. As detailed in DOE/RL-2008-11, more than 2,000 environmental samples were collected from the Columbia River between 2008 and 2010. These samples consisted of island soil, sediment, surface water, groundwater upwelling (pore water, surface water, and sediment), and fish tissue.

100 Area Columbia River sediment sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiss, S.G.

1993-01-01

Forty-four sediment samples were collected from 28 locations in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River to assess the presence of metals and man-made radionuclides in the near shore and shoreline settings of the Hanford Site. Three locations were sampled upriver of the Hanford Site plutonium production reactors. Twenty-two locations were sampled near the reactors. Three locations were sampled downstream of the reactors near the Hanford Townsite. Sediment was collected from depths of 0 to 6 in. and between 12 to 24 in. below the surface. Samples containing concentrations of metals exceeding the 95 % upper threshold limit values (DOE-RL 1993b) are considered contaminated. Contamination by arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, and zinc was found. Man-made radionuclides occur in all samples except four collected opposite the Hanford Townsite. Man-made radionuclide concentrations were generally less than 1 pCi/g

100 Area Columbia River sediment sampling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weiss, S.G. [Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)

1993-09-08

Forty-four sediment samples were collected from 28 locations in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River to assess the presence of metals and man-made radionuclides in the near shore and shoreline settings of the Hanford Site. Three locations were sampled upriver of the Hanford Site plutonium production reactors. Twenty-two locations were sampled near the reactors. Three locations were sampled downstream of the reactors near the Hanford Townsite. Sediment was collected from depths of 0 to 6 in. and between 12 to 24 in. below the surface. Samples containing concentrations of metals exceeding the 95 % upper threshold limit values (DOE-RL 1993b) are considered contaminated. Contamination by arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, and zinc was found. Man-made radionuclides occur in all samples except four collected opposite the Hanford Townsite. Man-made radionuclide concentrations were generally less than 1 pCi/g.

Remedial Investigation of Hanford Site Releases to the Columbia River - 13603

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lerch, J.A.; Hulstrom, L.C. [Washington Closure Hanford, LLC, Richland, Washington 99354 (United States); Sands, J.P. [U.S Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Richland, Washington 99352 (United States)

2013-07-01

In south-central Washington State, the Columbia River flows through the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. A primary objective of the Hanford Site cleanup mission is protection of the Columbia River, through remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater that resulted from its weapons production mission. Within the Columbia River system, surface water, sediment, and biota samples related to potential Hanford Site hazardous substance releases have been collected since the start of Hanford operations. The impacts from release of Hanford Site radioactive substances to the Columbia River in areas upstream, within, and downstream of the Hanford Site boundary have been previously investigated as mandated by the U.S. Department of Energy requirements under the Atomic Energy Act. The Remedial Investigation Work Plan for Hanford Site Releases to the Columbia River [1] was issued in 2008 to initiate assessment of the impacts under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 [2]. The work plan established a phased approach to characterize contaminants, assess current risks, and determine whether or not there is a need for any cleanup actions. Field investigation activities over a 120-mile stretch of the Columbia River began in October 2008 and were completed in 2010. Sampled media included surface water, pore water, surface and core sediment, island soil, and fish (carp, walleye, whitefish, sucker, small-mouth bass, and sturgeon). Information and sample results from the field investigation were used to characterize current conditions within the Columbia River and assess whether current conditions posed a risk to ecological or human receptors that would merit additional study or response actions under CERCLA. The human health and ecological risk assessments are documented in reports that were published in 2012 [3, 4]. Conclusions from the risk assessment reports are being summarized and integrated with remedial investigation

Transport of Sr 2+ and SrEDTA 2- in partially-saturated and heterogeneous sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Pace, M. N.; Mayes, M. A.; Jardine, P. M.; McKay, L. D.; Yin, X. L.; Mehlhorn, T. L.; Liu, Q.; Gürleyük, H.

2007-05-01

Strontium-90 has migrated deep into the unsaturated subsurface beneath leaking storage tanks in the Waste Management Areas (WMA) at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Reservation. Faster than expected transport of contaminants in the vadose zone is typically attributed to either physical hydrologic processes such as development of preferential flow pathways, or to geochemical processes such as the formation of stable, anionic complexes with organic chelates, e.g., ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The goal of this paper is to determine whether hydrological processes in the Hanford sediments can influence the geochemistry of the system and hence control transport of Sr 2+ and SrEDTA 2-. The study used batch isotherms, saturated packed column experiments, and an unsaturated transport experiment in an undisturbed core. Isotherms and repacked column experiments suggested that the SrEDTA 2- complex was unstable in the presence of Hanford sediments, resulting in dissociation and transport of Sr 2+ as a divalent cation. A decrease in sorption with increasing solid:solution ratio for Sr 2+ and SrEDTA 2- suggested mineral dissolution resulted in competition for sorption sites and the formation of stable aqueous complexes. This was confirmed by detection of MgEDTA 2-, MnEDTA 2-, PbEDTA 2-, and unidentified Sr and Ca complexes. Displacement of Sr 2+ through a partially-saturated undisturbed core resulted in less retardation and more irreversible sorption than was observed in the saturated repacked columns, and model results suggested a significant reservoir (49%) of immobile water was present during transport through the heterogeneous layered sediments. The undisturbed core was subsequently disassembled along distinct bedding planes and subjected to sequential extractions. Strontium was unequally distributed between carbonates (49%), ion exchange sites (37%), and the oxide (14%) fraction. An inverse relationship between mass wetness and Sr suggested that

EMSP Project 70070: Reactivity of Primary Soil Minerals and Secondary Precipitates Beneath Leaking Hanford Waste Tanks - Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagy, Kathryn L.

2004-01-01

Since the late 1950s, leaks from 67 single-shell tanks at the Hanford Site have released about 1 million curies to the underlying sediments. The radioactive material was contained in water-based solutions generally characterized as having high pH values (basic solutions), high nitrate and nitrite concentrations, and high aluminum concentrations. The solutions were also hot, in some cases at or near boiling, as well as complex and highly variable in composition reflecting solutions obtained from multiple methods of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. In order to understand the observed and probable distribution of radionuclides in the ground at Hanford, major reactions that likely occurred between the leaked fluids and the sediment minerals were investigated in laboratory experiments simulating environmental conditions. Reactions involving the dissolution of quartz and biotite and the simultaneous formation of new minerals were quantified at controlled pH values and temperature. Result s show that the dissolution of quartz and formation of new zeolite-like minerals could have altered the flow path of ground water and contaminant plumes and provided an uptake mechanism for positively-charged soluble radionuclides, such as cesium. The dissolution of biotite, a layered-iron-aluminum-silicate mineral, provided iron in a reduced form that could have reacted with negatively-charged soluble chromium, a toxic component of the wastes, to cause its reduction and precipitation as a new reduced-chromium mineral. The quantity of iron released in the experiments is sufficient to explain observations of reductions in dissolved chromium concentration in a plume beneath one Hanford tank. Fundamental data obtained in the project are the rates of the reactions at variable temperatures and pHs. Fundamental data were also obtained on aspects of the surface reactivity of clay or layered-silicate minerals, a small proportion of the total mass of the sediment minerals, but a large proportion

Geomicrobiology of High Level Nuclear Waste-Contaminated Vadose Sediments at the Hanford Site, Washington State

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fredrickson, Jim K.; Zachara, John M.; Balkwill, David L.; Kennedy, David W.; Li, Shu-Mei W.; Kostandarithes, Heather M.; Daly, Michael J.; Romine, Margaret F.; Brockman, Fred J.

2004-01-01

Sediments from a high-level nuclear waste plume were collected as part of investigations to evaluate the potential fate and migration of contaminants in the subsurface. The plume originated from a leak that occurred in 1962 from a waste tank consisting of high concentrations of alkali, nitrate, aluminate, Cr(VI), 137Cs, and 99Tc. Investigations were initiated to determine the distribution of viable microorganisms in the vadose sediment samples, probe the phylogeny of cultivated and uncultivated members, and evaluate the ability of the cultivated organisms to survive acute doses of ionizing radiation. The populations of viable aerobic heterotrophic bacteria were generally low, from below detection to ∼104 7 CFU g-1 but viable microorganisms were recovered from 11 of 16 samples including several of the most radioactive ones (e.g., > 10 ?Ci/g 137Cs). The isolates from the contaminated sediments and clone libraries from sediment DNA extracts were dominated by members related to known Gram-positive bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria most closely related to Arthrobacter species were the most common isolates among all samples but other high G+C phyla were also represented including Rhodococcus and Nocardia. Two isolates from the second most radioactive sample (>20 ?Ci 137Cs g-1) were closely related to Deinococcus radiodurans and were able to survive acute doses of ionizing radiation approaching 20kGy. Many of the Gram-positive isolates were resistant to lower levels of gamma radiation. These results demonstrate that Gram-positive bacteria, predominantly high G+C phyla, are indigenous to Hanford vadose sediments and some are effective at surviving the extreme physical and chemical stress associated with radioactive waste

Uranium Release from Acidic Weathered Hanford Sediments: Single-Pass Flow-Through and Column Experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Guohui [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States; Um, Wooyong [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States; Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, South Korea; Wang, Zheming [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States; Reinoso-Maset, Estela [Sierra; Washton, Nancy M. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States; Mueller, Karl T. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States; Perdrial, Nicolas [Department; Department; O’Day, Peggy A. [Sierra; Chorover, Jon [Department

2017-09-21

The reaction of acidic radioactive waste with sediments can induce mineral transformation reactions that, in turn, control contaminant fate. Here, sediment weathering by synthetic uranium-containing acid solutions was investigated using bench-scale experiments to simulate waste disposal conditions at Hanford’s cribs, USA. During acid weathering, the presence of phosphate exerted a strong influence over uranium mineralogy and a rapidly precipitated, crystalline uranium phosphate phase (meta-ankoleite [K(UO2)(PO4)·3H2O]) was identified using spectroscopic and diffraction-based techniques. In phosphate-free system, uranium oxyhydroxide minerals such as K-compreignacite [K2(UO2)6O4(OH)6·7H2O] were formed. Single-pass flow-through (SPFT) and column leaching experiments using synthetic Hanford pore water showed that uranium precipitated as meta-ankoleite during acid weathering was strongly retained in the sediments, with an average release rate of 2.67E-12 mol g-1 s-1. In the absence of phosphate, uranium release was controlled by dissolution of uranium oxyhydroxide (compreignacite-type) mineral with a release rate of 1.05-2.42E-10 mol g-1 s-1. The uranium mineralogy and release rates determined for both systems in this study support the development of accurate U-release models for prediction of contaminant transport. These results suggest that phosphate minerals may be a good candidate for uranium remediation approaches at contaminated sites.

LABORATORY STRATEGIES FOR HYDRATE FORMATION IN FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENTS

KAUST Repository

Lei, L.; Santamarina, Carlos

2018-01-01

Fine‐grained sediments limit hydrate nucleation, shift the phase boundary and hinder gas supply. Laboratory experiments in this study explore different strategies to overcome these challenges, including the use of a more soluble guest molecule rather than methane, grain‐scale gas‐storage within porous diatoms, ice‐to‐hydrate transformation to grow lenses at predefined locations, forced gas injection into water saturated sediments, and long‐term guest molecule transport. Tomographic images, thermal and pressure data provide rich information on hydrate formation and morphology. Results show that hydrate formation is inherently displacive in fine‐grained sediments; lenses are thicker and closer to each other in compressible, high specific surface area sediments subjected to low effective stress. Temperature and pressure trajectories follow a shifted phase boundary that is consistent with capillary effects. Exo‐pore growth results in freshly formed hydrate with a striped and porous structure; this open structure becomes an effective pathway for gas transport to the growing hydrate front. Ice‐to‐hydrate transformation goes through a liquid stage at pre‐melt temperatures; then, capillarity and cryogenic suction compete, and some water becomes imbibed into the sediment faster than hydrate reformation. The geometry of hydrate lenses and the internal hydrate structure continue evolving long after the exothermal response to hydrate formation has completely decayed. Multiple time‐dependent processes occur during hydrate formation, including gas, water and heat transport, sediment compressibility, reaction rate and the stochastic nucleation process. Hydrate formation strategies conceived for this study highlight the inherent difficulties in emulating hydrate formation in fine‐grained sediments within the relatively short time‐scale available for laboratory experiments.

LABORATORY STRATEGIES FOR HYDRATE FORMATION IN FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENTS

KAUST Repository

Lei, L.

2018-04-02

Fine‐grained sediments limit hydrate nucleation, shift the phase boundary and hinder gas supply. Laboratory experiments in this study explore different strategies to overcome these challenges, including the use of a more soluble guest molecule rather than methane, grain‐scale gas‐storage within porous diatoms, ice‐to‐hydrate transformation to grow lenses at predefined locations, forced gas injection into water saturated sediments, and long‐term guest molecule transport. Tomographic images, thermal and pressure data provide rich information on hydrate formation and morphology. Results show that hydrate formation is inherently displacive in fine‐grained sediments; lenses are thicker and closer to each other in compressible, high specific surface area sediments subjected to low effective stress. Temperature and pressure trajectories follow a shifted phase boundary that is consistent with capillary effects. Exo‐pore growth results in freshly formed hydrate with a striped and porous structure; this open structure becomes an effective pathway for gas transport to the growing hydrate front. Ice‐to‐hydrate transformation goes through a liquid stage at pre‐melt temperatures; then, capillarity and cryogenic suction compete, and some water becomes imbibed into the sediment faster than hydrate reformation. The geometry of hydrate lenses and the internal hydrate structure continue evolving long after the exothermal response to hydrate formation has completely decayed. Multiple time‐dependent processes occur during hydrate formation, including gas, water and heat transport, sediment compressibility, reaction rate and the stochastic nucleation process. Hydrate formation strategies conceived for this study highlight the inherent difficulties in emulating hydrate formation in fine‐grained sediments within the relatively short time‐scale available for laboratory experiments.

Third Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2005

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reidel, Steve P.; Rohay, Alan C.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Sweeney, Mark D.

2005-09-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. For the Hanford Seismic Network, there were 337 triggers during the third quarter of fiscal year 2005. Of these triggers, 20 were earthquakes within the Hanford Seismic Network. The largest earthquake within the Hanford Seismic Network was a magnitude 1.3 event May 25 near Vantage, Washington. During the third quarter, stratigraphically 17 (85%) events occurred in the Columbia River basalt (approximately 0-5 km), no events in the pre-basalt sediments (approximately 5-10 km), and three (15%) in the crystalline basement (approximately 10-25 km). During the first quarter, geographically five (20%) earthquakes occurred in swarm areas, 10 (50%) earthquakes were associated with a major geologic structure, and 5 (25%) were classified as random events.

Hanford Environmental Analytical Methods (methods as of March 1990)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goheen, S.C.; McCulloch, M.; Daniel, J.L.

1993-05-01

Techniques in use at the Hanford Reservation as of March, 1990 for the analysis of liquids, organic wastes, soils, and sediments, are described. Limitations and applications of the techniques are included

Hanford waste-form release and sediment interaction: A status report with rationale and recommendations for additional studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serne, R.J.; Wood, M.I.

1990-05-01

This report documents the currently available geochemical data base for release and retardation for actual Hanford Site materials (wastes and/or sediments). The report also recommends specific laboratory tests and presents the rationale for the recommendations. The purpose of this document is threefold: to summarize currently available information, to provide a strategy for generating additional data, and to provide recommendations on specific data collection methods and tests matrices. This report outlines a data collection approach that relies on feedback from performance analyses to ascertain when adequate data have been collected. The data collection scheme emphasizes laboratory testing based on empiricism. 196 refs., 4 figs., 36 tabs

Hanford Site Environmental Surveillance Data Report for Calendar Year 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bisping, Lynn E.

2009-08-11

Environmental surveillance on and around the Hanford Site, located in southeastern Washington State, is conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy. The environmental surveillance data collected for this report provide a historical record of radionuclide and radiation levels attributable to natural causes, worldwide fallout, and Hanford Site operations. Data were also collected to monitor several chemicals and metals in Columbia River water, sediment, and wildlife. These data are included in this appendix. This report is the first of two appendices that support "Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2008" (PNNL-18427), which describes the Hanford Site mission and activities, general environmental features, radiological and chemical releases from operations, status of compliance with environmental regulations, status of programs to accomplish compliance, Hanford Site cleanup and remediation efforts, and environmental monitoring activities and results.

Hanford Site Environmental Surveillance Data Report for Calendar Year 2007

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bisping, Lynn E.

2008-10-13

Environmental surveillance on and around the Hanford Site, located in southeastern Washington State, is conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy. The environmental surveillance data collected for this report provide a historical record of radionuclide and radiation levels attributable to natural causes, worldwide fallout, and Hanford Site operations. Data were also collected to monitor several chemicals and metals in Columbia River water, sediment, and wildlife. These data are included in this appendix. This report is the first of two appendices that support "Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2007" (PNNL-17603), which describes the Hanford Site mission and activities, general environmental features, radiological and chemical releases from operations, status of compliance with environmental regulations, status of programs to accomplish compliance, Hanford Site cleanup and remediation efforts, and environmental monitoring activities and results.

Ground water flow velocity in the bank of the Columbia River, Hanford, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballard, S.

1995-12-01

To properly characterize the transport of contaminants from the sediments beneath the Hanford Site into the Columbia River, a suite of In Situ Permeable Flow Sensors was deployed to accurately characterize the hydrologic regime in the banks of the river. The three dimensional flow velocity was recorded on an hourly basis from mid May to mid July, 1994 and for one week in September. The first data collection interval coincided with the seasonal high water level in the river while the second interval reflected conditions during relatively low seasonal river stage. Two flow sensors located approximately 50 feet from the river recorded flow directions which correlated very well with river stage, both on seasonal and diurnal time scales. During time intervals characterized by falling river stage, the flow sensors recorded flow toward the river while flow away from the river was recorded during times of rising river stage. The flow sensor near the river in the Hanford Formation recorded a component of flow oriented vertically downward, probably reflecting the details of the hydrostratigraphy in close proximity to the probe. The flow sensor near the river in the Ringold Formation recorded an upward component of flow which dominated the horizontal components most of the time. The upward flow in the Ringold probably reflects regional groundwater flow into the river. The magnitudes of the flow velocities recorded by the flow sensors were lower than expected, probably as a result of drilling induced disturbance of the hydraulic properties of the sediments around the probes. The probes were installed with resonant sonic drilling which may have compacted the sediments immediately surrounding the probes, thereby reducing the hydraulic conductivity adjacent to the probes and diverting the groundwater flow away from the sensors

Westinghouse Hanford Company environmental surveillance annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, J.W.; Johnson, A.R.; McKinney, S.M.; Perkins, C.J.; Webb, C.R.

1992-07-01

This document presents the results of near-facility operational environmental monitoring in 1991 of the 100, 200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in south-central Washington State, as performed by Westinghouse Hanford Company. These activities are conducted to assess and to control the impacts of operations on the workers and the local environment and to monitor diffuse sources. Surveillance activities include sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, sediments, soil, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys are taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads

Advective Removal of Intraparticle Uranium from Contaminated Vadose Zone Sediments, Hanford, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ilton, Eugene S.; Qafoku, Nikolla; Liu, Chongxuan; Moore, D. A.; Zachara, John M.

2008-01-01

A column study on U contaminated vadose zone sediments from the Hanford Site, WA, was performed in order to aid the development of a model for predicting U(VI) release rates under a dynamic flow regime and for variable geochemical conditions. The sediments of interest are adjacent to and below tank BX-102, part of the BX tank farm that contained high level liquid radioactive waste. Two sediments, with different U(VI) loadings and intraparticle large fracture vs. smaller fracture ratios, were reacted with three different solutions. The primary reservoir for U(VI) appears to be a micron-sized nanocrystalline Na-U-Si phase, possibly Na-boltwoodite, that nucleated and grew on plagioclase grains that line fractures within sand-sized granitic clasts. The solutions were all calcite saturated and in equilibrium with atmospheric CO2, where one solution was simply DI-water, the second was a synthetic ground water (SGW) with elevated Na, and the third was the same SGW but with both elevated Na and Si. The latter two solutions were employed, in part, to test the effect of saturation state on U(VI) release. For both sediments and all three electrolytes, there was an initial rapid release of U(VI) to the advecting solution followed by a plateau of low U(VI) concentration. U(VI) effluent concentration increased during subsequent stop flow (SF) events. The electrolytes with elevated Na and Si appreciably depressed U(VI) concentrations relative to DI water. The effluent data for both sediments and all three electrolytes was simulated reasonably well by a three domain model (the advecting fluid, fractures, and matrix) that coupled U(VI) dissolution rates, intraparticle U(VI) diffusion, and interparticle advective transport of U(VI); where key transport and dissolution processes had been parameterized in previous batch studies. For the calcite-saturated DI-water, U(VI) concentrations in the effluent remained far below saturation with respect to Na-boltwoodite and release of U(VI) to

Evaluation of the field-scale cation exchange capacity of Hanford sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Steefel, C.I.

2003-02-01

Three-dimensional simulations of unsaturated flow, transport, and multi-component, multi-site cation exchange in the vadose zone were used to analyze the migration of a plume resulting from a leak of the SX-115 tank at the Hanford site, USA. The match within about 0.5 meters of the positions of retarded sodium and potassium fronts suggests that the laboratory-derived parameters may be used in field-scale simulations of radionuclide migration at the Hanford site.

First Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2011-03-31

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The HSAP is responsible for locating and identifying sources of seismic activity and monitoring changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the HSAP works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. The Hanford Seismic Network recorded 16 local earthquakes during the first quarter of FY 2011. Six earthquakes were located at shallow depths (less than 4 km), seven earthquakes at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km), most likely in the pre-basalt sediments, and three earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the basement. Geographically, thirteen earthquakes were located in known swarm areas and three earthquakes were classified as random events. The highest magnitude event (1.8 Mc) was recorded on October 19, 2010 at depth 17.5 km with epicenter located near the Yakima River between the Rattlesnake Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills swarm areas.

Hanford Site environmental surveillance data report for calendar year 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisping, L.E.

1996-07-01

Environmental surveillance at the Hanford Site collects data that provides a historical record of radionuclide and radiation levels attributable to natural causes, worldwide fallout, and Hanford operations. Data are also collected to monitor several chemicals and metals in Columbia River Water and Sediment. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory publishes an annual environmental report for the Hanford Site each calendar year. The Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 1995 describes the Site mission and activities, general environmental features, radiological and chemical releases from operations, status of compliance with environmental regulations, status of programs to accomplish compliance, and environmental monitoring activities and results. The report includes a summary of offsite and onsite environmental monitoring data collected during 1995 by PNNL's Environmental Monitoring Program. Appendix A of that report contains data summaries created from raw surface, river monitoring data, and chemical air data. This volume contains the actual raw data used to create the summaries. The data volume also includes Hanford Site drinking water radiological data

Hanford Site environmental surveillance data report for calendar year 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bisping, L.E.

1996-07-01

Environmental surveillance at the Hanford Site collects data that provides a historical record of radionuclide and radiation levels attributable to natural causes, worldwide fallout, and Hanford operations. Data are also collected to monitor several chemicals and metals in Columbia River Water and Sediment. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory publishes an annual environmental report for the Hanford Site each calendar year. The Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 1995 describes the Site mission and activities, general environmental features, radiological and chemical releases from operations, status of compliance with environmental regulations, status of programs to accomplish compliance, and environmental monitoring activities and results. The report includes a summary of offsite and onsite environmental monitoring data collected during 1995 by PNNL`s Environmental Monitoring Program. Appendix A of that report contains data summaries created from raw surface, river monitoring data, and chemical air data. This volume contains the actual raw data used to create the summaries. The data volume also includes Hanford Site drinking water radiological data.

Second Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2008-06-26

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The Hanford Seismic Assessment Team locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. For the Hanford Seismic Network, seven local earthquakes were recorded during the second quarter of fiscal year 2008. The largest event recorded by the network during the second quarter (February 3, 2008 - magnitude 2.3 Mc) was located northeast of Richland in Franklin County at a depth of 22.5 km. With regard to the depth distribution, two earthquakes occurred at shallow depths (less than 4 km, most likely in the Columbia River basalts), three earthquakes at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments), and two earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the crystalline basement. Geographically, five earthquakes occurred in swarm areas and two earthquakes were classified as random events.

Hanford annual second quarter seismic report, fiscal year 1998: Seismicity on and near the Hanford Site, Pasco, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartshorn, D.C.; Reidel, S.P.; Rohay, A.C.

1998-06-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the US Department of Energy and its contractors. The staff also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of an earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (ENN) consist of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The operational rate for the second quarter of FY98 for stations in the HSN was 99.92%. The operational rate for the second quarter of FY98 for stations of the EWRN was 99.46%. For the second quarter of FY98, the acquisition computer triggered 159 times. Of these triggers 14 were local earthquakes: 7 (50%) in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 3 (21%) in the pre-basalt sediments, and 4 (29%) in the crystalline basement. The geologic and tectonic environments where these earthquakes occurred are discussed in this report. The most significant seismic event for the second quarter was on March 23, 1998 when a 1.9 Mc occurred near Eltopia, WA and was felt by local residents. Although this was a small event, it was felt at the surface and is an indication of the potential impact on Hanford of seismic events that are common to the Site.

Natural phenomena hazards, Hanford Site, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conrads, T.J.

1998-01-01

This document presents the natural phenomena hazard loads for use in implementing DOE Order 5480.28, Natural Phenomena Hazards Mitigation, and supports development of double-shell tank systems specifications at the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State. The natural phenomena covered are seismic, flood, wind, volcanic ash, lightning, snow, temperature, solar radiation, suspended sediment, and relative humidity

Hanford Area 2000 Population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elliott, Douglas B.; Scott, Michael J.; Antonio, Ernest J.; Rhoads, Kathleen

2004-01-01

This report was prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Operations Office, Surface Environmental Surveillance Project, to provide demographic data required for ongoing environmental assessments and safety analyses at the DOE Hanford Site near Richland, Washington. This document includes 2000 Census estimates for the resident population within an 80-kilometer (50-mile) radius of the Hanford Site. Population distributions are reported relative to five reference points centered on meteorological stations within major operating areas of the Hanford Site - the 100 F, 100 K, 200, 300, and 400 Areas. These data are presented in both graphical and tabular format, and are provided for total populations residing within 80 km (50 mi) of the reference points, as well as for Native American, Hispanic and Latino, total minority, and low-income populations

First Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DC Hartshorn; SP Reidel; AC Rohay

1999-05-26

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. They also locate and identify sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consists of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The operational rate for the first quarter of FY99 for stations in the HSN was 99.8%. There were 121 triggers during the first quarter of fiscal year 1999. Fourteen triggers were local earthquakes; seven (50%) were in the Columbia River Basalt Group, no earthquakes occurred in the pre-basalt sediments, and seven (50%) were in the crystalline basement. One earthquake (7%) occurred near or along the Horn Rapids anticline, seven earthquakes (50%) occurred in a known swarm area, and six earthquakes (43%) were random occurrences. No earthquakes triggered the Hanford Strong Motion Accelerometer during the first quarter of FY99.

First Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2009-03-15

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The HSAP is responsible for locating and identifying sources of seismic activity and monitoring changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the HSAP works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. This includes three recently acquired Transportable Array stations located at Cold Creek, Didier Farms, and Phinney Hill. For the Hanford Seismic Network, ten local earthquakes were recorded during the first quarter of fiscal year 2009. All earthquakes were considered as “minor” with magnitudes (Mc) less than 1.0. Two earthquakes were located at shallow depths (less than 4 km), most likely in the Columbia River basalts; five earthquakes at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km), most likely in the sub-basalt sediments); and three earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the basement. Geographically, four earthquakes occurred in known swarm areas and six earthquakes were classified as random events.

Second Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2009

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2009-01-01

approximately 2-3 times lower than the reportable action level for Hanford facilities (2% g) and no action was required. The swarming is likely due to pressures that have built up, cracking the brittle basalt layers within the Columbia River Basalt Formation (CRBG). Similar earthquake 'warms' have been recorded near this same location in 1970, 1975 and 1988. Prior to the 1970s, swarming may have occurred, but equipment was not in place to record those events. Quakes of this limited magnitude do not pose a risk to Hanford cleanup efforts or waste storage facilities. Since swarms of the past did not intensify in magnitude, seismologists do not expect that these events will increase in intensity. However, PNNL will continue to monitor the activity continuously. Outside of the Wooded Island swarm, four earthquakes were recorded. Three earthquakes were classified as minor and one event registered 2.3 Mc. One earthquake was located at intermediate depth (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments) and three earthquakes at depths greater than 9 km, within the basement. Geographically, two earthquakes were located in known swarm areas and two earthquakes were classified as random events.

Second Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2009-07-31

approximately 2-3 times lower than the reportable action level for Hanford facilities (2% g) and no action was required. The swarming is likely due to pressures that have built up, cracking the brittle basalt layers within the Columbia River Basalt Formation (CRBG). Similar earthquake “swarms” have been recorded near this same location in 1970, 1975 and 1988. Prior to the 1970s, swarming may have occurred, but equipment was not in place to record those events. Quakes of this limited magnitude do not pose a risk to Hanford cleanup efforts or waste storage facilities. Since swarms of the past did not intensify in magnitude, seismologists do not expect that these events will increase in intensity. However, PNNL will continue to monitor the activity continuously. Outside of the Wooded Island swarm, four earthquakes were recorded. Three earthquakes were classified as minor and one event registered 2.3 Mc. One earthquake was located at intermediate depth (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments) and three earthquakes at depths greater than 9 km, within the basement. Geographically, two earthquakes were located in known swarm areas and two earthquakes were classified as random events.

Hanford Quarter Seismic Report - 98C Seismicity On and Near the Hanford Site, Pasco Basin, Washington: April 1, 1998 Through June 30, 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DC Hartshorn, SP Reidel, AC Rohay

1998-10-23

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The staff also locates aud identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the hi~orical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are. compiled archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of zin earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and Ihe Eastern Washington Regional Network (EN/RN) consist-of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The operational rate for the third quarter of FY 1998 for stations in the HSN was 99.99%. The operational rate for the third quarter of FY 1998 for stations of the EWRN was 99.95%. For the third quarter of FY 1998, the acquisition computer triggered 133 times. Of these triggers 11 were local earthquakes: 5 (45Yo) in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 2(1 8%) in the pre-basalt sediments, and 4 (36%) in the crystalline basement. The geologic and tectonic environments where these earthquakes occurred are discussed in this report.

Characterization of Direct-Push Vadose Zone Sediments from the 241-B and 241-BX Tank Farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Christopher F.; Icenhower, Jonathan P.; Um, Wooyong; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Valenta, Michelle M.; Iovin, Cristian; Lanigan, David C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Geiszler, Keith N.; Clayton, Eric T.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Baum, Steven R.; Lindberg, Michael J.; Orr, Robert D.

2007-01-01

Geochemical tests provide evidence for the transit of a plume of caustic waste solution through the sediment column at the Hanford 241-B and -BX Tank Farms. Direct-push samples recovered from boreholes surrounding Tanks 241-B-110 and 241-BX-102 and related waste transfer lines and diversion boxes included sediments typical of those previously recovered from other localities on the Hanford Site. The Hanford formation sediments are dominantly quartzo-feldspathic sands strewn with lithic fragments, displaying a range of particle size distributions and sorting characteristics. Some moderately well-sorted, fine-grained lithologies are interpreted as lenticular bodies irregularly dispersed in coarser-grained, more poorly sorted sediments. Tier I tests conducted on the vadose zone sediments revealed an inverse correlation between moisture content and sediment size fraction (i.e., there is greater moisture content in finer-grained sediments). The Tier I tests also showed that the pore water solutions were likely sodium-rich, moderately saline, and possessed higher pH values than background (untainted) sediments. These data are characteristic of sediments that have encountered sodium-rich, saline, caustic waste solution, as documented in other reports at other suspect contamination sites around Hanford. Analyses of solutions from 1:1 water extracts reveal relatively balanced cation and anion concentrations, indicating that most of the geochemical species have been accounted for. The water extract data for affected sediments also indicate unusually high concentrations of aluminum, iron, and phosphorus. The relatively high concentrations of aluminum and iron may be the result of dissolution of secondary amorphous phases that precipitated after a reactive plume partially dissolved aluminum- and iron-bearing phases as it migrated through the sediment column. On the other hand, the presence of elevated concentrations of phosphorous may be the tell-tale signature of wastes

Characterization of Direct-Push Vadose Zone Sediments from the 241-B and 241-BX Tank Farms

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Christopher F.; Icenhower, Jonathan P.; Um, Wooyong; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Valenta, Michelle M.; Iovin, Cristian; Lanigan, David C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Geiszler, Keith N.; Clayton, Eric T.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Baum, Steven R.; Lindberg, Michael J.; Orr, Robert D.

2007-12-21

Geochemical tests provide evidence for the transit of a plume of caustic waste solution through the sediment column at the Hanford 241-B and -BX Tank Farms. Direct-push samples recovered from boreholes surrounding Tanks 241-B-110 and 241-BX-102 and related waste transfer lines and diversion boxes included sediments typical of those previously recovered from other localities on the Hanford Site. The Hanford formation sediments are dominantly quartzo-feldspathic sands strewn with lithic fragments, displaying a range of particle size distributions and sorting characteristics. Some moderately well-sorted, fine-grained lithologies are interpreted as lenticular bodies irregularly dispersed in coarser-grained, more poorly sorted sediments. Tier I tests conducted on the vadose zone sediments revealed an inverse correlation between moisture content and sediment size fraction (i.e., there is greater moisture content in finer-grained sediments). The Tier I tests also showed that the pore water solutions were likely sodium-rich, moderately saline, and possessed higher pH values than background (untainted) sediments. These data are characteristic of sediments that have encountered sodium-rich, saline, caustic waste solution, as documented in other reports at other suspect contamination sites around Hanford. Analyses of solutions from 1:1 water extracts reveal relatively balanced cation and anion concentrations, indicating that most of the geochemical species have been accounted for. The water extract data for affected sediments also indicate unusually high concentrations of aluminum, iron, and phosphorus. The relatively high concentrations of aluminum and iron may be the result of dissolution of secondary amorphous phases that precipitated after a reactive plume partially dissolved aluminum- and iron-bearing phases as it migrated through the sediment column. On the other hand, the presence of elevated concentrations of phosphorous may be the tell-tale signature of wastes

(99)Tc(VII) Retardation, Reduction, and Redox Rate Scaling in Naturally Reduced Sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yuanyuan; Liu, Chongxuan; Kukkadapu, Ravi K; McKinley, James P; Zachara, John; Plymale, Andrew E; Miller, Micah D; Varga, Tamas; Resch, Charles T

2015-11-17

An experimental and modeling study was conducted to investigate pertechnetate (Tc(VII)O4(-)) retardation, reduction, and rate scaling in three sediments from Ringold formation at U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford site, where (99)Tc is a major contaminant in groundwater. Tc(VII) was reduced in all the sediments in both batch reactors and diffusion columns, with a faster rate in a sediment containing a higher concentration of HCl-extractable Fe(II). Tc(VII) migration in the diffusion columns was reductively retarded with retardation degrees correlated with Tc(VII) reduction rates. The reduction rates were faster in the diffusion columns than those in the batch reactors, apparently influenced by the spatial distribution of redox-reactive minerals along transport paths that supplied Tc(VII). X-ray computed tomography and autoradiography were performed to identify the spatial locations of Tc(VII) reduction and transport paths in the sediments, and results generally confirmed the newly found behavior of reaction rate changes from batch to column. The results from this study implied that Tc(VII) migration can be reductively retarded at Hanford site with a retardation degree dependent on reactive Fe(II) content and its distribution in sediments. This study also demonstrated that an effective reaction rate may be faster in transport systems than that in well-mixed reactors.

Westinghouse Hanford Company environmental surveillance annual report -- 200/600 Areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, J.W.; Huckfeldt, C.R.; Johnson, A.R.; McKinney, S.M.

1990-06-01

This document presents the results of near-field environmental surveillance as performed by Westinghouse Hanford Company in 1989 for the Operations Area of the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington. These activities were conducted in the 200 and 600 Areas to assess operational control on the work environment. Surveillance activities included external radiation measurements and radiological surveys of waste disposal sites, radiological control areas, and roads, as well as sampling and analysis of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, sediments, soil, and biota. 15 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

Hanford Sludge Simulant Selection for Soil Mechanics Property Measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wells, Beric E.; Russell, Renee L.; Mahoney, Lenna A.; Brown, Garrett N.; Rinehart, Donald E.; Buchmiller, William C.; Golovich, Elizabeth C.; Crum, Jarrod V.

2010-03-23

The current System Plan for the Hanford Tank Farms uses relaxed buoyant displacement gas release event (BDGRE) controls for deep sludge (i.e., high level waste [HLW]) tanks, which allows the tank farms to use more storage space, i.e., increase the sediment depth, in some of the double-shell tanks (DSTs). The relaxed BDGRE controls are based on preliminary analysis of a gas release model from van Kessel and van Kesteren. Application of the van Kessel and van Kesteren model requires parametric information for the sediment, including the lateral earth pressure at rest and shear modulus. No lateral earth pressure at rest and shear modulus in situ measurements for Hanford sludge are currently available. The two chemical sludge simulants will be used in follow-on work to experimentally measure the van Kessel and van Kesteren model parameters, lateral earth pressure at rest, and shear modulus.

Hanford Sludge Simulant Selection for Soil Mechanics Property Measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wells, Beric E.; Russell, Renee L.; Mahoney, Lenna A.; Brown, Garrett N.; Rinehart, Donald E.; Buchmiller, William C.; Golovich, Elizabeth C.; Crum, Jarrod V.

2010-01-01

The current System Plan for the Hanford Tank Farms uses relaxed buoyant displacement gas release event (BDGRE) controls for deep sludge (i.e., high level waste (HLW)) tanks, which allows the tank farms to use more storage space, i.e., increase the sediment depth, in some of the double-shell tanks (DSTs). The relaxed BDGRE controls are based on preliminary analysis of a gas release model from van Kessel and van Kesteren. Application of the van Kessel and van Kesteren model requires parametric information for the sediment, including the lateral earth pressure at rest and shear modulus. No lateral earth pressure at rest and shear modulus in situ measurements for Hanford sludge are currently available. The two chemical sludge simulants will be used in follow-on work to experimentally measure the van Kessel and van Kesteren model parameters, lateral earth pressure at rest, and shear modulus.

First Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2001

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartshorn, Donald C.; Reidel, Stephen P.; Rohay, Alan C.; Valenta, Michelle M.

2001-02-27

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. For the HSN, there were 477 triggers during the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2001 on the data acquisition system. Of these triggers, 176 were earthquakes. Forty-five earthquakes were located in the HSN area; 1 earthquake occurred in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 43 were earthquakes in the pre-basalt sediments, and 1 was earthquakes in the crystalline basement. Geographically, 44 earthquakes occurred in swarm areas, 1 earthquake was on a major structure, and no earthquakes were classified as random occurrences. The Horse Heaven Hills earthquake swarm area recorded all but one event during the first quarter of FY 2001. The peak of the activity occurred over December 12th, 13th, and 14th when 35 events occurred. No earthquakes triggered the Hanford Strong Motion Accelerometers during the first quarter of FY 2001.

Third Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DC Hartshorn; SP Reidel; AC Rohay

2000-09-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and its con-tractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (E WRN) consist of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The HSN uses 21 sites and the EWRN uses 36 sites; both networks share 16 sites. The networks have 46 combined data channels because Gable Butte and Frenchman Hills East are three-component sites. The reconfiguration of the telemetry and recording systems was completed during the first quarter. All leased telephone lines have been eliminated and radio telemetry is now used exclusively. For the HSN, there were 818 triggers on two parallel detection and recording systems during the third quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2000. Thirteen seismic events were located by the Hanford Seismic Network within the reporting region of 46-47{degree} N latitude and 119-120{degree} W longitude; 7 were earthquakes in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 1 was an earthquake in the pre-basalt sediments, and 5 were earthquakes in the crystalline basement. Three earthquakes occurred in known swarm areas, and 10 earthquakes were random occurrences. No earthquakes triggered the Hanford Strong Motion Accelerometers during the third quarter of FY 2000.

Hanford quarterly seismic report - 97B seismicity on and near the Hanford Site, Pasco Basin, Washington, January 1, 1997--March 31, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartshorn, D.C.; Reidel, S.P.

1997-05-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and contractors. The staff also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for activities ranging from waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organizations works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of an earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Seismic Monitoring staff. Most stations and five relay sites are solar powered. The operational rate for the second quarter of FY97 for stations in the HSN was 97.23% and for stations of the EWRN was 99.93%. For fiscal year (FY) 1997 second quarter (97B), the acquisition computer triggered two hundred and forth-eight times. Of these triggers three were local earthquakes: one in the pre-basalt sediments, and two in the crystalline basement. The geologic and tectonic environments are discussed in the report.

Hanford quarterly seismic report - 97B seismicity on and near the Hanford Site, Pasco Basin, Washington, January 1, 1997 - March 31, 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartshorn, D.C.; Reidel, S.P.

1997-05-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and contractors. The staff also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for activities ranging from waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organizations works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of an earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Seismic Monitoring staff. Most stations and five relay sites are solar powered. The operational rate for the second quarter of FY97 for stations in the HSN was 97.23% and for stations of the EWRN was 99.93%. For fiscal year (FY) 1997 second quarter (97B), the acquisition computer triggered two hundred and forth-eight times. Of these triggers three were local earthquakes: one in the pre-basalt sediments, and two in the crystalline basement. The geologic and tectonic environments are discussed in the report

Remedial Investigation of Hanford Site Releases to the Columbia River

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lerch, J.A.

2009-01-01

In south-central Washington State, the Columbia River flows through the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. A primary objective of the Hanford Site cleanup mission is protection of the Columbia River, through remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater that resulted from its weapons production mission. Within the Columbia River system, surface water, sediment, and biota samples related to potential Hanford Site hazardous substance releases have been collected since the start of Hanford operations. The impacts of Hanford Site hazardous substance releases to the Columbia River in areas upstream, within, and downstream of the Hanford Site boundary have been previously investigated as mandated by the U.S. Department of Energy requirements under the Atomic Energy Act. The impacts are now being assessed under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 via a remedial investigation. The Remedial Investigation Work Plan for Hanford Site Releases to the Columbia River has been developed and issued to initiate the remedial investigation. The work plan establishes a phased approach to characterize contaminants, assess current risks, and determine whether or not there is a need for any cleanup actions. Field investigation activities began in October 2008 and are anticipated to continue into Fall 2009 over a 120 mile stretch of the Columbia River. Information gained from performing this remedial investigation will ultimately be used to help make final regulatory decisions for cleaning up Hanford Site contamination that exists in and along the Columbia River. (authors)

Deep Vadose Zone Characterization at the Hanford Site: Accomplishments from the Last Ten Years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Christopher F.; Serne, R. Jeffrey

2008-01-01

The overall goal of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities at Hanford. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. tasked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediments collected within/adjacent to the twelve single-shell tank farms contained within Hanford's Central Plateau region. This work has been performed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action Program and is associated with the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. While there are many facets to the laboratory studies employed by PNNL, the four primary objectives of this work are to: identify the type and quantity of contamination present, understand the physical processes that affect the transport of contaminants in the vadose zone sediments, when practical, identify the source(s) of the contamination found in the sediment samples, and when practical, determine if a link can be made between the vadose zone contamination observed and any known groundwater contaminants in the vicinity. Since its inception in 1997, PNNL's Vadose Zone Characterization Project has evolved to better meet these four key objectives. The single-largest adaptation of the Vadose Zone Characterization Project over its ten years of operation was the advent of a tiered sample analysis approach. Use of a tiered approach allows resources to be focused on those samples/tests that provide the largest amount of scientific information to best meet the four key project objectives within the budget available. Another significant, but more recent, adaptation has been the implementation of a rapid turnaround characterization process in which sediment samples are analyzed in near real-time to aid drilling activities within the tank farms. This paper highlights details of the characterization activities performed as well

Annual Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2009-12-31

) occurred on May 13, 2009 within the Wooded Island swarm at depth 1.8 km. With regard to the depth distribution, 1613 earthquakes were located at shallow depths (less than 4 km, most likely in the Columbia River basalts), 18 earthquakes were located at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments), and 17 earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the crystalline basement. Geographically, 1630 earthquakes were located in swarm areas and 18 earthquakes were classified as random events. The low magnitude of the Wooded Island events has made them undetectable to all but local area residents. However, some Hanford employees working within a few miles of the area of highest activity and individuals living in homes directly across the Columbia River from the swarm center have reported feeling many of the larger magnitude events. The Hanford Strong Motion Accelerometer (SMA) network was triggered numerous times by the Wooded Island swarm events. The maximum acceleration value recorded by the SMA network was approximately 3 times lower than the reportable action level for Hanford facilities (2% g) and no action was required. The swarming is likely due to pressure that has built up, cracking the brittle basalt layers within the Columbia River Basalt Formation (CRBG). Similar earthquake “swarms” have been recorded near this same location in 1970, 1975 and 1988. Prior to the 1970s, swarming may have occurred, but equipment was not in place to record those events. Quakes of this limited magnitude do not pose a risk to Hanford cleanup efforts or waste storage facilities. Since swarms of the past did not intensify in magnitude, seismologists do not expect that these events will increase in intensity. However, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will continue to monitor the activity.

Hanford Environmental Information System (HEIS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

The purpose of the Soil subject area of the Hanford Environmental Information System (HEIS) is to manage the data acquired from soil samples, both geologic and surface, and sediment samples. Stored in the Soil subject area are data relevant to the soil samples, laboratory analytical results, and field measurements. The two major types of data make up the Soil subject area are data concerning the samples and data about the chemical and/or radiologic analyses of soil samples

Hanford Site surface environmental surveillance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dirkes, R.L.

1998-01-01

Environmental surveillance of the Hanford Site and the surrounding region is conducted to demonstrate compliance with environmental regulations, confirm adherence to US Department of Energy (DOE) environmental protection policies, support DOE environmental management decisions, and provide information to the public. The Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) is a multimedia environmental monitoring program conducted to measure the concentrations of radionuclides and chemical contaminants in the environment and assess the integrated effects of these contaminants on the environment and the public. The monitoring program includes sampling air, surface water, sediments, soil, natural vegetation, agricultural products, fish, and wildlife. Functional elements inherent in the operation of the SESP include project management, quality assurance/control, training, records management, environmental sampling network design and implementation, sample collection, sample analysis, data management, data review and evaluation, exposure assessment, and reporting. The SESP focuses on those contaminant/media combinations calculated to have the highest potential for contributing to off-site exposure. Results of the SESP indicate that contaminant concentrations in the Hanford environs are very low, generally below environmental standards, at or below analytical detection levels, and indicative of environmental levels. However, areas of elevated contaminant concentrations have been identified at Hanford. The extent of these areas is generally limited to past operating areas and waste disposal sites

Pattern formation by dewetting and evaporating sedimenting suspensions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Habibi, M.; Moller, P.; Fall, A.; Rafaï, S.; Bonn, D.

2012-01-01

Pattern formation from drying droplets containing sedimenting particles and dewetting of thin films of such suspensions was studied. The dewetting causes the formation of finger-like patterns near the contact line which leave behind a deposit of branches. We find that the strikingly low speed of

Hanford quarterly seismic report - 97C seismicity on and near the Hanford Site, Pasco Basin, Washington. Quarterly report, April 1, 1997--June 30, 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartshorn, D.C.; Reidel, S.P.; Rohay, A.C.

1997-08-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and contractors. The staff also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for activities ranging from waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of an earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Seismic Monitoring staff. Most stations and five relay sites are solar powered. The operational rate for the second quarter of FY97 for stations in the HSN was 100% and for stations of the EWRN was 99.99%. For fiscal year (FY) 1997 third quarter (97C), the acquisition computer triggered 183. Of these triggers twenty one were local earthquakes: sixteen in the Columbus River Basalt Group, one in the pre-basalt sediments, and four in the crystalline basement. The geologic and tectonic environments are discussed in the report.

Microbial reductive transformation of phyllosilicate Fe(III) and U(VI) in fluvial subsurface sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ji-Hoon; Fredrickson, James K; Kukkadapu, Ravi K; Boyanov, Maxim I; Kemner, Kenneth M; Lin, Xueju; Kennedy, David W; Bjornstad, Bruce N; Konopka, Allan E; Moore, Dean A; Resch, Charles T; Phillips, Jerry L

2012-04-03

The microbial reduction of Fe(III) and U(VI) was investigated in shallow aquifer sediments collected from subsurface flood deposits near the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River in Washington State. Increases in 0.5 N HCl-extractable Fe(II) were observed in incubated sediments and (57)Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy revealed that Fe(III) associated with phyllosilicates and pyroxene was reduced to Fe(II). Aqueous uranium(VI) concentrations decreased in subsurface sediments incubated in sulfate-containing synthetic groundwater with the rate and extent being greater in sediment amended with organic carbon. X-ray absorption spectroscopy of bioreduced sediments indicated that 67-77% of the U signal was U(VI), probably as an adsorbed species associated with a new or modified reactive mineral phase. Phylotypes within the Deltaproteobacteria were more common in Hanford sediments incubated with U(VI) than without, and in U(VI)-free incubations, members of the Clostridiales were dominant with sulfate-reducing phylotypes more common in the sulfate-amended sediments. These results demonstrate the potential for anaerobic reduction of phyllosilicate Fe(III) and sulfate in Hanford unconfined aquifer sediments and biotransformations involving reduction and adsorption leading to decreased aqueous U concentrations.

Annual Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2008-12-29

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The HSAP is responsible for locating and identifying sources of seismic activity and monitoring changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the HSAP works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. During fiscal year 2008, the Hanford Seismic Network recorded 1431 triggers on the seismometer system, which included 112 seismic events in the southeast Washington area and an additional 422 regional and teleseismic events. There were 74 events determined to be local earthquakes relevant to the Hanford Site. The highest-magnitude event (3.7 Mc) occurred on May 18, 2008, and was located approximately 17 km east of Prosser at a depth of 20.5 km. With regard to the depth distribution, 13 earthquakes were located at shallow depths (less than 4 km, most likely in the Columbia River basalts), 45 earthquakes were located at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments), and 16 earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the crystalline basement. Geographically, 54 earthquakes were located in swarm areas and 20 earthquakes were classified as random events. The May 18 earthquake was the highest magnitude event recorded since 1975 in the vicinity of the Hanford Site (between 46 degrees and 47 degrees north latitude and

Second Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartshorn, D.C.; Reidel, S.P.; Rohay, A.C.

2000-01-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the US Department of Energy and its contractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consist of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The HSN uses 21 sites and the EWRN uses 36 sites; both networks share 16 sites. The networks have 46 combined data channels because Gable Butte and Frenchman Hills East are three-component sites. The reconfiguration of the telemetry and recording systems was completed during the first quarter. All leased telephone lines have been eliminated and radio telemetry is now used exclusively. For the HSN, there were 506 triggers on two parallel detection and recording systems during the second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2000. Twenty-seven seismic events were located by the Hanford Seismic Network within the reporting region of 46--47degree N latitude and 119--120degree W longitude; 12 were earthquakes in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 2 were earthquakes in the pre-basalt sediments, 9 were earthquakes in the crystalline basement, and 5 were quarry blasts. Three earthquakes appear to be related to geologic structures, eleven earthquakes occurred in known swarm areas, and seven earthquakes were random occurrences. No earthquakes triggered the Hanford Strong Motion

Second Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DC Hartshorn; SP Reidel; AC Rohay

2000-07-17

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the US Department of Energy and its contractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consist of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The HSN uses 21 sites and the EWRN uses 36 sites; both networks share 16 sites. The networks have 46 combined data channels because Gable Butte and Frenchman Hills East are three-component sites. The reconfiguration of the telemetry and recording systems was completed during the first quarter. All leased telephone lines have been eliminated and radio telemetry is now used exclusively. For the HSN, there were 506 triggers on two parallel detection and recording systems during the second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2000. Twenty-seven seismic events were located by the Hanford Seismic Network within the reporting region of 46--47{degree} N latitude and 119--120{degree} W longitude; 12 were earthquakes in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 2 were earthquakes in the pre-basalt sediments, 9 were earthquakes in the crystalline basement, and 5 were quarry blasts. Three earthquakes appear to be related to geologic structures, eleven earthquakes occurred in known swarm areas, and seven earthquakes were random occurrences. No earthquakes triggered the Hanford Strong Motion

First quarter Hanford seismic report for fiscal year 2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DC Hartshorn; SP Reidel; AC Rohay

2000-02-23

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the US Department of Energy and its contractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consist of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The HSN uses 21 sites and the EW uses 36 sites; both networks share 16 sites. The networks have 46 combined data channels because Gable Butte and Frenchman Hills East are three-component sites. The reconfiguration of the telemetry and recording systems was completed during the first quarter. All leased telephone lines have been eliminated and radio telemetry is now used exclusively. For the HSN, there were 311 triggers on two parallel detection and recording systems during the first quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2000. Twelve seismic events were located by the Hanford Seismic Network within the reporting region of 46--47{degree}N latitude and 119--120{degree}W longitude; 2 were earthquakes in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 3 were earthquakes in the pre-basalt sediments, 9 were earthquakes in the crystalline basement, and 1 was a quarry blast. Two earthquakes appear to be related to a major geologic structure, no earthquakes occurred in known swarm areas, and 9 earthquakes were random occurrences. No earthquakes triggered the Hanford Strong Motion Accelerometers

A Catalog of Vadose Zone Hydraulic Properties for the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freeman, Eugene J.; Khaleel, Raziuddin; Heller, Paula R.

2002-09-30

To predict contaminant release to the groundwater, it is necessary to understand the hydraulic properties of the material between the release point and the water table. Measurements of the hydraulic properties of the Hanford unsaturated sediments that buffer the water table are available from many areas of the site; however, the documentation is not well cataloged nor is it easily accessible. The purpose of this report is to identify what data is available for characterization of the unsaturated hydraulic properties at Hanford and Where these data can be found.

Westinghouse Hanford Company Environmental surveillance annual report--200/600 Areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, J.W.; Huckfeldt, C.R.; Johnson, A.R.; McKinney, S.M.

1991-06-01

This document presents the results of near-field environmental surveillance in 1990 of the Operations Area of the Hanford Site, in south central Washington State, as performed by Westinghouse Hanford Company. These activities are conducted in the 200 and 600 Areas to assess and control the impacts of operations on the workers and the local environment. Surveillance activities include sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, sediments, soil, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys are taken of waste disposal sites, radiological control areas, and roads. 16 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

FLUOR HANFORD SAFETY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GARVIN, L. J.; JENSEN, M. A.

2004-04-13

This document summarizes safety management programs used within the scope of the ''Project Hanford Management Contract''. The document has been developed to meet the format and content requirements of DOE-STD-3009-94, ''Preparation Guide for US. Department of Energy Nonreactor Nuclear Facility Documented Safety Analyses''. This document provides summary descriptions of Fluor Hanford safety management programs, which Fluor Hanford nuclear facilities may reference and incorporate into their safety basis when producing facility- or activity-specific documented safety analyses (DSA). Facility- or activity-specific DSAs will identify any variances to the safety management programs described in this document and any specific attributes of these safety management programs that are important for controlling potentially hazardous conditions. In addition, facility- or activity-specific DSAs may identify unique additions to the safety management programs that are needed to control potentially hazardous conditions.

Volatile Organic Compound Investigation Results, 300 Area, Hanford Site, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peterson, Robert E.; Williams, Bruce A.; Smith, Ronald M.

2008-07-07

Unexpectedly high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOC) were discovered while drilling in the unconfined aquifer beneath the Hanford Site’s 300 Area during 2006. The discovery involved an interval of relatively finer-grained sediment within the unconfined aquifer, an interval that is not sampled by routine groundwater monitoring. Although VOC contamination in the unconfined aquifer has been identified and monitored, the concentrations of newly discovered contamination are much higher than encountered previously, with some new results significantly higher than the drinking water standards. The primary contaminant is trichloroethene, with lesser amounts of tetrachloroethene. Both chemicals were used extensively as degreasing agents during the fuels fabrication process. A biological degradation product of these chemicals, 1,2-dichloroethene, was also detected. To further define the nature and extent of this contamination, additional characterization drilling was undertaken during 2007. Four locations were drilled to supplement the information obtained at four locations drilled during the earlier investigation in 2006. The results of the combined drilling indicate that the newly discovered contamination is limited to a relatively finer-grained interval of Ringold Formation sediment within the unconfined aquifer. The extent of this contamination appears to be the area immediately east and south of the former South Process Pond. Samples collected from the finer-grained sediment at locations along the shoreline confirm the presence of the contamination near the groundwater/river interface. Contamination was not detected in river water that flows over the area where the river channel potentially incises the finer-grained interval of aquifer sediment. The source for this contamination is not readily apparent. A search of historical documents and the Hanford Waste Information Data System did not provide definitive clues as to waste disposal operations and

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediment: Uncontaminated RCRA Borehole Core Samples and Composite Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serne, R. Jeffrey; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Schaef, Herbert T.; Williams, Bruce A.; Lanigan, David C.; Horton, Duane G.; Clayton, Ray E.; Mitroshkov, Alexandre V.; Legore, Virginia L.; O'Hara, Matthew J.; Brown, Christopher F.; Parker, Kent E.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Serne, Jennifer N.; Last, George V.; Smith, Steven C.; Lindenmeier, Clark W.; Zachara, John M.; Burke, Deborah Sd.

2001-01-01

The overall goal of the of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. asked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediment from within the S-SX Waste Management Area. This report is the first in a series of four reports to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from RCRA borehole bore samples and composite samples. Intact cores from two RCRA boreholes (299-W22-48 and 299-W22-50) near the SX Tank Farm and four, large-quantity grab samples from outcrop sediment on and off the Hanford Site were sampled to better understand the fate of contaminants in the vadose zone beneath underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site. Borehole and outcrop samples analyzed for this report are located outside the tank farms, and therefore may be considered standard or background samples from which to compare contaminated sediments within the tank farms themselves. This report presents our interpretation of the physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties of the uncontaminated vadose zone sediments, and variations in the vertical distribution of these properties. The information presented in this report is intended to support preparation of the S-SX Field Investigation Report to be prepared by CH2M Hill Hanford Group, Inc. as well as future remediation actions at the S-SX Tank Farm

Hanford Site near-facility environmental monitoring data report for calendar year 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DIEDIKER, L.P.

1999-07-29

This document summarizes the results of the U.S. Department of Energy's Near-Facility Environmental Monitoring program conducted by Waste Management Federal Services of Hanford, Inc. for Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. for 1998 in the 100,200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in southcentral Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with federal, state, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities can still be observed on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years.

Hanford Site near-facility environmental monitoring data report for calendar year 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DIEDIKER, L.P.

1999-01-01

This document summarizes the results of the U.S. Department of Energy's Near-Facility Environmental Monitoring program conducted by Waste Management Federal Services of Hanford, Inc. for Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. for 1998 in the 100,200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in southcentral Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with federal, state, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities can still be observed on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years

Hydrate bearing clayey sediments: Formation and gas production concepts

KAUST Repository

Jang, Jaewon; Santamarina, Carlos

2016-01-01

Hydro-thermo-chemo and mechanically coupled processes determine hydrate morphology and control gas production from hydrate-bearing sediments. Force balance, together with mass and energy conservation analyses anchored in published data provide robust asymptotic solutions that reflect governing processes in hydrate systems. Results demonstrate that hydrate segregation in clayey sediments results in a two-material system whereby hydrate lenses are surrounded by hydrate-free water-saturated clay. Hydrate saturation can reach ≈2% by concentrating the excess dissolved gas in the pore water and ≈20% from metabolizable carbon. Higher hydrate saturations are often found in natural sediments and imply methane transport by advection or diffusion processes. Hydrate dissociation is a strongly endothermic event; the available latent heat in a reservoir can sustain significant hydrate dissociation without triggering ice formation during depressurization. The volume of hydrate expands 2-to-4 times upon dissociation or CO2single bondCH4 replacement. Volume expansion can be controlled to maintain lenses open and to create new open mode discontinuities that favor gas recovery. Pore size is the most critical sediment parameter for hydrate formation and gas recovery and is controlled by the smallest grains in a sediment. Therefore any characterization must carefully consider the amount of fines and their associated mineralogy.

Hydrate bearing clayey sediments: Formation and gas production concepts

KAUST Repository

Jang, Jaewon

2016-06-20

Hydro-thermo-chemo and mechanically coupled processes determine hydrate morphology and control gas production from hydrate-bearing sediments. Force balance, together with mass and energy conservation analyses anchored in published data provide robust asymptotic solutions that reflect governing processes in hydrate systems. Results demonstrate that hydrate segregation in clayey sediments results in a two-material system whereby hydrate lenses are surrounded by hydrate-free water-saturated clay. Hydrate saturation can reach ≈2% by concentrating the excess dissolved gas in the pore water and ≈20% from metabolizable carbon. Higher hydrate saturations are often found in natural sediments and imply methane transport by advection or diffusion processes. Hydrate dissociation is a strongly endothermic event; the available latent heat in a reservoir can sustain significant hydrate dissociation without triggering ice formation during depressurization. The volume of hydrate expands 2-to-4 times upon dissociation or CO2single bondCH4 replacement. Volume expansion can be controlled to maintain lenses open and to create new open mode discontinuities that favor gas recovery. Pore size is the most critical sediment parameter for hydrate formation and gas recovery and is controlled by the smallest grains in a sediment. Therefore any characterization must carefully consider the amount of fines and their associated mineralogy.

Hydrogeologic Model for the Gable Gap Area, Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Thorne, Paul D.; Williams, Bruce A.; Last, George V.; Thomas, Gregory S.; Thompson, Michael D.; Ludwig, Jami L.; Lanigan, David C.

2010-09-30

Gable Gap is a structural and topographic depression between Gable Mountain and Gable Butte within the central Hanford Site. It has a long and complex geologic history, which includes tectonic uplift synchronous with erosional downcutting associated with the ancestral Columbia River during both Ringold and Cold Creek periods, and by the later Ice Age (mostly glacial Lake Missoula) floods. The gap was subsequently buried and partially backfilled by mostly coarse-grained, Ice Age flood deposits (Hanford formation). Erosional remnants of both the Ringold Formation and Cold Creek unit locally underlie the high-energy flood deposits. A large window exists in the gap where confined basalt aquifers are in contact with the unconfined suprabasalt aquifer. Several paleochannels, of both Hanford and Ringold Formation age, were eroded into the basalt bedrock across Gable Gap. Groundwater from the Central Plateau presently moves through Gable Gap via one or more of these shallow paleochannels. As groundwater levels continue to decline in the region, groundwater flow may eventually be cut off through Gable Gap.

Formation of siliceous sediments in brandy after diatomite filtration.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, J; Gil, M L A; de la Rosa-Fox, N; Alguacil, M

2015-03-01

Brandy is quite a stable spirit but sometimes light sediment appears. This sediment was separated and analysed by IR and SEM-EDX. It was revealed that the sediment is composed mostly of silica and residual organic matter. Silica was present as an amorphous phase and as microparticles. In an attempt to reproduce the formation of the sediment, a diatomite extract was prepared with an ethanol/water mixture (36% vol.) and a calcined diatomite similar to that used in brandy filtration. This extract was added to unfiltered brandy in different amounts. After 1 month, the Si concentration decreased in all samples and sediments with similar compositions and features to those found in the unstable brandy appeared. The amounts of sediment obtained were directly related to the decrease in Si concentration in solution. Consequently, it can be concluded that siliceous sediment in brandy originates from Si released during diatomite filtration. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microbial Formation of Ethane in Anoxic Estuarine Sediments

OpenAIRE

Oremland, Ronald S.

1981-01-01

Estuarine sediment slurries produced methane and traces of ethane when incubated under hydrogen. Formation of methane occurred over a broad temperature range with an optimum above 65°C. Ethane formation had a temperature optimum at 40°C. Formation of these two gases was inhibited by air, autoclaving, incubation at 4 and 80°C, and by the methanogenic inhibitor, 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid. Ethane production was stimulated by addition of ethylthioethanesulfonic acid, and production from ethylthi...

Westinghouse Hanford Company operational environmental monitoring annual report, calendar year 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmidt, J.; Fassett, J.W.; Johnson, A.R.; Johnson, V.G.; Markes, B.M.; McKinney, S.M.; Moss, K.J.; Perkins, C.J.; Richterich, L.R.

1995-08-01

This document presents the results of the Westinghouse Hanford Company near-facility operational environmental monitoring for 1994 in the 100, 200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in south-central Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air surface water, groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with Federal, State, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities are still seen on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years.

Westinghouse Hanford Company operational environmental monitoring annual report - calendar year 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schmidt, J.W., Westinghouse Hanford

1996-07-30

This document summarizes the results of the Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) near-facility operational environmental monitoring for 1995 in the 100, 200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in south-central Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water,groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with Federal, State, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities can still be observed on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years.

Characterization and anion exchange removal of uranium from Hanford ground water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delegard, C.H.; Weiss, R.L.; Kimura, R.T.; Law, A.G.; Routson, R.C.

1986-01-01

In February 1985, uranium concentrations increased abruptly to 0.1 kgU/m/sup 3/ in ground waters underlying a retired liquid waste disposal facility in the United States Department of Energy-Richland Operations Hanford Site. Characterization tests showed the uranium was present as an anionic carbonate complex not sorbable by Hanford sediments. The uranium was mobilized by flow from a perched zone of water caused by recent nearby cooling water disposal above an impermeable sediment layer. In a unique demonstration of the concept of ''as low as reasonably achievable,'' efforts were immediately undertaken to minimize the spread of the plume and to reduce the amount of uranium in the ground water. An anion exchange-based uranium removal process flowsheet was rapidly developed and implemented. Operational for six months, the process has treated over 30,000 m/sup 3/ of ground water and collected 94% of the uranium while producing a treated effluent that meets criteria for discharge to the soil column

Second and Third Quarters Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DC Hartshorn; SP Reidel; AC Rohay

1999-11-09

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consist of 42 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. For the HSN, there were 270 triggers during the second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 1999 and 229 triggers during the third quarter on the primary recording system. During the second quarter, 22 seismic events were located; 11 were earthquakes in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 6 were earthquakes in the crystalline basement, and 5 were quarry blasts. Two earthquakes appear to be related to major geologic structures, eight earthquakes occurred in known swarm areas, and seven earthquakes were random occurrences. During the third quarter, 23 seismic events were located; 11 were earthquakes in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 4 were earthquakes in the pre-basalt sediments, 4 were earthquakes in the crystalline basement, and 4 were quarry blasts. Five earthquakes occurred in known swarm areas, six earthquakes formed a new swarm near the Horse Heavens Hills and Presser, Washington, and eight earthquakes were random occurrences. No earthquakes triggered the Hanford Strong Motion Accelerometers during the second or third quarters of FY 1999.

Hanford Site Waste Management Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-12-01

The Hanford Site Waste Management Plan (HWMP) was prepared in accordance with the outline and format described in the US Department of Energy Orders. The HWMP presents the actions, schedules, and projected costs associated with the management and disposal of Hanford defense wastes, both radioactive and hazardous. The HWMP addresses the Waste Management Program. It does not include the Environmental Restoration Program, itself divided into the Environmental Restoration Remedial Action Program and the Decontamination and Decommissioning Program. The executive summary provides the basis for the plans, schedules, and costs within the scope of the Waste Management Program at Hanford. It summarizes fiscal year (FY) 1988 including the principal issues and the degree to which planned activities were accomplished. It further provides a forecast of FY 1989 including significant milestones. Section 1 provides general information for the Hanford Site including the organization and administration associated with the Waste Management Program and a description of the Site focusing on waste management operations. Section 2 and Section 3 describe radioactive and mixed waste management operations and hazardous waste management, respectively. Each section includes descriptions of the waste management systems and facilities, the characteristics of the wastes managed, and a discussion of the future direction of operations

Third Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2008-09-01

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The Hanford Seismic Assessment Team locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. For the Hanford Seismic Network, fourteen local earthquakes were recorded during the third quarter of fiscal year 2008. The largest event recorded by the network during the third quarter (May 18, 2008 - magnitude 3.7 Mc) was located approximately 17 km east of Prosser at a depth of 20.5 km. With regard to the depth distribution, five earthquakes occurred at shallow depths (less than 4 km, most likely in the Columbia River basalts), six earthquakes at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments), and three earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the crystalline basement. Geographically, eight earthquakes occurred in swarm areas and six earthquakes were classified as random events. The largest event recorded by the network during the third quarter occurred on May 18 (magnitude 3.7 Mc) and was located approximately 17 km east of Prosser at a depth of 20.5 km. This earthquake was the highest magnitude event recorded in the 46-47 N. latitude / 119-120 W. longitude sector since 1975

Hanford Site Performance Report - March 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EDER, D.M.

2001-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Site Performance Report is to provide the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office's (DOE-RL's) report of Hanford's performance by: U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) through Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. (FDH) and its subcontractors, Environmental Restoration Contract through Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI), and its subcontractors, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) for Science and Technology (S and T) Mission and support to the Environmental Management (EM). This report is published monthly with the intent of relating work performance and progress in the context of the Success Indicators and Critical Success Factors as outlined in the Hanford Strategic Plan. On a quarterly basis, the report also addresses performance and progress related to the Science and Technology Mission's Critical Outcomes as derived from the Hanford Strategic Plan. Section A of this report is the Executive Summary, encapsulating high-level data in this report into an overall brief. Summary information provided includes Notable Accomplishments, a performance profile with associated analyses, Critical Issues, Key Integration Activities, and a ''quick list'' of Upcoming Key Events. Section B of this report, the Site Summary section, provides Environmental Management performance data specifically organized to the pertinent Critical Success Factors and Success Indicators, and Science and Technology data in the context of the Critical Outcomes. The Site Summary demonstrates the various missions' overall progress against these strategic objectives. The information is presented in both narrative and graphical formats. The remaining sections provide performance data relative to each individual mission area (e.g., Waste Management, Spent Nuclear Fuels, etc.). The information provided in the Mission Area sections is at a level of greater detail than is presented in either the Executive Summary or

Hanford Site Performance Report - May 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EDER, D.M.

2001-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Site Performance Report is to provide the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office's (DOE-RL's) report of Hanford's performance by: U. S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) through Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. (FDH) and its subcontractors, Environmental Restoration Contract through Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI), and its subcontractors, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) for Science and Technology (S and T) Mission and support to the Environmental Management (EM). This report is published monthly with the intent of relating work performance and progress in the context of the Success Indicators and Critical Success Factors as outlined in the Hanford Strategic Plan. On a quarterly basis, the report also addresses performance and progress related to the Science and Technology Mission's Critical Outcomes as derived from the Hanford Strategic Plan. Section A of this report is the Executive Summary, encapsulating high-level data in this report into an overall brief. Summary information provided includes Notable Accomplishments, a performance profile with associated analyses, Critical Issues, Key Integration Activities, and a ''quick list'' of Upcoming Key Events. Section B of this report, the Site Summary section, provides Environmental Management performance data specifically organized to the pertinent Critical Success Factors and Success Indicators, and Science and Technology data in the context of the Critical Outcomes. The Site Summary demonstrates the various missions' overall progress against these strategic objectives. The information is presented in both narrative and graphical formats. The remaining sections provide performance data relative to each individual mission area (e.g., Waste Management, Spent Nuclear Fuels, etc.). The information provided in the Mission Area sections is at a level of greater detail than is presented in either the Executive Summary or

Hanford Site Performance Report - April 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EDER, D.M.

2001-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Site Performance Report is to provide the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office's (DOE-RL's) report of Hanford's performance by: U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) through Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. (FDH) and its subcontractors, Environmental Restoration Contract through Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI), and its subcontractors, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) for Science and Technology (S and T) Mission and support to the Environmental Management (EM). This report is published monthly with the intent of relating work performance and progress in the context of the Success Indicators and Critical Success Factors as outlined in the Hanford Strategic Plan. On a quarterly basis, the report also addresses performance and progress related to the Science and Technology Mission's Critical Outcomes as derived from the Hanford Strategic Plan. Section A of this report is the Executive Summary, encapsulating high-level data in this report into an overall brief. Summary information provided includes Notable Accomplishments, a performance profile with associated analyses, Critical Issues, Key Integration Activities, and a ''quick list'' of Upcoming Key Events. Section B of this report, the Site Summary section, provides Environmental Management performance data specifically organized to the pertinent Critical Success Factors and Success Indicators, and Science and Technology data in the context of the Critical Outcomes. The Site Summary demonstrates the various missions' overall progress against these strategic objectives. The information is presented in both narrative and graphical formats. The remaining sections provide performance data relative to each individual mission area (e.g., Waste Management, Spent Nuclear Fuels, etc.). The information provided in the Mission Area sections is at a level of greater detail than is presented in either the Executive Summary or

Westinghouse Hanford Company Operational Environmental Monitoring. Annual report, CY 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, J.W.; Johnson, A.R.; Markes, B.M.; McKinney, S.M.; Perkins, C.J.

1994-07-01

This document presents the results of the Westinghouse Hanford Company near-facility operational environmental monitoring for 1993 in the 100, 200/600, and 300/400 Areas of the Hanford Site, in south-central Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, sediments, soil, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with Federal, State, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities are still seen on the Hanford Site and radiation levels are slightly elevated when compared to offsite conditions, the differences are less than in previous years. At certain locations on or directly adjacent to nuclear facilities and waste sites, levels can be several times higher than offsite conditions

Phenolic compounds participating in mulberry juice sediment formation during storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Bo; Xu, Yu-Juan; Wu, Ji-Jun; Yu, Yuan-Shan; Xiao, Geng-Sheng

The stability of clarified juice is of great importance in the beverage industry and to consumers. Phenolic compounds are considered to be one of the main factors responsible for sediment formation. The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in the phenolic content in clarified mulberry juice during storage. Hence, separation, identification, quantification, and analysis of the changes in the contents of phenolic compounds, both free and bound forms, in the supernatant and sediments of mulberry juice, were carried out using high performance liquid chromatographic system, equipped with a photo-diode array detector (HPLC-PDA) and HPLC coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometric (HPLC-QTOF-MS/MS) techniques. There was an increase in the amount of sediment formed over the period of study. Total phenolic content of supernatant, as well as free phenolic content in the extracts of the precipitate decreased, whereas the bound phenolic content in the sediment increased. Quantitative estimation of individual phenolic compounds indicated high degradation of free anthocyanins in the supernatant and sediment from 938.60 to 2.30 mg/L and 235.60 to 1.74 mg/g, respectively. A decrease in flavonoids in the supernatant was also observed, whereas the contents of bound forms of gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, caffeic acid, and rutin in the sediment increased. Anthocyanins were the most abundant form of phenolics in the sediment, and accounted for 67.2% of total phenolics after 8 weeks of storage. These results revealed that phenolic compounds, particularly anthocyanins, were involved in the formation of sediments in mulberry juice during storage.

Final Project Report: Release of aged contaminants from weathered sediments: Effects of sorbate speciation on scaling of reactive transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jon Chorover, University of Arizona; Peggy O' €™Day, University of California, Merced; Karl Mueller, Penn State University; Wooyong Um, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Carl Steefel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

2012-10-01

Hanford sediments impacted by hyperalkaline high level radioactive waste have undergone incongruent silicate mineral weathering concurrent with contaminant uptake. In this project, we studied the impact of background pore water (BPW) on strontium, cesium and iodine desorption and transport in Hanford sediments that were experimentally weathered by contact with simulated hyperalkaline tank waste leachate (STWL) solutions. Using those lab-weathered Hanford sediments (HS) and model precipitates formed during nucleation from homogeneous STWL solutions (HN), we (i) provided detailed characterization of reaction products over a matrix of field-relevant gradients in contaminant concentration, PCO2, and reaction time; (ii) improved molecular-scale understanding of how sorbate speciation controls contaminant desorption from weathered sediments upon removal of caustic sources; and (iii) developed a mechanistic, predictive model of meso- to field-scale contaminant reactive transport under these conditions.

Effects of Aging Quartz Sand and Hanford Site Sediment with Sodium Hydroxide on Radionuclide Sorption Coefficients and Sediment Physical and Hydrologic Properties: Final Report for Subtask 2a

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DI Kaplan; JC Ritter; KE Parker

1998-12-04

Column and batch experiments were conducted in fiscal year 1998 at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to evaluate the effect of varying concentrations of NaOH on the sorptive, physical, and hydraulic properties of two media, a quartz sand and a composite subsurface sediment from the 200-East Area of the Hanford Site. The NaOH solutions were used as a simplified effluent from a low-activity glass waste form. These experiments were conducted over a limited (O-to 10-month) contact time, with respect to the 10,000-to 100,000-year scenarios described in the Immobilized Low-Activity Waste- Performance Assessment (ILAW-PA). Wheq these two solids were put in contact with the NaOH solutions, dissolution was evident by a substantial increase in dissolved Si concentrations in the leachates. Incremental increases in NaOH con- centrations, resulted in corresponding increases in Si concentrations. A number of physical and hydraulic properties also changed as the NaOH concentrations were changed. It was observed that quartz sand was less reactive than the composite sediment. Further, moisture- retention measurements were made on the quartz sand and composite sedimen$ which showed that the NaOH-treated solids retained more water than the non-NaOH-treated solids. Because the other chemical, physical, and hydraulic measurements did not change dramatically after the high-NaOH treatments, the greater moisture retention of the high-NaOH treatments was attributed to a "salt effect" and not to the formation of small particles during the dissolution (weathering). The distribution coefficients (IQ) for Cs and Sr were measured on the NaOH-treated sediments, with decreases from -3,000 to 1,000 and 1,300 to 300 mL/g noted, respectively, at the 0.01-to 1.O-M NaOH levels. There was no apparent trend for the Sr & values with contact time. The lack of such a trend sug- gests that dissolution of sediment particles is not controlling the drop in IQ rather, it is the competition of the added Na

Compilation of data to estimate groundwater migration potential for constituents in active liquid discharges at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ames, L.L.; Serne, R.J.

1991-03-01

A preliminary characterization of the constituents present in the 33 liquid waste streams at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site has been completed by Westinghouse Hanford Company. In addition, Westinghouse Hanford has summarized the soil characteristics based on drill logs collected at each site that receives these liquid wastes. Literature searches were conducted and available Hanford-specific data were tabulated and reviewed. General literature on organic chemicals present in the liquid waste streams was also reviewed. Using all of this information, Pacific Northwest Laboratory has developed a best estimate of the transport characteristics (water solubility and soil adsorption properties) for those radionuclides and inorganic and organic chemicals identified in the various waste streams. We assume that the potential for transport is qualified through the four geochemical parameters: solubility, distribution coefficient, persistence (radiogenic or biochemical half-life), and volatility. Summary tables of these parameters are presented for more than 50 inorganic and radioactive species and more than 50 organic compounds identified in the liquid waste streams. Brief descriptions of the chemical characteristics of Hanford sediments, solubility, and adsorption processes, and of how geochemical parameters are used to estimate migration in groundwater-sediment environments are also presented. Groundwater monitoring data are tabulated for wells neighboring the facilities that receive the liquid wastes. 91 refs., 16 figs., 23 tabs

Compilation of data to estimate groundwater migration potential for constituents in active liquid discharges at the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ames, L.L.; Serne, R.J.

1991-03-01

A preliminary characterization of the constituents present in the 33 liquid waste streams at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site has been completed by Westinghouse Hanford Company. In addition, Westinghouse Hanford has summarized the soil characteristics based on drill logs collected at each site that receives these liquid wastes. Literature searches were conducted and available Hanford-specific data were tabulated and reviewed. General literature on organic chemicals present in the liquid waste streams was also reviewed. Using all of this information, Pacific Northwest Laboratory has developed a best estimate of the transport characteristics (water solubility and soil adsorption properties) for those radionuclides and inorganic and organic chemicals identified in the various waste streams. We assume that the potential for transport is qualified through the four geochemical parameters: solubility, distribution coefficient, persistence (radiogenic or biochemical half-life), and volatility. Summary tables of these parameters are presented for more than 50 inorganic and radioactive species and more than 50 organic compounds identified in the liquid waste streams. Brief descriptions of the chemical characteristics of Hanford sediments, solubility, and adsorption processes, and of how geochemical parameters are used to estimate migration in groundwater-sediment environments are also presented. Groundwater monitoring data are tabulated for wells neighboring the facilities that receive the liquid wastes. 91 refs., 16 figs., 23 tabs.

Release of Aged Contaminants from weathered sediments: Effects of sorbate speciation on scaling of reactive transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chorover, Jon [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States); Perdrial, Nico [Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States); Mueller, Karl [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); Strepka, Caleb [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States); O' Day, Peggy [Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States); Rivera, Nelson [Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States); Um, Wooyong [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Chang, Hyun-Shik [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Steefel, Carl [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Thompson, Aaron [Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States)

2012-08-14

Hanford sediments impacted by hyperalkaline high level radioactive waste have undergone incongruent silicate mineral weathering concurrent with contaminant uptake (Chorover et al., 2008). In this project, we studied the impact of background pore water (BPW) on strontium, cesium and iodine desorption and transport in Hanford sediments that were experimentally weathered by contact with simulated hyperalkaline tank waste leachate (STWL) solutions. Using those lab-weathered Hanford sediments (HS) and model precipitates formed during nucleation from homogeneous STWL solutions (HN), we (i) provided thorough characterization of reaction products over a matrix of field-relevant gradients in contaminant concentration, P_CO2, and reaction time; (ii) improved molecular-scale understanding of how sorbate speciation controls contaminant desorption from weathered sediments upon removal of caustic sources; and (iii) developed a mechanistic, predictive model of meso- to field-scale contaminant reactive transport under these conditions. Below, we provide some detailed descriptions of our results from this three year study, recently completed following a one-year no cost extension.

Release of aged contaminants from weathered sediments: Effects of sorbate speciation on scaling of reactive transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chorover, Jon; Perdrial, Nico; Mueller, Karl; Strepka, Caleb; O’Day, Peggy; Rivera, Nelson; Um, Wooyong; Chang, Hyun-Shik; Steefel, Carl; Thompson, Aaron

2012-11-05

Hanford sediments impacted by hyperalkaline high level radioactive waste have undergone incongruent silicate mineral weathering concurrent with contaminant uptake. In this project, we studied the impact of background pore water (BPW) on strontium, cesium and iodine desorption and transport in Hanford sediments that were experimentally weathered by contact with simulated hyperalkaline tank waste leachate (STWL) solutions. Using those lab-weathered Hanford sediments (HS) and model precipitates formed during nucleation from homogeneous STWL solutions (HN), we (i) provided thorough characterization of reaction products over a matrix of field-relevant gradients in contaminant concentration, partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and reaction time; (ii) improved molecular-scale understanding of how sorbate speciation controls contaminant desorption from weathered sediments upon removal of caustic sources; and (iii) developed a mechanistic, predictive model of meso- to field-scale contaminant reactive transport under these conditions. In this final report, we provide detailed descriptions of our results from this three-year study, completed in 2012 following a one-year no cost extension.

Fluor Hanford Project Focused Progress at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HANSON, R.D.

2000-01-01

Fluor Hanford is making significant progress in accelerating cleanup at the Hanford site. This progress consistently aligns with a new strategic vision established by the U.S. Department of Energy's Richland Operations Office (RL)

Influence of Glass Property Restrictions on Hanford HLW Glass Volume

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Dong-Sang; Vienna, John D.

2001-01-01

A systematic evaluation of Hanford High-Level Waste (HLW) loading in alkali-alumino-borosilicate glasses was performed. The waste feed compositions used were obtained from current tank waste composition estimates, Hanford's baseline retrieval sequence, and pretreatment processes. The waste feeds were sorted into groups of like composition by cluster analysis. Glass composition optimization was performed on each cluster to meet property and composition constraints while maximizing waste loading. Glass properties were estimated using property models developed for Hanford HLW glasses. The impacts of many constraints on the volume of HLW glass to be produced at Hanford were evaluated. The liquidus temperature, melting temperature, chromium concentration, formation of multiple phases on cooling, and product consistency test response requirements for the glass were varied one- or many-at-a-time and the resultant glass volume was calculated. This study shows clearly that the allowance of crystalline phases in the glass melter can significantly decrease the volume of HLW glass to be produced at Hanford.

Geochemical Characterization of Chromate Contamination in the 100 Area Vadose Zone at the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dresel, P. Evan; Qafoku, Nikolla; McKinley, James P.; Fruchter, Jonathan S.; Ainsworth, Calvin C.; Liu, Chongxuan; Ilton, Eugene S.; Phillips, J. L.

2008-07-16

The major objectives of the proposed study were to: 1.) determine the leaching characteristics of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] from contaminated sediments collected from 100 Area spill sites; 2.) elucidate possible Cr(VI) mineral and/or chemical associations that may be responsible for Cr(VI) retention in the Hanford Site 100 Areas through the use of i.) macroscopic leaching studies and ii.) microscale characterization of contaminated sediments; and 3.) provide information to construct a conceptual model of Cr(VI) geochemistry in the Hanford 100 Area vadose zone. In addressing these objectives, additional benefits accrued were: (1) a fuller understanding of Cr(VI) entrained in the vadose zone that will that can be utilized in modeling potential Cr(VI) source terms, and (2) accelerating the Columbia River 100 Area corridor cleanup by providing valuable information to develop remedial action based on a fundamental understanding of Cr(VI) vadose zone geochemistry. A series of macroscopic column experiments were conducted with contaminated and uncontaminated sediments to study Cr(VI) desorption patterns in aged and freshly contaminated sediments, evaluate the transport characteristics of dichromate liquid retrieved from old pipelines of the 100 Area; and estimate the effect of strongly reducing liquid on the reduction and transport of Cr(VI). Column experiments used the < 2 mm fraction of the sediment samples and simulated Hanford groundwater solution. Periodic stop-flow events were applied to evaluate the change in elemental concentration during time periods of no flow and greater fluid residence time. The results were fit using a two-site, one dimensional reactive transport model. Sediments were characterized for the spatial and mineralogical associations of the contamination using an array of microscale techniques such as XRD, SEM, EDS, XPS, XMP, and XANES. The following are important conclusions and implications. Results from column experiments indicated that most

Hanford Site performance report - December 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EDER, D.M.

2001-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Site Performance Report is to provide the Department of Energy Richland Operations Office's (DOE-RL's) report of Hanford's performance by: U. S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC) through Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. (FDH) and its subcontractors, Environmental Restoration Contract through Bechtel Hanford, Inc. (BHI), and its subcontractors, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL) for Science and Technology support to the Environmental Management (EM) mission. This report is published monthly with the intent of relating work performance and progress in the context of the Success Indicators and Critical Success Factors as outlined in the Hanford Strategic Plan. Currently, the report focuses on the EM mission, and will be expanded in the future to include non-EM activities. Section A of this report is the Executive Summary, encapsulating high-level data in this report into an overall brief. Summary information provided includes Notable Accomplishments, a tabular performance profile with associated analyses, Critical Issues, Key Integration Activities, a look at Significant Trends, and a ''quick list'' of Upcoming Key Events. Section B of this report, the Site Summary section, provides Environmental Management performance data specifically organized to the pertinent Critical Success Factors and Success Indicators. The Site Summary is a compilation of performance data from all of the Mission Areas and the Projects that comprise these Mission Areas; the information is presented in both narrative and graphical formats. The remaining sections provide performance data relative to each individual mission area (e.g., Waste Management, Spent Nuclear Fuels, etc.). The information provided in the Mission Area sections is at a level of greater detail than is presented in either the Executive Summary or the Site Summary sections. At the end of this report, a glossary of terms is provided

Hanford Seismic Annual Report and Fourth Quarter Report for Fiscal Year 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

AC Rohay; DC Hartshorn; SP Reidel

1999-12-07

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network. (EWRN) consist of 40 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. A major reconfiguration of the HSN was initiated at the end of this quarter and the results will be reported in the first quarter report for next fiscal year (FY2000). For the HSN, there were 390 triggers during the fourth quarter of fiscal year(FY) 1999 on the primary recording system. With the implementation of dual backup systems during the second quarter of the fiscal year and an overall increase observed in sensitivity, a total of 1632 triggers were examined, identified, and processed during this fiscal year. During the fourth quarter, 24 seismic events were located by the HSN within the reporting region of 46 degrees to 47 degrees north latitude and 119 degrees to 120 degrees west longitude 9 were earthquakes in the Columbia River Basalt Group, 2 were earthquakes in the pre-basalt sediments, 10 were earthquakes in the crystalline basement; and 2 were quarry blasts. One earthquake appears to be related to a major geologic structure, 14 earthquakes occurred in known swarm areas, and 7 earthquakes were random occurrences.

Hanford well remediation and decommissioning plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ledgerwood, R.K.

1993-01-01

Protection of Hanford Site groundwater resources and assessment of the effects of their use or contamination upon public safety are required by federal and state regulations and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) policy, (DOE, 1989). Compliance with constraints applicable to the use of existing wells requires assessment as to the suitability for use and needs for rehabilitation, remediation or decommissioning of existing groundwater wells and other boreholes potentially affecting aquifers beneath the Hanford Site. Approximately 3,500 groundwater wells and vadose zone boreholes had been drilled on the Hanford Site prior to 1989, over 2,900 still exist. Most of these boreholes were drilled prior to 1987 and do not conform to presently accepted construction standards intended to protect groundwater resources. Approximately 260 wells have been installed since 1987. These wells were constructed to current standards for well construction which mandate seals between the permanent casing and the formation to prevent potential migration of contaminated liquid. Several programs presently construct and/or utilize existing and newly drilled wells to provide characterization and groundwater monitoring data. The programs are summarized

Formation of banded vegetation patterns resulted from interactions between sediment deposition and vegetation growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Tousheng; Zhang, Huayong; Dai, Liming; Cong, Xuebing; Ma, Shengnan

2018-03-01

This research investigates the formation of banded vegetation patterns on hillslopes affected by interactions between sediment deposition and vegetation growth. The following two perspectives in the formation of these patterns are taken into consideration: (a) increased sediment deposition from plant interception, and (b) reduced plant biomass caused by sediment accumulation. A spatial model is proposed to describe how the interactions between sediment deposition and vegetation growth promote self-organization of banded vegetation patterns. Based on theoretical and numerical analyses of the proposed spatial model, vegetation bands can result from a Turing instability mechanism. The banded vegetation patterns obtained in this research resemble patterns reported in the literature. Moreover, measured by sediment dynamics, the variation of hillslope landform can be described. The model predicts how treads on hillslopes evolve with the banded patterns. Thus, we provide a quantitative interpretation for coevolution of vegetation patterns and landforms under effects of sediment redistribution. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Solid-waste leach characteristics and contaminant-sediment interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serne, R.J.; LeGore, V.L.; Cantrell, K.J.; Lindenmeier, C.W.; Campbell, J.A.; Amonette, J.E.; Conca, J.L.; Wood, M.I.

1993-10-01

The objectives of this report and subsequent volumes include describing progress on (1) development of conceptual-release models for Hanford Site defense solid-waste forms; (2) optimization of experimental methods to quantify the release from contaminants from solid wastes and their subsequent interactions with unsaturated sediments; and (3) creation of empirical data for use as provisional source term and retardation factors that become input parameters for performance assessment analyses for future Hanford disposal units and baseline risk assessments for inactive and existing disposal units

Third Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2010-09-29

The Hanford Seismic Assessment Program (HSAP) provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. The HSAP is responsible for locating and identifying sources of seismic activity and monitoring changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, natural phenomena hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the HSAP works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of a significant earthquake on the Hanford Site. The Hanford Seismic Network and the Eastern Washington Regional Network consist of 44 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Assessment Team. The Hanford Seismic Network recorded 23 local earthquakes during the third quarter of FY 2010. Sixteen earthquakes were located at shallow depths (less than 4 km), five earthquakes at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km), most likely in the pre-basalt sediments, and two earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the basement. Geographically, twelve earthquakes were located in known swarm areas, 3 earthquakes occurred near a geologic structure (Saddle Mountain anticline), and eight earthquakes were classified as random events. The highest magnitude event (3.0 Mc) was recorded on May 8, 2010 at depth 3.0 km with epicenter located near the Saddle Mountain anticline. Later in the quarter (May 24 and June 28) two additional earthquakes were also recorded nearly at the same location. These events are not considered unusual in that earthquakes have been previously recorded at this location, for example, in October 2006 (Rohay et al; 2007). Six earthquakes were detected in the vicinity of Wooded Island, located about eight miles north of Richland just

Hanford External Dosimetry Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fix, J.J.

1990-10-01

This document describes the Hanford External Dosimetry Program as it is administered by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in support of the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its Hanford contractors. Program services include administrating the Hanford personnel dosimeter processing program and ensuring that the related dosimeter data accurately reflect occupational dose received by Hanford personnel or visitors. Specific chapters of this report deal with the following subjects: personnel dosimetry organizations at Hanford and the associated DOE and contractor exposure guidelines; types, characteristics, and procurement of personnel dosimeters used at Hanford; personnel dosimeter identification, acceptance testing, accountability, and exchange; dosimeter processing and data recording practices; standard sources, calibration factors, and calibration processes (including algorithms) used for calibrating Hanford personnel dosimeters; system operating parameters required for assurance of dosimeter processing quality control; special dose evaluation methods applied for individuals under abnormal circumstances (i.e., lost results, etc.); and methods for evaluating personnel doses from nuclear accidents. 1 ref., 14 figs., 5 tabs

Hanford Site Environmental Surveillance Data Report for Calendar Year 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisping, Lynn E.

2003-01-01

This data report contains the actual raw data used in the annual Hanford Site environmental report (PNNL--14295). In addition to providing raw data collected during routine sampling in 2002, this report also includes data from special sampling studies performed by PNNL during 2002. Environmental surveillance at the Hanford Site, located in southeastern Washington State, is conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy. The data collected provide a historical record of radionuclide and radiation levels attributable to natural causes, worldwide fallout, and Hanford operations. Data are also collected to monitor several chemicals and metals in Columbia River water and sediment. For more information regarding the 2002 sampling schedule for the Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) and Drinking Water Monitoring Project, refer to L. E. Bisping, Environmental Surveillance Master Sampling Schedule (PNNL--13418, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington). PNNL publishes an annual environmental report for the Hanford Site each calendar year. The Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2002 describes the site mission and activities, general environmental features, radiological and chemical releases from operations, status of compliance with environmental regulations, status of programs to accomplish compliance, and environmental monitoring activities and results. Sections of the annual environmental report include tables and summaries of offsite and onsite environmental surveillance data collected by PNNL during 2002. This data report contains the actual raw data used to create those tables and summaries. In addition to providing raw data collected during routine sampling efforts in 2002, this data report also includes data from special sampling studies performed by PNNL during 2002

Annual Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Devary, Joseph L.; Hartshorn, Donald C.

2010-12-27

area swarm has largely subsided. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will continue to monitor for activity at this location. The highest-magnitude events (3.0Mc) were recorded on February 4, 2010 within the Wooded Island swarm (depth 2.4 km) and May 8, 2010 on or near the Saddle Mountain anticline (depth 3.0 km). This latter event is not considered unusual in that earthquakes have been previously recorded at this location, for example, in October 2006 (Rohay et al. 2007). With regard to the depth distribution, 173 earthquakes were located at shallow depths (less than 4 km, most likely in the Columbia River basalts), 18 earthquakes were located at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km, most likely in the pre-basalt sediments), and 19 earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the crystalline basement. Geographically, 178 earthquakes were located in known swarm areas, 4 earthquakes occurred on or near a geologic structure (Saddle Mountain anticline), and 28 earthquakes were classified as random events. The Hanford Strong Motion Accelerometer (SMA) network was triggered several times by the Wooded Island swarm events and the events located on or near the Saddle Mountain anticline. The maximum acceleration value recorded by the SMA network during fiscal year 2010 occurred February 4, 2010 (Wooded Island swarm event), approximately 2 times lower than the reportable action level for Hanford facilities (2% g) with no action required.

Post-depositional formation of vivianite-type minerals alters sediment phosphorus records

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Dijkstra

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Phosphorus (P concentrations in sediments are frequently used to reconstruct past environmental conditions in freshwater and marine systems, with high values thought to be indicative of a high biological productivity. Recent studies suggest that the post-depositional formation of vivianite, an iron(II-phosphate mineral, might significantly alter trends in P with sediment depth. To assess its importance, we investigate a sediment record from the Bornholm Basin that was retrieved during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP Baltic Sea Paleoenvironment Expedition 347 in 2013, consisting of lake sediments overlain by brackish–marine deposits. Combining bulk sediment geochemistry with microanalysis using scanning electron microscope energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS, we demonstrate that vivianite-type minerals rich in manganese and magnesium are present in the lake deposits just below the transition to the brackish–marine sediments (at 11.5 to 12 m sediment depth. In this depth interval, phosphate that diffuses down from the organic-rich, brackish–marine sediments meets porewaters rich in dissolved iron in the lake sediments, resulting in the precipitation of iron(II phosphate. Results from a reactive transport model suggest that the peak in iron(II phosphate originally occurred at the lake–marine transition (9 to 10 m and moved downwards due to changes in the depth of a sulfidization front. However, its current position relative to the lake–marine transition is stable as the vivianite-type minerals and active sulfidization fronts have been spatially separated over time. Experiments in which vivianite was subjected to sulfidic conditions demonstrate that incorporation of manganese or magnesium in vivianite does not affect its susceptibility to sulfide-induced dissolution. Our work highlights that post-depositional formation of iron(II phosphates such as vivianite has

Post-depositional formation of vivianite-type minerals alters sediment phosphorus records

Science.gov (United States)

Dijkstra, Nikki; Hagens, Mathilde; Egger, Matthias; Slomp, Caroline P.

2018-02-01

Phosphorus (P) concentrations in sediments are frequently used to reconstruct past environmental conditions in freshwater and marine systems, with high values thought to be indicative of a high biological productivity. Recent studies suggest that the post-depositional formation of vivianite, an iron(II)-phosphate mineral, might significantly alter trends in P with sediment depth. To assess its importance, we investigate a sediment record from the Bornholm Basin that was retrieved during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Baltic Sea Paleoenvironment Expedition 347 in 2013, consisting of lake sediments overlain by brackish-marine deposits. Combining bulk sediment geochemistry with microanalysis using scanning electron microscope energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), we demonstrate that vivianite-type minerals rich in manganese and magnesium are present in the lake deposits just below the transition to the brackish-marine sediments (at 11.5 to 12 m sediment depth). In this depth interval, phosphate that diffuses down from the organic-rich, brackish-marine sediments meets porewaters rich in dissolved iron in the lake sediments, resulting in the precipitation of iron(II) phosphate. Results from a reactive transport model suggest that the peak in iron(II) phosphate originally occurred at the lake-marine transition (9 to 10 m) and moved downwards due to changes in the depth of a sulfidization front. However, its current position relative to the lake-marine transition is stable as the vivianite-type minerals and active sulfidization fronts have been spatially separated over time. Experiments in which vivianite was subjected to sulfidic conditions demonstrate that incorporation of manganese or magnesium in vivianite does not affect its susceptibility to sulfide-induced dissolution. Our work highlights that post-depositional formation of iron(II) phosphates such as vivianite has the potential to strongly

Hanford wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chamness, M.A.; Merz, J.K.

1993-08-01

Records describing wells located on or near the Hanford Site have been maintained by Pacific Northwest Laboratory and the operating contractor, Westinghouse Hanford Company. In support of the Ground-Water Surveillance Project, portions of the data contained in these records have been compiled into the following report, which is intended to be used by those needing a condensed, tabular summary of well location and basic construction information. The wells listed in this report were constructed over a period of time spanning almost 70 years. Data included in this report were retrieved from the Hanford Envirorunental Information System (HEIS) database and supplemented with information not yet entered into HEIS. While considerable effort has been made to obtain the most accurate and complete tabulations possible of the Hanford Site wells, omissions and errors may exist. This document does not include data on lithologic logs, ground-water analyses, or specific well completion details

Hanford Environmental Analytical Methods (methods as of March 1990). Volume 2, Appendix A1-O and appendix A1-I

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goheen, S.C.; McCulloch, M.; Daniel, J.L.

1993-05-01

Techniques in use at the Hanford Reservation as of March, 1990 for the analysis of liquids, organic wastes, soils, and sediments, are described. Limitations and applications of the techniques are included.

Hanford Site Development Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hathaway, H.B.; Daly, K.S.; Rinne, C.A.; Seiler, S.W.

1993-05-01

The Hanford Site Development Plan (HSDP) provides an overview of land use, infrastructure, and facility requirements to support US Department of Energy (DOE) programs at the Hanford Site. The HSDP's primary purpose is to inform senior managers and interested parties of development activities and issues that require a commitment of resources to support the Hanford Site. The HSDP provides an existing and future land use plan for the Hanford Site. The HSDP is updated annually in accordance with DOE Order 4320.1B, Site Development Planning, to reflect the mission and overall site development process. Further details about Hanford Site development are defined in individual area development plans

Evaluation of groundwater monitoring results at the Hanford Site 200 Area Treated Effluent Disposal Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnett, D.B.

1998-09-01

The Hanford Site 200 Area Treated Effluent Disposal Facility (TEDF) has operated since June 1995. Groundwater monitoring has been conducted quarterly in the three wells surrounding the facility since 1992, with contributing data from nearby B Pond System wells. Cumulative hydrologic and geochemical information from the TEDF well network and other surrounding wells indicate no discernable effects of TEDF operations on the uppermost aquifer in the vicinity of the TEDF. The lateral consistency and impermeable nature of the Ringold Formation lower mud unit, and the contrasts in hydraulic conductivity between this unit and the vadose zone sediments of the Hanford formation suggest that TEDF effluent is spreading laterally with negligible mounding or downward movement into the uppermost aquifer. Hydrographs of TEDF wells show that TEDF operations have had no detectable effects on hydraulic heads in the uppermost aquifer, but show a continuing decay of the hydraulic mound generated by past operations at the B Pond System. Comparison of groundwater geochemistry from TEDF wells and other, nearby RCRA wells suggests that groundwater beneath TEDF is unique; different from both effluent entering TEDF and groundwater in the B Pond area. Tritium concentrations, major ionic proportions, and lower-than-background concentrations of other species suggest that groundwater in the uppermost aquifer beneath the TEDF bears characteristics of water in the upper basalt confined aquifer system. This report recommends retaining the current groundwater well network at the TEDF, but with a reduction of sampling/analysis frequency and some modifications to the list of constituents sought

First Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2010-03-29

interferometry that detected approximately 1 inch uplift in surface deformation along an east-west transect within the swarm area. The uplift is thought to be caused by the release of pressure that has built up in sedimentary layers, cracking the brittle basalt layers with the Columbia River Basalt Formation (CRBG) and causing the earthquakes. Similar earthquake swarms have been recorded near this same location in 1970, 1975 and 1988 but not with SMA readings or satellite imagery. Prior to the 1970s, swarming may have occurred, but equipment was not in place to record those events. The Wooded Island swarm, due its location and the limited magnitude of the events, does not appear to pose any significant risk to Hanford waste storage facilities. Since swarms of the past did not intensify in magnitude, seismologists do not expect that these events will persist or increase in intensity. However, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will continue to monitor the activity. Outside of the Wooded Island swarm, sixteen earthquakes were recorded, all minor events. Seven earthquakes were located at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km), most likely in the pre-basalt sediments and nine earthquakes at depths greater than 9 km, within the basement. Geographically, seven earthquakes were located in known swarm areas and nine earthquakes were classified as random events.

Sediment Transport on Continental Shelves: Storm Bed Formation and Preservation in Heterogeneous Sediments

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

occurred during the Cretaceous period. The simulated storm bed for such an extratropical cyclone that lasts 4 days was deposited as deep as 75 m and had...Int. Assoc. Sedimentol. Spec. Publ. (2012) 44, 295-310 Sediment transport on continental shelves: storm bed formation and preservation in...xDept. of Earth Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada ABSTRACT Many storm beds are constructed of silt/sand

Core sample descriptions and summary logs of six wells within the Hanford Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Summers, W.K.; Hanson, R.T.

1977-01-01

From February through May, 1976, selected sites on the Hanford Reservation were core drilled. These six holes provide a loose network of observation holes traversing the reservation in an east--west direction between the Columbia River and State Highway 240. This program represents the first attempt to recover cores from the glaciofluviatile material and Ringold Formation beneath the Hanford Reservation. This contains three parts: an introductory text describing the method of inspection and format for written description; summary logs that illustrate in condensed form the rocks penetrated by the wells drilled; and the detailed written descriptions of core samples. 3 figures, 7 tables

Biogenic silica microfossils in sediments of the Permian - Carboniferous Unayzah Formation, Saudi Arabia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Garming, J.F.L.; Franks, S.G.; Cremer, H.; Abbink, O.A.

2010-01-01

Biogenic silica particles (BSPs) have been discovered in sediments of the Permian - Carboniferous Unayzah Formation of Saudi Arabia. The BSPs are extracted from sediments that are generally barren of macro- or microfossils. BSPs have been found in the Basal Khuff Clastics (BKC), and the Unayzah A,

HANFORD GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

CHARBONEAU, B; THOMPSON, M; WILDE, R.; FORD, B.; GERBER, M.S.

2006-02-01

By 1990 nearly 50 years of producing plutonium put approximately 1.70E + 12 liters (450 billion gallons) of liquid wastes into the soil of the 1,518-square kilometer (586-square mile) Hanford Site in southeast Washington State. The liquid releases consisted of chemicals used in laboratory experiments, manufacturing and rinsing uranium fuel, dissolving that fuel after irradiation in Hanford's nuclear reactors, and in liquefying plutonium scraps needed to feed other plutonium-processing operations. Chemicals were also added to the water used to cool Hanford's reactors to prevent corrosion in the reactor tubes. In addition, water and acid rinses were used to clean plutonium deposits from piping in Hanford's large radiochemical facilities. All of these chemicals became contaminated with radionuclides. As Hanford raced to help win World War II, and then raced to produce materials for the Cold War, these radioactive liquid wastes were released to the Site's sandy soils. Early scientific experiments seemed to show that the most highly radioactive components of these liquids would bind to the soil just below the surface of the land, thus posing no threat to groundwater. Other experiments predicted that the water containing most radionuclides would take hundreds of years to seep into groundwater, decaying (or losing) most of its radioactivity before reaching the groundwater or subsequently flowing into the Columbia River, although it was known that some contaminants like tritium would move quickly. Evidence today, however, shows that many contaminants have reached the Site's groundwater and the Columbia River, with more on its way. Over 259 square kilometers (100 square miles) of groundwater at Hanford have contaminant levels above drinking-water standards. Also key to successfully cleaning up the Site is providing information resources and public-involvement opportunities to Hanford's stakeholders. This large, passionate, diverse, and

Hanford Site Guidelines for Preparation and Presentation of Geologic Information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lanigan, David C.; Last, George V.; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Thorne, Paul D.; Webber, William D.

2010-04-30

A complex geology lies beneath the Hanford Site of southeastern Washington State. Within this geology is a challenging large-scale environmental cleanup project. Geologic and contaminant transport information generated by several U.S. Department of Energy contractors must be documented in geologic graphics clearly, consistently, and accurately. These graphics must then be disseminated in formats readily acceptable by general graphics and document producing software applications. The guidelines presented in this document are intended to facilitate consistent, defensible, geologic graphics and digital data/graphics sharing among the various Hanford Site agencies and contractors.

Accelerated cleanup of mixed waste units on the Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, J.K.; Johnson, W.L.; Downey, H.D.

1993-09-01

This report provides a status of the expedited response action (ERA) projects currently being implemented at the Hanford Site. A detailed review of the accomplishments to date, the technologies employed, the problems encountered, and an analysis of the lessons learned are included. A total of nine ERAs have been initiated at the Hanford Site and are presented in a case study format with emphasis on the progress being made and the challenges ahead

Reengineering Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badalamente, R.V.; Carson, M.L.; Rhoads, R.E.

1995-03-01

The Department of Energy Richland Operations Office is in the process of reengineering its Hanford Site operations. There is a need to fundamentally rethink and redesign environmental restoration and waste management processes to achieve dramatic improvements in the quality, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness of the environmental services and products that make cleanup possible. Hanford is facing the challenge of reengineering in a complex environment in which major processes cuts across multiple government and contractor organizations and a variety of stakeholders and regulators have a great influence on cleanup activities. By doing the upfront work necessary to allow effective reengineering, Hanford is increasing the probability of its success

Reengineering Hanford

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Badalamente, R.V.; Carson, M.L.; Rhoads, R.E.

1995-03-01

The Department of Energy Richland Operations Office is in the process of reengineering its Hanford Site operations. There is a need to fundamentally rethink and redesign environmental restoration and waste management processes to achieve dramatic improvements in the quality, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness of the environmental services and products that make cleanup possible. Hanford is facing the challenge of reengineering in a complex environment in which major processes cuts across multiple government and contractor organizations and a variety of stakeholders and regulators have a great influence on cleanup activities. By doing the upfront work necessary to allow effective reengineering, Hanford is increasing the probability of its success.

Hanford Site Development Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hathaway, H.B.; Daly, K.S.; Rinne, C.A.; Seiler, S.W.

1992-05-01

The Hanford Site Development Plan (HSDP) provides an overview of land use, infrastructure, and facility requirements to support US Department of Energy (DOE) programs at the Hanford Site. The HSDP's primary purpose is to inform senior managers and interested parties of development activities and issues that require a commitment of resources to support the Hanford Site. The HSDP provides a land use plan for the Hanford Site and presents a picture of what is currently known and anticipated in accordance with DOE Order 4320.1B. Site Development Planning. The HSDP wig be updated annually as future decisions further shape the mission and overall site development process. Further details about Hanford Site development are defined in individual area development plans

Hydrous Ferric Oxides in Sediment Catalyze Formation of Reactive Oxygen Species during Sulfide Oxidation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah A. Murphy

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract: This article describes the formation of reactive oxygen species as a result of the oxidation of dissolved sulfide by Fe(III-containing sediments suspended in oxygenated seawater over the pH range 7.00 and 8.25. Sediment samples were obtained from across the coastal littoral zone in South Carolina, US, at locations from the beach edge to the forested edge of a Spartina dominated estuarine salt marsh and suspended in aerated seawater. Reactive oxygen species (superoxide and hydrogen peroxide production was initiated in sediment suspensions by the addition of sodium bisulfide. The subsequent loss of HS-, formation of Fe(II (as indicated by Ferrozine, and superoxide and hydrogen peroxide were monitored over time. The concentration of superoxide rose from the baseline and then persisted at an apparent steady state concentration of approximately 500 nanomolar at pH 8.25 and 200 nanomolar at pH 7.00 respectively until >97% hydrogen sulfide was consumed. Measured superoxide was used to predict hydrogen peroxide yield based on superoxide dismutation. Dismutation alone quantitatively predicted hydrogen peroxide formation at pH 8.25 but over predicted hydrogen peroxide formation at pH 7 by a factor of approximately 102. Experiments conducted with episodic spikes of added hydrogen peroxide indicated rapid hydrogen peroxide consumption could account for its apparent low instantaneous yield, presumably the result of its reaction with Fe(II species, polysulfides or bisulfite. All sediment samples were characterized for total Fe, Cu, Mn, Ni, Co and hydrous ferric oxide by acid extraction followed by mass spectrometric or spectroscopic characterization. Sediments with the highest loadings of hydrous ferric oxide were the only sediments that produced significant dissolved Fe(II species or ROS as a result of sulfide exposure.

Final Report, University of California Merced: Uranium and strontium fate in waste-weathered sediments: Scaling of molecular processes to predict reactive transport (DE-SC0007095)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

O' Day, Peggy Anne [University of California Merced; Chorover, Jon [University of Arizona; Steefel, Carl [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Mueller, Karl [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Um, Wooyong [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2016-06-30

Objectives of the Project: 1. Determine the process coupling that occurs between mineral transformation and contaminant (U and Sr) speciation in acid-uranium waste weathered Hanford sediments. 2. Establish linkages between molecular-scale contaminant speciation and meso-scale contaminant lability, release and reactive transport. 3. Make conjunctive use of molecular- to bench-scale data to constrain the development of a mechanistic, reactive transport model that includes coupling of contaminant sorption-desorption and mineral transformation reactions. Hypotheses Tested: Uranium and strontium speciation in legacy sediments from the U-8 and U-12 Crib sites can be reproduced in bench-scale weathering experiments conducted on unimpacted Hanford sediments from the same formations; Reactive transport modeling of future uranium and strontium releases from the vadose zone of acid-waste weathered sediments can be effectively constrained by combining molecular-scale information on contaminant bonding environment with grain-scale information on contaminant phase partitioning, and meso-scale kinetic data on contaminant release from the waste-weathered porous media; Although field contamination and laboratory experiments differ in their diagenetic time scales (decades for field vs. months to years for lab), sediment dissolution, neophase nucleation, and crystal growth reactions that occur during the initial disequilibrium induced by waste-sediment interaction leave a strong imprint that persists over subsequent longer-term equilibration time scales and, therefore, give rise to long-term memory effects. Enabling Capabilities Developed: Our team developed an iterative measure-model approach that is broadly applicable to elucidate the mechanistic underpinnings of reactive contaminant transport in geomedia subject to active weathering.

Second Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2010-06-30

by these events and the SMA recordings are discussed in section 6.0. During the last year some Hanford employees working within a few miles of the swarm area and individuals living directly across the Columbia River from the swarm center have reported feeling many of the larger magnitude events. Similar earthquake swarms have been recorded near this same location in 1970, 1975 and 1988 but not with SMA readings or satellite imagery. Prior to the 1970s, earthquake swarms may have occurred at this location or elsewhere in the Columbia Basin, but equipment was not in place to record those events. The Wooded Island swarm, due its location and the limited magnitude of the events, does not appear to pose any significant risk to Hanford waste storage facilities. Since swarms of the past did not intensify in magnitude, seismologists do not expect that these events will persist or increase in intensity. However, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will continue to monitor the activity. Outside of the Wooded Island swarm, nine earthquakes were recorded, seven minor events plus two events with magnitude less than 2.0 Mc. Two earthquakes were located at shallow depths (less than 4 km), three earthquakes at intermediate depths (between 4 and 9 km), most likely in the pre-basalt sediments, and four earthquakes were located at depths greater than 9 km, within the basement. Geographically, six earthquakes were located in known swarm areas and three earthquakes were classified as random events.

Hanford wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGhan, V.L.; Myers, D.A.; Damschen, D.W.

1976-03-01

The Hanford Reservation contains about 2100 wells constructed from pre-Hanford Works to the present. As of Jan. 1976, about 1800 wells still exist, 850 of which were drilled to the groundwater table; 700 still contain water. This report provides the most complete documentation of these wells and supersedes all previous compilations, including BNWL-1739

Kinetics of Uranium(VI) Desorption from Contaminated Sediments: Effect of Geochemical Conditions and Model Evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Chongxuan; Shi, Zhenqing; Zachara, John M.

2009-01-01

Stirred-flow cell experiments were performed to investigate the kinetics of uranyl (U(VI)) desorption from a contaminated sediment collected from the Hanford 300 Area at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site, Washington. Three influent solutions of variable pH, Ca and carbonate concentrations that affected U(VI) aqueous and surface speciation were used under dynamic flow conditions to evaluate the effect of geochemical conditions on the rate of U(VI) desorption. The measured rate of U(VI) desorption varied with solution chemical composition that evolved as a result of thermodynamic and kinetic interactions between the influent solutions and sediment. The solution chemical composition that led to a lower equilibrium U(VI) sorption to the solid phase yielded a faster desorption rate. The experimental results were used to evaluate a multi-rate, surface complexation model (SCM) that has been proposed to describe U(VI) desorption kinetics in the Hanford sediment that contained complex sorbed U(VI) species in mass transfer limited domains. The model was modified and supplemented by including multi-rate, ion exchange reactions to describe the geochemical interactions between the solutions and sediment. With the same set of model parameters, the modified model reasonably well described the evolution of major ions and the rates of U(VI) desorption under variable geochemical and flow conditions, implying that the multi-rate SCM is an effective way to describe U(VI) desorption kinetics in subsurface sediments

Pathway analysis and exposure assessment: MEPAS modeling for nonradiological chemical contaminants at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanton, M.L.; Dirkes, R.; Buck, J.; Cooper, A.; Castieton, K.; Glantz, C.

1995-01-01

A Chemical Pathway Analysis and Exposure Assessment was performed by the Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP). The SESP monitors air, surface water, sediment, agricultural products, vegetation, soil, and wildlife in order to assess onsite of offsite environmental impacts and offsite human health risk at the Hanford Site. The objectives of this study are (1) determine if a nonradiological chemical monitoring program is warranted for the Hanford Site, (2) ensure that the selection of surveillance parameters such as media, sampling location, and analytes are chosen in a manner that is scientifically sound and cost-efficient, and (3) identify specific nonradiological chemicals of concern (COC) for the Hanford Site. The basis for identification of COC for the Hanford Site was an extensive literature review. The model was also used to predict COC concentrations required onsite to achieve an offsite cancer incidence of 1 E-6 and a hazard quotient of 1.0. This study indicated that nonradiological chemical contamination occurring onsite does not pose a significant offsite human health risk. The highest cancer incidence to the offsite maximally exposed individual from COC was from arsenic (1.76E-1 0); the highest hazard quotient was chromium VI (1.48E-04)

Literature and data review for the surface-water pathway: Columbia River and adjacent coastal areas. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walters, W.H.; Dirkes, R.L.; Napier, B.A.

1992-11-01

As part of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project, Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratories reviewed literature and data on radionuclide concentrations and distribution in the water, sediment, and biota of the Columbia River and adjacent coastal areas. Over 600 documents were reviewed including Hanford reports, reports by offsite agencies, journal articles, and graduate theses. Radionuclide concentration data were used in preliminary estimates of individual dose for the period 1964 through 1966. This report summarizes the literature and database reviews and the results of the preliminary dose estimates.

Historical genesis of Hanford Site wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, M.S.

1991-01-01

This paper acquaints the audience with historical waste practices and policies as they changed over the years at the Hanford Site, and with the generation of the major waste streams of concern in Hanford Site clean-up today. The paper also describes the founding and basic operating history of the Hanford Site, including World War 11 construction and operations, three major postwar expansions (1947-55), the peak years of production (1956-63), production phase downs (1964-the present), and some past suggestions and efforts to chemically treat, open-quotes fractionate,close quotes and/or immobilize Hanford's wastes. Recent events, including the designation of the Hanford Site as the open-quotes flagshipclose quotes of Department of Energy (DOE) waste remediation efforts and the signing of the landmark Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement), have generated new interest in Hanford's history. Clean-up milestones dictated in this agreement demand information about how, when, in what quantities and mixtures, and under what conditions, Hanford Site wastes were generated and released. This paper presents original, primary-source research into the waste history of the Hanford Site. The earliest, 1940s knowledge base, assumptions and calculations about radioactive and chemical discharges, as discussed in the memos, correspondence and reports of the original Hanford Site (then Hanford Engineer Works) builders and operators, are reviewed. The growth of knowledge, research efforts, and subsequent changes in Site waste disposal policies and practices are traced. Finally, the paper places the current Hanford Site waste remediation endeavors in the broad context of American and world history

Third Quarter Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rohay, Alan C.; Sweeney, Mark D.; Hartshorn, Donald C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Devary, Joseph L.

2009-09-30

and individuals living in homes directly across the Columbia River from the swarm center have reported feeling many of the larger magnitude events. The Hanford Strong Motion Accelerometer (SMA) network was triggered numerous times by the Wooded Island swarm events. The maximum acceleration value recorded by the SMA network was approximately 3 times lower than the reportable action level for Hanford facilities (2% g) and no action was required. The swarming is likely due to pressure that has built up, cracking the brittle basalt layers within the Columbia River Basalt Formation (CRBG). Similar earthquake “swarms” have been recorded near this same location in 1970, 1975 and 1988. Prior to the 1970s, swarming may have occurred, but equipment was not in place to record those events. Quakes of this limited magnitude do not pose a risk to Hanford cleanup efforts or waste storage facilities. Since swarms of the past did not intensify in magnitude, seismologists do not expect that these events will increase in intensity. However, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will continue to monitor the activity.

Hanford site environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isaacson, R.E.

1976-01-01

A synopsis is given of the detailed characterization of the existing environment at Hanford. The following aspects are covered: demography, land use, meteorology, geology, hydrology, and seismology. It is concluded that Hanford is one of the most extensively characterized nuclear sites

Managing risk at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesser, W.A.; Stillwell, W.G.; Rutherford, W.A.

1994-01-01

Clearly, there is sufficient motivation from Washington for the Hanford community to pay particular attention to the risks associated with the substantial volumes of radiological, hazardous, and mixed waste at Hanford. But there is also another reason for emphasizing risk: Hanford leaders have come to realize that their decisions must consider risk and risk reduction if those decisions are to be technically sound, financially affordable, and publicly acceptable. The 560-square miles of desert land is worth only a few thousand dollars an acre (if that) -- hardly enough to justify the almost two billion dollars that will be spent at Hanford this year. The benefit of cleaning up the Hanford Site is not the land but the reduction of potential risk to the public and the environment for future generations. If risk reduction is our ultimate goal, decisions about priority of effort and resource allocation must consider those risks, now and in the future. The purpose of this paper is to describe how Hanford is addressing the issues of risk assessment, risk management, and risk-based decision making and to share some of our experiences in these areas

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediments Below the C Tank Farm: Borehole C4297 and RCRA Borehole 299-E27-22

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Christopher F.; Serne, R. JEFFREY; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Horton, Duane G.; Lanigan, David C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Valenta, Michelle M.; Vickerman, Tanya S.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Geiszler, Keith N.; Baum, Steven R.; Parker, Kent E.; Lindberg, Michael J.

2006-10-18

The overall goal of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities at Hanford. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. tasked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediments from within Waste Management Area (WMA) C. This report is the first of two reports written to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from borehole C4297, installed adjacent to Tank C-105, and from borehole 299-E27-22, installed directly north of the C Tank Farm. Sediments from borehole 299-E27-22 were considered to be background uncontaminated sediments against which to compare contaminated sediments for the C Tank Farm characterization effort. This report also presents our interpretation of the data in the context of sediment types, the vertical extent of contamination, the migration potential of the contaminants, and the likely source of the contamination in the vadose zone and groundwater below the C Tank Farm. The information presented in this report supports the A-AX, C and U Waste Management Area field investigation report(a) in preparation by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. A core log was generated for both boreholes and a geologic evaluation of all core samples was performed at the time of opening. Aliquots of sediment from the borehole core samples were analyzed and characterized in the laboratory for the following parameters: moisture content, gamma-emitting radionuclides, one-to-one water extracts (which provide soil pH, electrical conductivity, cation, trace metal, and anion data), total carbon and inorganic carbon content, and 8 M nitric acid extracts (which provide a measure of the total leachable sediment content of contaminants). Two key radiocontaminants

FLUOR HANFORD (FH) MAKES CLEANUP A REALITY IN NEARLY 11 YEARS AT HANFORD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GERBER, M.S.

2007-05-24

For nearly 11 years, Fluor Hanford has been busy cleaning up the legacy of nuclear weapons production at one of the Department of Energy's (DOE'S) major sites in the United States. As prime nuclear waste cleanup contractor at the vast Hanford Site in southeastern Washington state, Fluor Hanford has changed the face of cleanup. Fluor beginning on October 1, 1996, Hanford Site cleanup was primarily a ''paper exercise.'' The Tri-Party Agreement, officially called the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order - the edict governing cleanup among the DOE, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Washington state - was just seven years old. Milestones mandated in the agreement up until then had required mainly waste characterization, reporting, and planning, with actual waste remediation activities off in the future. Real work, accessing waste ''in the field'' - or more literally in huge underground tanks, decaying spent fuel POO{approx}{approx}S, groundwater, hundreds of contaminated facilities, solid waste burial grounds, and liquid waste disposal sites -began in earnest under Fluor Hanford. The fruits of labors initiated, completed and/or underway by Fluor Hanford can today be seen across the site. Spent nuclear fuel is buttoned up in secure, dry containers stored away from regional water resources, reactive plutonium scraps are packaged in approved containers, transuranic (TRU) solid waste is being retrieved from burial trenches and shipped offsite for permanent disposal, contaminated facilities are being demolished, contaminated groundwater is being pumped out of aquifers at record rates, and many other inventive solutions are being applied to Hanford's most intransigent nuclear wastes. (TRU) waste contains more than 100 nanocuries per gram, and contains isotopes higher than uranium on the Periodic Table of the Elements. (A nanocurie is one-billionth of a curie.) At the same time, Fluor Hanford

Nitrate bioreduction in redox-variable low permeability sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Sen [China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074 (China); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354 (United States); Liu, Yuanyuan [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354 (United States); Liu, Chongxuan, E-mail: chongxuan.liu@pnnl.gov [China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074 (China); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354 (United States); Shi, Liang; Shang, Jianying [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354 (United States); Shan, Huimei [China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074 (China); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354 (United States); Zachara, John; Fredrickson, Jim; Kennedy, David; Resch, Charles T.; Thompson, Christopher; Fansler, Sarah [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354 (United States)

2016-01-01

Low permeability zone (LPZ) can play an important role as a sink or secondary source in contaminant transport in groundwater system. This study investigated the rate and end product of nitrate bioreduction in LPZ sediments. The sediments were from the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site, where nitrate is a groundwater contaminant as a by-product of radionuclide waste discharges. The LPZ at the Hanford site consists of two layers with an oxidized layer on top and reduced layer below. The oxidized layer is directly in contact with the overlying contaminated aquifer, while the reduced layer is in contact with an uncontaminated aquifer below. The experimental results showed that nitrate bioreduction rate and end-product differed significantly in the sediments. The bioreduction rate in the oxidized sediment was significantly faster than that in the reduced one. A significant amount of N{sub 2}O was accumulated in the reduced sediment; while in the oxidized sediment, N{sub 2}O was further reduced to N{sub 2}. RT-PCR analysis revealed that nosZ, the gene that codes for N{sub 2}O reductase, was below detection limit in the reduced sediment. Batch experiments and kinetic modeling were performed to provide insights into the role of organic carbon bioavailability, biomass growth, and competition between nitrate and its reducing products for electrons from electron donors. The results revealed that it is important to consider sediment redox conditions and functional genes in understanding and modeling nitrate bioreduction in subsurface sediments. The results also implied that LPZ sediments can be important sink of nitrate and a potential secondary source of N{sub 2}O as a nitrate bioreduction product in groundwater. - Highlights: • Low permeability zones (LPZ) can microbially remove nitrate in groundwater. • The rate and end product of nitrate bioreduction vary within LPZ. • Greenhouse gas N{sub 2}O can be the end product of nitrate bioreduction in LPZ. �

Modern processes of sediment formation in Lake Towuti, Indonesia, as derived from the composition of lake surface sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Hasberg, Ascelina; Melles, Martin; Morlock, Marina; Vogel, Hendrik; Russel, James M.; Bijaksana, Satria

2016-04-01

In summer 2015, a drilling operation funded by the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) was conducted at Lake Towuti (2.75°S, 121.5°E), the largest tectonically formed lake (surface area: 561 km²) of the Republic Indonesia. The Towuti Drilling Project (TDP) recovered more than 1000 meters of sediment core from three sites. At all three sites replicate cores down to 133, 154, and 174 m below lake floor have penetrated the entire lake sediment record, which is expected to comprise the past ca. 650.000 years continuously. Lake Towutís sediment record thus can provide unique information for instance concerning the climatic and environmental history in the Indo-Pacific-Warm-Pool (IPWP) and concerning the evolutionary biology in SE Asia. For a better understanding of the palaeoenvironmental proxies to be analyzed on the drill cores, the modern processes of sediment formation in the lake and in its catchment - under known environmental conditions - were investigated on a set of 84 lake sediment surface samples. Sampling was conducted by grab sampler (UWITEC Corp., Austria) in a grid of 1 to 4 km resolution that covers the entire lake. The samples were analyzed for inorganic geochemical composition (XRF powder scans and ICP-MS), magnetic susceptibility (Kappabridge), grain-size distribution (laser scanner), biogenic components (smear-slide analyses), biogenic silica contents (leaching), and carbonate, total organic carbon (TOC), nitrogen (TN), and sulfur (TS) concentrations (elemental analyzer). The sediments close to the lake shores and in front of the major river inlets are characterized by mean grain sizes coarser than average and high magnetic susceptibilities presented by high ratios of Cr, Ni, Co, and Zr. This reflects higher energies due to wave action and fluvial sediment supply, as well as the occurrence of magnetic minerals particularly in the sand and gravel fractions of the sediments. In regions of deeper waters and more distal to

Post-depositional formation of vivianite-type minerals alters sediment phosphorus records

NARCIS (Netherlands)

DIjkstra, Nikki; Hagens, Mathilde; Egger, Matthias; Slomp, Caroline P.

2018-01-01

Phosphorus (P) concentrations in sediments are frequently used to reconstruct past environmental conditions in freshwater and marine systems, with high values thought to be indicative of a high biological productivity. Recent studies suggest that the post-depositional formation of vivianite, an

Survey of radiological contaminants in the near-shore environment at the Hanford Site 100-N Area reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Verst, S.P.; Albin, C.L.; Patton, G.W.; Blanton, M.L.; Poston, T.M.; Cooper, A.T.; Antonio, E.J.

1998-09-01

Past operations at the Hanford Site 100-N Area reactor resulted in the release of radiological contaminants to the soil column, local groundwater, and ultimately to the near-shore environment of the Columbia River. In September 1997, the Washington State Department of Health (WDOH) and the Hanford Site Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) initiated a special study of the near-shore vicinity at the Hanford Site's retired 100-N Area reactor. Environmental samples were collected and analyzed for radiological contaminants ( 3 H, 90 Sr, and gamma/ emitters), with both the WDOH and SESP analyzing a portion of the samples. Samples of river water, sediment, riverbank springs, periphyton, milfoil, flying insects, clam shells, and reed canary grass were collected. External exposure rates were also measured for the near-shore environment in the vicinity of the 100-N Area. In addition, samples were collected at background locations above Vernita Bridge

Hanford Site Infrastructure Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The Hanford Site Infrastructure Plan (HIP) has been prepared as an overview of the facilities, utilities, systems, and services that support all activities on the Hanford Site. Its purpose is three-fold: to examine in detail the existing condition of the Hanford Site's aging utility systems, transportation systems, Site services and general-purpose facilities; to evaluate the ability of these systems to meet present and forecasted Site missions; to identify maintenance and upgrade projects necessary to ensure continued safe and cost-effective support to Hanford Site programs well into the twenty-first century. The HIP is intended to be a dynamic document that will be updated accordingly as Site activities, conditions, and requirements change. 35 figs., 25 tabs

Formation of fine sediment deposit from a flash flood river in the Mediterranean Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Grifoll, Manel; Gracia, Vicenç; Aretxabaleta, Alfredo L.; Guillén, Jorge; Espino, Manuel; Warner, John C.

2014-01-01

We identify the mechanisms controlling fine deposits on the inner-shelf in front of the Besòs River, in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. This river is characterized by a flash flood regime discharging large amounts of water (more than 20 times the mean water discharge) and sediment in very short periods lasting from hours to few days. Numerical model output was compared with bottom sediment observations and used to characterize the multiple spatial and temporal scales involved in offshore sediment deposit formation. A high-resolution (50 m grid size) coupled hydrodynamic-wave-sediment transport model was applied to the initial stages of the sediment dispersal after a storm-related flood event. After the flood, sediment accumulation was predominantly confined to an area near the coastline as a result of preferential deposition during the final stage of the storm. Subsequent reworking occurred due to wave-induced bottom shear stress that resuspended fine materials, with seaward flow exporting them toward the midshelf. Wave characteristics, sediment availability, and shelf circulation determined the transport after the reworking and the final sediment deposition location. One year simulations of the regional area revealed a prevalent southwestward average flow with increased intensity downstream. The circulation pattern was consistent with the observed fine deposit depocenter being shifted southward from the river mouth. At the southern edge, bathymetry controlled the fine deposition by inducing near-bottom flow convergence enhancing bottom shear stress. According to the short-term and long-term analyses, a seasonal pattern in the fine deposit formation is expected.

Review of Hanford international activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panther, D.G.

1993-01-01

Hanford initiated a review of international activities to collect, review, and summarize information on international environmental restoration and waste management initiatives considered for use at Hanford. This effort focused on Hanford activities and accomplishments, especially international technical exchanges and/or the implementation of foreign-developed technologies

Final Hanford Comprehensive Land-Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

N/A

1999-10-01

This Final ''Hanford Comprehensive Land-Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement'' (HCP EIS) is being used by the Department of Energy (DOE) and its nine cooperating and consulting agencies to develop a comprehensive land-use plan (CLUP) for the Hanford Site. The DOE will use the Final HCP EIS as a basis for a Record of Decision (ROD) on a CLUP for the Hanford Site. While development of the CLUP will be complete with release of the HCP EIS ROD, full implementation of the CLUP is expected to take at least 50 years. Implementation of the CLUP would begin a more detailed planning process for land-use and facility-use decisions at the Hanford Site. The DOE would use the CLUP to screen proposals. Eventually, management of Hanford Site areas would move toward the CLUP land-use goals. This CLUP process could take more than 50 years to fully achieve the land-use goals.

Physical Properties of Hanford Transuranic Waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berg, John C.

2010-03-25

The research described herein was undertaken to provide needed physical property descriptions of the Hanford transuranic tank sludges under conditions that might exist during retrieval, treatment, packaging and transportation for disposal. The work addressed the development of a fundamental understanding of the types of systems represented by these sludge suspensions through correlation of the macroscopic rheological properties with particle interactions occurring at the colloidal scale in the various liquid media. The results of the work have advanced existing understanding of the sedimentation and aggregation properties of complex colloidal suspensions. Bench scale models were investigated with respect to their structural, colloidal and rheological properties that should be useful for the development and optimization of techniques to process the wastes at various DOE sites.

Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shearer, Jeffrey P. [Hanford Site (HNF), Richland, WA (United States)

2012-02-29

The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report (HSWMUR) has been created to meet the requirements of the Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) Action Plan, Section 3.5, which states: “The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report shall be generated, in a format agreed upon by the Parties, as a calendar year report and issued annually by the DOE by the end of February of each year, and posted electronically for regulator and public access. This report shall reflect all changes made in waste management unit status during the previous year.” This February 2012 version of the HSWMUR contains a comprehensive inventory of the 3389 sites and 540 subsites in the Waste Information Data System (WIDS). The information for each site contains a description of each unit and the waste it contains, where applicable. The WIDS database provides additional information concerning the sites contained in this report and is maintained with daily changes to these sites.

Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shearer, Jeffrey P. [Hanford Site (HNF), Richland, WA (United States)

2013-02-13

The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report (HSWMUR) has been created to meet the requirements of the Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) Action Plan, Section 3.5, which states: “The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report shall be generated, in a format agreed upon by the Parties, as a calendar year report and issued annually by the DOE by the end of February of each year, and posted electronically for regulator and public access. This report shall reflect all changes made in waste management unit status during the previous year.” This February 2013 version of the HSWMUR contains a comprehensive inventory of the 3427 sites and 564 subsites in the Waste Information Data System (WIDS). The information for each site contains a description of each unit and the waste it contains, where applicable. The WIDS database provides additional information concerning the sites contained in this report and is maintained with daily changes to these sites.

Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shearer, Jeffrey P. [Hanford Site (HNF), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-02-19

The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report (HSWMUR) has been created to meet the requirements of the Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) Action Plan, Section 3.5, which states: “The Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report shall be generated, in a format agreed upon by the Parties, as a calendar year report and issued annually by the DOE by the end of February of each year, and posted electronically for regulator and public access. This report shall reflect all changes made in waste management unit status during the previous year.” This February 2013 version of the HSWMUR contains a comprehensive inventory of the 3438 sites and 569 subsites in the Waste Information Data System (WIDS). The information for each site contains a description of each unit and the waste it contains, where applicable. The WIDS database provides additional information concerning the sites contained in this report and is maintained with daily changes to these sites.

Field-scale model for the natural attenuation of uranium at the Hanford 300 area using high performance computing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lichtner, Peter C [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Hammond, Glenn E [PNNL

2009-01-01

Three-dimensional reactive flow and transport simulations are carried out to better understand the persistence of uranium [U(VI)] at the Hanford 300 Area bordering the Columbia River. The massively parallel code PFLOTRAN developed under a DOE SciDAC-2 project is employed in the simulations. The calculations were carried out on 4096 processor cores on ORNL's Jaguar XT4 & 5 Cray supercomputers with run times on the order of 6 hours, equivalent to several years if performed on a single processor with sufficient memory. A new conceptual model is presented for understanding present-day and future attenuation rates of U(VI) at the 300 Area site. Unique to the conceptual model is the recognition of three distinct phases in the evolution of the site corresponding to: (I) initial emplacement of waste; (II) present-day conditions of slow leaching of U(VI) from the Hanford sediments; and (III) the complete removal of non-labile U(VI) from the source region. This work focuses on Phase II. Both labile and non-labile forms of U(VI) are included in the model as sorbed and mineralized forms of U(VI), respectively. The non-labile form plays an important role in providing a long-term source of U(VI) as it slowly leaches out of the Hanford sediment. Rapid fluctuations in the Columbia River stage on hourly, weekly and seasonal time scales are found to' playa major role in determining the migration behavior of U(VI). The calculations demonstrate that U(VI) is released into the Columbia River at a highly fluctuating rate in a ratchet-like behavior with nonzero U(VI) flux occurring only during flow from contaminated sediment into the river. The cumulative flux, however, is found to increase approximately linearly with time. The flow rate and U(VI) flux into the Columbia River predicted by the model is highly sensitive to the value used in the conductance boundary condition at the river-sediment interface. By fitting the conductance to the measured piezometric head at well 399

A feasibility study of modeling pedogenic carbonates in soils and sediments at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hunter, C.R.; Busacca, A.J. (Washington State Univ., Pullman, WA (USA))

1990-09-01

This study was conducted for Pacific Northwest Laboratory by Washington State University in support of the US Department of Energy's Protective Barrier and Warning Marker System Development Program. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of deriving information about past water movement patterns from Holocene-age soils in the Hanford region, and using mathematical simulation modeling of pedogenic carbonate accumulations in layered sediments as a performance assessment tool for protective barrier development. The pedogenic carbonate models would serve two purposes in barrier performance assessment: to reconstruct Holocene water movement from the distribution of carbonates in layered sediments as an analog of future water movement in protective barriers, and to simulate the feedback effect of carbonate accumulation on soil hydraulic properties and unsaturated recharge in proposed protective barrier designs. The study progressed in three phases. The first phase was a review and interpretation of current literature on pedogenic indicators of water movement. The review focused on pedogenic and lithogenic processes that drive carbonate accumulation in arid land soils and simulation models linking carbonate distribution to soil hydraulic properties, soil water balance, and climate. The second phase of the feasibility study identified issues and limitations associated with applying or modifying existing computer simulation codes or developing a new code. Finally, the utility of proceeding with the project was determined based on an evaluation of issues and limitations in relation to barrier performance criteria. 101 refs., 4 figs.

Geochemical evolution of highly alkaline and saline tank waste plumes during seepage through vadose zone sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, Jiamin; Tokunaga, Tetsu K.; Larsen, Joern T.; Serne, R. JEFFREY

2004-01-01

Leakage of highly saline and alkaline radioactive waste from storage tanks into underlying sediments is a serious environmental problem at the Hanford Site in Washington State. This study focuses on geochemical evolution of tank waste plumes resulting from interactions between the waste solution and sediment. A synthetic tank waste solution was infused into unsaturated Hanford sediment columns (0.2, 0.6, and 2 m) maintained at 70C to simulate the field contamination process. Spatially and temporally resolved geochemical profiles of the waste plume were obtained. Thorough OH neutralization (from an initial pH 14 down to 6.3) was observed. Three broad zones of pore solutions were identified to categorize the dominant geochemical reactions: the silicate dissolution zone (pH > 10), pH-neutralized zone (pH 10 to 6.5), and displaced native sediment pore water (pH 6.5 to 8). Elevated concentrations of Si, Fe, and K in plume fluids and their depleted concentrations in plume sediments reflected dissolution of primary minerals within the silicate dissolution zone. The very high Na concentrations in the waste solution resulted in rapid and complete cation exchange, reflected in high concentrations of Ca and Mg at the plume front. The plume-sediment profiles also showed deposition of hydrated solids and carbonates. Fair correspondence was obtained between these results and analyses of field borehole samples from a waste plume at the Hanford Site. Results of this study provide a well-defined framework for understanding waste plumes in the more complex field setting and for understanding geochemical factors controlling transport of contaminant species carried in waste solutions that leaked from single-shell storage tanks in the past

Hanford Emergency Response Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagoner, J.D.

1994-04-01

The Hanford Emergency Response Plan for the US Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations Office (RL), incorporates into one document an overview of the emergency management program for the Hanford Site. The program has been developed in accordance with DOE orders, and state and federal regulations to protect worker and public health and safety and the environment in the event of an emergency at or affecting the Hanford Site. This plan provides a description of how the Hanford Site will implement the provisions of DOE 5500 series and other applicable Orders in terms of overall policies and concept of operations. It should be used as the basis, along with DOE Orders, for the development of specific contractor and RL implementing procedures

Hanford Emergency Response Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagoner, J.D.

1994-04-01

The Hanford Emergency Response Plan for the US Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations Office (RL), incorporates into one document an overview of the emergency management program for the Hanford Site. The program has been developed in accordance with DOE orders, and state and federal regulations to protect worker and public health and safety and the environment in the event of an emergency at or affecting the Hanford Site. This plan provides a description of how the Hanford Site will implement the provisions of DOE 5500 series and other applicable Orders in terms of overall policies and concept of operations. It should be used as the basis, along with DOE Orders, for the development of specific contractor and RL implementing procedures.

Hanford Integrated Planning Process: 1993 Hanford Site-specific science and technology plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-12-01

This document is the FY 1993 report on Hanford Site-specific science and technology (S ampersand T) needs for cleanup of the Site as developed via the Hanford Integrated Planning Process (HIPP). It identifies cleanup problems that lack demonstrated technology solutions and technologies that require additional development. Recommendations are provided regarding allocation of funding to address Hanford's highest-priority technology improvement needs, technology development needs, and scientific research needs, all compiled from a Sitewide perspective. In the past, the S ampersand T agenda for Hanford Site cleanup was sometimes driven by scientists and technologists, with minimal input from the ''problem owners'' (i.e., Westinghouse Hanford Company [WHC] staff who are responsible for cleanup activities). At other times, the problem-owners made decisions to proceed with cleanup without adequate scientific and technological inputs. Under both of these scenarios, there was no significant stakeholder involvement in the decision-making process. One of the key objectives of HIPP is to develop an understanding of the integrated S ampersand T requirements to support the cleanup mission, (a) as defined by the needs of the problem owners, the values of the stakeholders, and the technology development expertise that exists at Hanford and elsewhere. This requires a periodic, systematic assessment of these needs and values to appropriately define a comprehensive technology development program and a complementary scientific research program. Basic to our success is a methodology that is defensible from a technical perspective and acceptable to the stakeholders

Hanford underground storage tank waste filtration process evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, B.W.; McCabe, D.J.

1997-01-01

The purpose of this filter study was to evaluate cross-flow filtration as effective solid-liquid separation technology for treating Hanford wastes, outline operating conditions for equipment, examine the expected filter flow rates, and determine proper cleaning. Two Hanford waste processing applications have been identified as candidates for the use of cross-flow filtration. The first of the Hanford applications involves filtration of the decanted supernate from sludge leaching and washing operations. This process involves the concentration and removal of dilute (0.05 wt percent) fines from the bulk of the supernate. The second application involves filtration to wash and concentrate the sludge during out-of-tank processing. This process employs a relatively concentrated (8 wt percent) solids feed stream. Filter studies were conducted with simulants to evaluate whether 0.5 micron cross-flow sintered metal Mott filters and 0.1 micron cross-flow Graver filters can perform solid-liquid separation of the solid/liquid waste streams effectively. In cross-flow filtration the fluid to be filtered flows in parallel to the membrane surface and generates shearing forces and/or turbulence across the filter medium. This shearing influences formation of filter cake stabilizing the filtrate flow rate

Hanford site environmental surveillance master sampling schedule

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bisping, L.E.

1998-01-01

Environmental surveillance of the Hanford Site and surrounding areas is conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Sampling is conducted to evaluate levels of radioactive and nonradioactive pollutants in the Hanford environs, as required in DOE Order 5400.1 open-quotes General Environmental Protection Program,close quotes and DOE Order 5400.5, open-quotes Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment.close quotes The sampling methods are described in the Environmental Monitoring Plan, United States Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, DOE/RL91-50, Rev. 2, U.S. Department of Energy, Richland, Washington. This document contains the 1998 schedules for routine collection of samples for the Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) and Drinking Water Monitoring Project. Each section of this document describes the planned sampling schedule for a specific media (air, surface water, biota, soil and vegetation, sediment, and external radiation). Each section includes the sample location, sample type, and analyses to be performed on the sample. In some cases, samples are scheduled on a rotating basis and may not be planned for 1998 in which case the anticipated year for collection is provided. In addition, a map is included for each media showing sample locations

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediments from C Waste Management Area: Investigation of the C-152 Transfer Line Leak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Christopher F.; Serne, R. Jeffrey; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Valenta, Michelle M.; Lanigan, David C.; Vickerman, Tanya S.; Clayton, Ray E.; Geiszler, Keith N.; Iovin, Cristian; Clayton, Eric T.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Baum, Steven R.; Lindberg, Michael J.; Orr, Robert D.

2008-09-11

The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in January 2007. The overall goal of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities at Hanford. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., tasked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediments from within waste management area (WMA) C. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physiochemical characterization data compiled on vadose zone sediment recovered from direct-push samples collected around the site of an unplanned release (UPR), UPR-200-E-82, adjacent to the 241-C-152 Diversion Box located in WMA C.

Methymercury Formation in Marine and Freshwater Systems: Sediment Characteristics, Microbial Activity and SRB Phylogeny Control Formation Rates and Food-Chain Exposure

Science.gov (United States)

King, J. K.; Saunders, F. M.

2004-05-01

Mercury research in freshwater and marine systems suggests that sediment characteristics such as organic substrate, mercury speciation, and sulfate/sulfide concentrations influence availability of inorganic mercury for methylation. Similarly, sediment characteristics also influence sulfate-reducing bacterial (SRB) respiration as well as the presence/distribution of phylogenetic groups responsible for mercury methylation. Our work illustrates that the process of methylmercury formation in freshwater and marine systems are not dissimilar. Rather, the same geochemical parameters and SRB phylogenetic groups determine the propensity for methylmercury formation and are applicable in both fresh- and marine-water systems. The presentation will include our integration of sediment geochemical and microbial parameters affecting mercury methylation in specific freshwater and marine systems. Constructed wetlands planted with Schoenoplectus californicus and amended with gypsum (CaSO4) have demonstrated a capacity to remove inorganic mercury from industrial outfalls. However, bioaccumulation studies of periphyton, eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) and lake chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta) were conducted in order to ascertain the availability of wetland-generated methylmercury to biota. Total mercury concentrations in mosquitofish from non-sulfate treated controls and the reference location were significantly lower than those from the low and high sulfate treatments while mean total mercury concentrations in lake chubsuckers were also significantly elevated in the high sulfate treatment compared to the low sulfate, control and reference populations. Methylmercury concentrations in periphyton also corresponded with mercury levels found in the tissue of the lake chubsuckers, and these findings fit well given the trophic levels identified for both species of fish. Overall, data from this study suggest that the initial use of gypsum to accelerate the maturity of a constructed

Reengineering and health physics within the project Hanford management contract

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atencio, E.M.

1997-01-01

The impending transition of the Hartford Site management and operations (M ampersand O) contract to a management and integrating (M ampersand I) contract format, together with weak radiological performance assessments by external organizations and reduced financial budgets prompted the 're-engineering' of the previous Hanford prime contractor Radiological Control (Rad Con) organization. This paper presents the methodology, identified areas of improvements, and results of the re-engineering process. The conversion from the M ampersand O to the M ampersand I contract concept resulted in multiple independent Rad Con organizations reporting to separate major contractors who are managed by an integrating contractor. This brought significant challenges when establishing minimum site standards for sitewide consistency, developing roles and responsibilities, and maintaining site Rad Con goals. Championed by the previous contractor's Rad Con Director, Denny Newland, a five month planning effort was executed to address the challenges of the M ampersand I and to address identified weaknesses. Fluor Daniel Hanford assumed the responsibility as integrator of the Project Hanford Management Contract on October 1, 1996. The Fluor Daniel Hanford Radiation Protection Director Jeff Foster presents the results of the re-engineering effort, including the significant cost savings, process improvements, field support improvements, and clarification of roles and responsibilities that have been achieved

Reactivity of Primary Soil Minerals and Secondary Precipitates Beneath Leaking Hanford Waste Tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagy, Kathryn L.; Sturchio, Neil C.

2003-01-01

This project, renewal of a previous EMSP project of the same title, is in its first year of funding at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The purpose is to continue investigating rates and mechanisms of reactions between primary sediment minerals found in the Hanford subsurface and leaked waste tank solutions. The goals are to understand processes that result in (1) changes in porosity and permeability of the sediment and resultant changes in flow paths of the contaminant plumes, (2) formation of secondary precipitates that can take up contaminants in their structures, and (3) release of mineral components that can drive redox reactions affecting dissolved contaminant mobility. A post-doctoral scientist, Dr. Sherry Samson, has been hired and two masters of science students are beginning to conduct experimental research. One research project that is underway is focused on measurement of the dissolution rates of plagioclase feldspar in high pH, high nitrate, high Al-bearing solutions characteristic of the BX tank farms. The first set of experiments is being conduced at room temperature. Subsequent experiments will examine the role of temperature because tank solutions in many cases were near boiling when leakage is thought to have occurred and temperature gradients have been observed beneath the SX and BX tank farms. The dissolution experiments are being conducted in stirred-flow kinetic reactors using powdered labradorite feldspar from Pueblo Park, New Mexico

Hanford Site technical baseline database. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porter, P.E.

1995-01-01

This report lists the Hanford specific files (Table 1) that make up the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database. Table 2 includes the delta files that delineate the differences between this revision and revision 0 of the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database. This information is being managed and maintained on the Hanford RDD-100 System, which uses the capabilities of RDD-100, a systems engineering software system of Ascent Logic Corporation (ALC). This revision of the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database uses RDD-100 version 3.0.2.2 (see Table 3). Directories reflect those controlled by the Hanford RDD-100 System Administrator. Table 4 provides information regarding the platform. A cassette tape containing the Hanford Site Technical Baseline Database is available

Supplemental Groundwater Remediation Technologies to Protect the Columbia River at Hanford, WA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, K.M.; Petersen, Scott W.; Fruchter, Jonathan S.; Ainsworth, Calvin C.; Vermeul, Vince R.; Wellman, Dawn M.; Szecsody, Jim E.; Truex, Michael J.; Amonette, James E.; Long, Philip E.

2007-01-01

Nine projects have been recently selected by the US Department of Energy (EM-22) to address groundwater contaminant migration at the Hanford Site. This paper summarizes the background and objectives of these projects. Five of the selected projects are targeted at hexavalent chromium contamination in Hanford 100 Area groundwater. These projects represent an integrated approach towards identifying the source of hexavalent chromium contamination in the Hanford 100-D Area and treating the groundwater contamination. Currently, there is no effective method to stop strontium-90 associated with the riparian zone sediments from leaching into the river. Phytoremediation may be a possible way to treat this contamination. Its use at the 100-N Area will be investigated. Another technology currently being tested for strontium-90 contamination at the 100-N Area involves injection (through wells) of a calcium-citrate-phosphate solution, which will precipitate apatite, a natural calcium-phosphate mineral. Apatite will adsorb the strontium-90, and then incorporate it as part of the apatite structure, isolating the strontium-90 contamination from entering the river. This EM-22 funded apatite project will develop a strategy for infiltrating the apatite solution from ground surface or a shallow trench to provide treatment over the upper portion of the contaminated zone, which is unsaturated during low river stage.

Modern limnology, sediment accumulation and varve formation processes in Lake Żabińskie, northeastern Poland: comprehensive process studies as a key to understand the sediment record

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alicja Bonk

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Reconstructions of paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental data from sediment records require a thorough knowledge of the physical, chemical and biological factors that influence sediment-formation processes and signal preservation in lake sediments. Lake Żabińskie, an eutrophic hardwater lake located in northeastern Poland (Masurian Lake District, provides an unique environment for the investigation of processes that lead to the varve formation. During a two-year long observation period we investigated limnological and hydrochemical conditions within the water column, recent sediment fluxes and laminations preserved in the sediments of this lake to understand the relationship between the lake water properties and the sediment formation processes. We demonstrate that different mixing patterns may occur in Lake Żabińskie, from dimictic to meromictic depending on the meteorological conditions. Regardless of the water mixing pattern, the lake was stratified during much of the year which led to significant differences between surface and near-bottom water environments. The hypolimnion was characterized by higher conductivity and anoxic conditions with only short periods of better oxygenation, which created conditions ideal for the formation and preservation of biogenic varves. The material collected from the sediment trap revealed notable changes in sediment fluxes with characteristic spring maxima and, optionally, a second late fall maxima. Considerable variability was also observed for the fluxes of total organic carbon, biogenic silica and calcite. Microscopic investigation of the topmost sediments revealed a complex structure of the varves showing a distinct spring calcite lamina followed by several fine calcite laminae interbedded with diatom-rich laminae and, finally, by an organic-rich lamina with minerogenic admixtures deposited during winter. This seasonal variability was also reflected in the chemical composition inferred from high

The Hanford Site: An anthology of early histories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerber, M.S.

1993-10-01

This report discusses the following topics: Memories of War: Pearl Harbor and the Genesis of the Hanford Site; safety has always been promoted at the Hanford Site; women have an important place in Hanford Site history; the boom and bust cycle: A 50-year historical overview of the economic impacts of Hanford Site Operations on the Tri-Cities, Washington; Hanford`s early reactors were crucial to the sites`s history; T-Plant made chemical engineering history; the UO{sub 3} plant has a long history of service. PUREX Plant: the Hanford Site`s Historic Workhorse. PUREX Plant Waste Management was a complex challenge; and early Hanford Site codes and jargon.

Hanford well custodians. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schatz, A.L.; Underwood, D.J.

1995-01-01

The Hanford Site Groundwater Protection Management Program recognized the need to integrate monitoring well activities in a centralized manner. A key factor to Hanford Site well integration was the need to clearly identify a responsible party for each of the wells. WHC was asked to identify all wells on site, the program(s) using each well, and the program ultimately responsible for the well. This report lists the custodian and user(s) for each Hanford well and supplies a comprehensive list of all decommissioned and orphaned wells on the Hanford Site. This is the first update to the original report released in December 1993

Hanford Site peak gust wind speeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsdell, J.V.

1998-01-01

Peak gust wind data collected at the Hanford Site since 1945 are analyzed to estimate maximum wind speeds for use in structural design. The results are compared with design wind speeds proposed for the Hanford Site. These comparisons indicate that design wind speeds contained in a January 1998 advisory changing DOE-STD-1020-94 are excessive for the Hanford Site and that the design wind speeds in effect prior to the changes are still appropriate for the Hanford Site

Soft sediment deformation structures in the Maastrichtian Ajali Formation Western Flank of Anambra Basin, Southern Nigeria

Science.gov (United States)

Olabode, Solomon Ojo

2014-01-01

Soft sediment deformation structures were recognized in the Maastrichtian shallow marine wave to tide influenced regressive sediments of Ajali Formation in the western flank of Anambra basin, southern Nigerian. The soft sediment deformation structures were in association with cross bedded sands, clay and silt and show different morphological types. Two main types recognised are plastic deformations represented by different types of recumbent folds and injection structure represented by clastic dykes. Other structures in association with the plastic deformation structures include distorted convolute lamination, subsidence lobes, pillars, cusps and sand balls. These structures are interpreted to have been formed by liquefaction and fluidization mechanisms. The driving forces inferred include gravitational instabilities and hydraulic processes. Facies analysis, detailed morphologic study of the soft sediment deformation structures and previous tectonic history of the basin indicate that the main trigger agent for deformation is earthquake shock. The soft sediment deformation structures recognised in the western part of Anambra basin provide a continuous record of the tectonic processes that acted on the regressive Ajali Formation during the Maastrichtian.

Chemical information on tank supernatants, Cs adsorption from tank liquids onto Hanford sediments, and field observations of Cs migration from past tank leaks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serne, R.J.; Zachara, J.M.; Burke, D.S.

1998-01-01

Borehole gamma-logging profiles beneath the SX-Tank Farm suggest that contamination from Cs-137 extends to at least a depth of 40 m (130 ft), and may extend even deeper. What is presently not known is the pathway that Cs-137 has taken to reach these depths. In this report we provide an analysis of the chemistry of tank supernates with emphasis on the REDOX waste stream disposed in SX tanks, Cs chemistry in aqueous solutions and adsorption properties onto minerals, available data on Cs adsorption onto Hanford sediments, and information on Cs migration from other Hanford tank leaks that have been studied. The data in this report was used to help guide the vadose zone transport analysis of the SX Tank Farm presented in a companion report. The goal of the vadose zone transport modelling is to attempt to explain the depth and extent of the Cs-137 plume under the SX Tank farm, specifically in the vicinity of the greatest leak, near the SX-109 Tank as inferred from the gamma logs (DOE 1996). In solution Cs is present as the monovalent cation and shows very little tendency to form aqueous complexes with inorganic or organic ligands. Cs is expected to adsorb primarily onto selective minerals that have unique adsorption sites. The small Cs{sup +} ion is accommodated on these frayed edge and interlayer sites. Adsorption within the interlayers often leads to collapse of the layers such that the Cs{sup +} ion is effectively trapped and not readily exchangeable by all other common cations. The degree of adsorption is thus only moderately dependent on the types and high concentrations of other cations in leaking tank liquors.

Chemical information on tank supernatants, Cs adsorption from tank liquids onto Hanford sediments, and field observations of Cs migration from past tank leaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serne, R.J.; Zachara, J.M.; Burke, D.S.

1998-01-01

Borehole gamma-logging profiles beneath the SX-Tank Farm suggest that contamination from Cs-137 extends to at least a depth of 40 m (130 ft), and may extend even deeper. What is presently not known is the pathway that Cs-137 has taken to reach these depths. In this report we provide an analysis of the chemistry of tank supernates with emphasis on the REDOX waste stream disposed in SX tanks, Cs chemistry in aqueous solutions and adsorption properties onto minerals, available data on Cs adsorption onto Hanford sediments, and information on Cs migration from other Hanford tank leaks that have been studied. The data in this report was used to help guide the vadose zone transport analysis of the SX Tank Farm presented in a companion report. The goal of the vadose zone transport modelling is to attempt to explain the depth and extent of the Cs-137 plume under the SX Tank farm, specifically in the vicinity of the greatest leak, near the SX-109 Tank as inferred from the gamma logs (DOE 1996). In solution Cs is present as the monovalent cation and shows very little tendency to form aqueous complexes with inorganic or organic ligands. Cs is expected to adsorb primarily onto selective minerals that have unique adsorption sites. The small Cs + ion is accommodated on these frayed edge and interlayer sites. Adsorption within the interlayers often leads to collapse of the layers such that the Cs + ion is effectively trapped and not readily exchangeable by all other common cations. The degree of adsorption is thus only moderately dependent on the types and high concentrations of other cations in leaking tank liquors

Summary of radiological monitoring of Columbia River water along the Hanford Reach, 1980 through 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dirkes, R.L.

1994-02-01

The Surface Environmental Surveillance Project (SESP) is conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) for the US Department of Energy (DOE) at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. The Columbia River monitoring program, conducted as part of the SESP, provides a historical record of contaminant concentrations in the river attributable to natural causes, worldwide fallout, and operations conducted at the Hanford Site. In addition to ongoing monitoring, special studies are conducted periodically to enhance the understanding of the transport and fate of contaminants in the river. The Columbia River monitoring program includes sampling of river water, river sediment, river-bank springs entering the river, and various types of aquatic biota found in or along the river. These samples are analyzed for radiological constituents and a wide range of chemical parameters. This report describes the water sampling component of the overall Columbia River monitoring program conducted during the years 1980 through 1989 and summarizes the radiological results generated through the program during this time period. The only radionuclides found in the river that were consistently influenced by Hanford were tritium and iodine-129. Strontium-90 and uranium, also attributable to Hanford operations, were present in localized areas within the river near ground-water discharge points; however, these contaminants are quickly dispersed within the river to concentrations similar to background

Assessment of Hanford burial grounds and interim TRU storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geiger, J.F.; Brown, D.J.; Isaacson, R.E.

1977-08-01

A review and assessment is made of the Hanford low level solid radioactive waste management sites and facilities. Site factors considered favorable for waste storage and disposal are (1) limited precipitation, (2) a high deficiency of moisture in the underlying sediments (3) great depth to water table, all of which minimize radionuclide migration by water transport, and (4) high sorbtive capacity of the sediments. Facilities are in place for 20 year retrievable storage of transuranic (TRU) wastes and for disposal of nontransuranic radioactive wastes. Auxiliary facilities and services (utilities, roads, fire protection, shops, etc.) are considered adequate. Support staffs such as engineering, radiation monitoring, personnel services, etc., are available and are shared with other operational programs. The site and associated facilities are considered well suited for solid radioactive waste storage operations. However, recommendations are made for study programs to improve containment, waste package storage life, land use economy, retrievability and security of TRU wastes

Hanford recycling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leonard, I.M.

1996-09-01

This paper is a study of the past and present recycling efforts on the Hanford site and options for future improvements in the recycling program. Until 1996, recycling goals were voluntarily set by the waste generators: this year, DOE has imposed goals for all its sites to accomplish by 1999. Hanford is presently meeting the voluntary site goals, but may not be able to meet all the new DOE goals without changes to the program. Most of these new DOE goals are recycling goals: * Reduce the generation of radioactive (low-level) waste from routine operations 50 percent through source reduction and recycling. * Reduce the generation of low-level mixed waste from routine operations 50 percent through source reduction and recycling. * Reduce the generation of hazardous waste from routine operations 50 percent through source reduction and recycling. * Recycle 33 percent of the sanitary waste from all operations. * Increase affirmative procurement of EPA-designated recycled items to 100 percent. The Hanford recycling program has made great strides-there has been a 98 percent increase in the amount of paper recycled since its inception in 1990. Hanford recycles paper, chemicals cardboard, tires, oil, batteries, rags, lead weights, fluorescent tubes, aerosol products, concrete, office furniture, computer software, drums, toner cartridges, and scrap metal. Many other items are recycled or reused by individual groups on a one time basis without a formal contract. Several contracts are closed-loop contracts which involve all parts of the recycle loop. Considerable savings are generated from recycling, and much more is possible with increased attention and improvements to this program. General methods for improving the recycling program to ensure that the new goals can be met are: a Contract and financial changes 0 Tracking database and methods improvements 0 Expanded recycling efforts. Specifically, the Hanford recycling program would be improved by: 0 Establishing one overall

Hanford Site groundwater monitoring for Fiscal Year 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartman, M.J.; Dresel, P.E. [eds.] [and others

1998-02-01

This report presents the results of groundwater and vadose-zone monitoring for fiscal year (FY) 1997 on the Hanford Site, Washington. Soil-vapor extraction continued in the 200-West Area to remove carbon tetrachloride from the vadose zone. Characterization and monitoring of the vadose zone comprised primarily spectral gamma logging, soil-vapor monitoring, and analysis and characterization of sediments sampled below a vadose-zone monitoring well. Source-term analyses for strontium-90 in 100-N Area vadose-zone sediments were performed using recent groundwater-monitoring data and knowledge of strontium`s ion-exchange properties. Water-level monitoring was performed to evaluate groundwater-flow directions, to track changes in water levels, and to relate such changes to evolving disposal practices. Water levels over most of the Hanford Site continued to decline between June 1996 and June 1997. Water levels near the Columbia River increased during this period because the river stage was unusually high. Groundwater chemistry was monitored to track the extent of contamination, to note trends, and to identify emerging groundwater-quality problems. The most widespread radiological contaminant plumes were tritium and iodine-129. Concentrations of technetium-99, uranium, strontium-90, and carbon-14 also exceeded drinking water standards in smaller plumes. Plutonium and cesium-137 exceeded standards only near the 216-B-5 injection well. Derived concentration guide levels specified in U.S. Department of Energy Order 5400.5 were exceeded for tritium, uranium, strontium-90, and plutonium in small plumes or single wells. Nitrate is the most extensive chemical contaminant. Carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, chromium, cis-1,2-dichloroethylene, fluoride, and trichloroethylene also were present in smaller areas at levels above their maximum contaminant levels. Cyanide concentrations were elevated in one area but were below the maximum contaminant level.

Hanford Site groundwater monitoring for Fiscal Year 1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartman, M.J.; Dresel, P.E.

1998-02-01

This report presents the results of groundwater and vadose-zone monitoring for fiscal year (FY) 1997 on the Hanford Site, Washington. Soil-vapor extraction continued in the 200-West Area to remove carbon tetrachloride from the vadose zone. Characterization and monitoring of the vadose zone comprised primarily spectral gamma logging, soil-vapor monitoring, and analysis and characterization of sediments sampled below a vadose-zone monitoring well. Source-term analyses for strontium-90 in 100-N Area vadose-zone sediments were performed using recent groundwater-monitoring data and knowledge of strontium's ion-exchange properties. Water-level monitoring was performed to evaluate groundwater-flow directions, to track changes in water levels, and to relate such changes to evolving disposal practices. Water levels over most of the Hanford Site continued to decline between June 1996 and June 1997. Water levels near the Columbia River increased during this period because the river stage was unusually high. Groundwater chemistry was monitored to track the extent of contamination, to note trends, and to identify emerging groundwater-quality problems. The most widespread radiological contaminant plumes were tritium and iodine-129. Concentrations of technetium-99, uranium, strontium-90, and carbon-14 also exceeded drinking water standards in smaller plumes. Plutonium and cesium-137 exceeded standards only near the 216-B-5 injection well. Derived concentration guide levels specified in U.S. Department of Energy Order 5400.5 were exceeded for tritium, uranium, strontium-90, and plutonium in small plumes or single wells. Nitrate is the most extensive chemical contaminant. Carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, chromium, cis-1,2-dichloroethylene, fluoride, and trichloroethylene also were present in smaller areas at levels above their maximum contaminant levels. Cyanide concentrations were elevated in one area but were below the maximum contaminant level

Use of Gas Transported Reactants for Uranium Remediation in Vadose Zone Sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szecsody, James E.; Zhong, Lirong; Truex, Michael J.; Resch, Charles T.; Williams, Mark D.

2010-01-01

This laboratory-scale investigation is focused on decreasing mobility of uranium in subsurface contaminated sediments in the vadose zone by in situ geochemical manipulation at low water content. This geochemical manipulation of the sediment surface phases included reduction, pH change (acidic and alkaline), and additions of chemicals (phosphate, ferric iron) to form specific precipitates. Reactants were advected into 1-D columns packed with Hanford 200 area U-contaminated sediment as a reactive gas (for CO2, NH3, H2S, SO2), with a 0.1% water content mist (for NaOH, Fe(III), HCl, PO4) and with a 1% water content foam (for PO4). Because uranium is present in the sediment in multiple phases, changes in U surface phases were evaluated with a series of liquid extractions that dissolve progressively less soluble phases and electron microbe identification of mineral phases. In terms of the short-term decrease in U mobility (in decreasing order), NH3, NaOH mist, CO2, HCl mist, and Fe(III) mist showed 20% to 35% change in U surface phases. The two reductive gas treatments (H2S and SO2) showed little change. For long-term decrease in U transport, mineral phases created that had low solubility (phosphates, silicates) were desired, so NH3, phosphates (mist and foam delivered), and NaOH mist showed the greatest formation of these minerals.

Women and the Hanford Site

Science.gov (United States)

Gerber, Michele

2014-03-01

When we study the technical and scientific history of the Manhattan Project, women's history is sometimes left out. At Hanford, a Site whose past is rich with hard science and heavy construction, it is doubly easy to leave out women's history. After all, at the World War II Hanford Engineer Works - the earliest name for the Hanford Site - only nine percent of the employees were women. None of them were involved in construction, and only one woman was actually involved in the physics and operations of a major facility - Dr. Leona Woods Marshall. She was a physicist present at the startup of B-Reactor, the world's first full-scale nuclear reactor - now a National Historic Landmark. Because her presence was so unique, a special bathroom had to be built for her in B-Reactor. At World War II Hanford, only two women were listed among the nearly 200 members of the top supervisory staff of the prime contractor, and only one regularly attended the staff meetings of the Site commander, Colonel Franklin Matthias. Overall, women comprised less than one percent of the managerial and supervisory staff of the Hanford Engineer Works, most of them were in nursing or on the Recreation Office staff. Almost all of the professional women at Hanford were nurses, and most of the other women of the Hanford Engineer Works were secretaries, clerks, food-service workers, laboratory technicians, messengers, barracks workers, and other support service employees. The one World War II recruiting film made to attract women workers to the Site, that has survived in Site archives, is entitled ``A Day in the Life of a Typical Hanford Girl.'' These historical facts are not mentioned to criticize the past - for it is never wise to apply the standards of one era to another. The Hanford Engineer Works was a 1940s organization, and it functioned by the standards of the 1940s. Just as we cannot criticize the use of asbestos in constructing Hanford (although we may wish they hadn't used so much of it), we

Introduction to the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E.

1995-06-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report discusses the Site mission and provides general information about the site. The U.S. DOE has established a new mission for Hanford including: Management of stored wastes, environmental restoration, research and development, and development of new technologies. The Hanford Reservation is located in south central Washington State just north of the confluence of the Snake and Yakima Rivers with the Columbia River. The approximately 1,450 square kilometers which comprises the Hanford Site, with restricted public access, provides a buffer for the smaller areas within the site which have historically been used for the production of nuclear materials, radioactive waste storage, and radioactive waste disposal.

Hanford site waste tank characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Lorenzo, D.S.; Simpson, B.C.

1994-08-01

This paper describes the on-going work in the characterization of the Hanford-Site high-level waste tanks. The waste in these tanks was produced as part of the nuclear weapons materials processing mission that occupied the Hanford Site for the first 40 years of its existence. Detailed and defensible characterization of the tank wastes is required to guide retrieval, pretreatment, and disposal technology development, to address waste stability and reactivity concerns, and to satisfy the compliance criteria for the various regulatory agencies overseeing activities at the Hanford Site. The resulting Tank Characterization Reports fulfill these needs, as well as satisfy the tank waste characterization milestones in the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order

Hanford Surplus Facilities Program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, M.C.; Wahlen, R.K.; Winship, R.A.

1989-09-01

The Hanford Surplus Facilities Program is responsible for the safe and cost-effective surveillance, maintenance, and decommissioning of surplus facilities at the Hanford Site. The management of these facilities requires a surveillance and maintenance program to keep them in a safe condition and development of a plan for ultimate disposition. Criteria used to evaluate each factor relative to decommissioning are based on the guidelines presented by the US Department of Energy-Richland Operations Office, Defense Facilities Decommissioning Program Office, and are consistent with the Westinghouse Hanford Company commitment to decommission the Hanford Site retired facilities in the safest and most cost-effective way achievable. This document outlines the plan for managing these facilities to the end of disposition

Introduction to the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cushing, C.E.

1995-01-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report discusses the Site mission and provides general information about the site. The U.S. DOE has established a new mission for Hanford including: Management of stored wastes, environmental restoration, research and development, and development of new technologies. The Hanford Reservation is located in south central Washington State just north of the confluence of the Snake and Yakima Rivers with the Columbia River. The approximately 1,450 square kilometers which comprises the Hanford Site, with restricted public access, provides a buffer for the smaller areas within the site which have historically been used for the production of nuclear materials, radioactive waste storage, and radioactive waste disposal

The Hanford Site: An anthology of early histories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, M.S.

1993-10-01

This report discusses the following topics: Memories of War: Pearl Harbor and the Genesis of the Hanford Site; safety has always been promoted at the Hanford Site; women have an important place in Hanford Site history; the boom and bust cycle: A 50-year historical overview of the economic impacts of Hanford Site Operations on the Tri-Cities, Washington; Hanford's early reactors were crucial to the sites's history; T-Plant made chemical engineering history; the UO 3 plant has a long history of service. PUREX Plant: the Hanford Site's Historic Workhorse. PUREX Plant Waste Management was a complex challenge; and early Hanford Site codes and jargon

Hanford Environmental Management Program implementation plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-08-01

The Hanford Environmental Management Program (HEMP) was established to facilitate compliance with the applicable environmental statues, regulations, and standards on the Hanford Site. The HEMP provides a structured approach to achieve environmental management objectives. The Hanford Environmental Management Program Plan (HEMP Plan) was prepared as a strategic level planning document to describe the program management, technical implementation, verification, and communications activities that guide the HEMP. Four basic program objectives are identified in the HEMP Plan as follows: establish ongoing monitoring to ensure that Hanford Site operations comply with environmental requirements; attain regulatory compliance through the modification of activities; mitigate any environmental consequences; and minimize the environmental impacts of future operations at the Hanford Site. 2 refs., 24 figs., 27 tabs

Hanford spent fuel inventory baseline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergsman, K.H.

1994-01-01

This document compiles technical data on irradiated fuel stored at the Hanford Site in support of the Hanford SNF Management Environmental Impact Statement. Fuel included is from the Defense Production Reactors (N Reactor and the single-pass reactors; B, C, D, DR, F, H, KE and KW), the Hanford Fast Flux Test Facility Reactor, the Shipping port Pressurized Water Reactor, and small amounts of miscellaneous fuel from several commercial, research, and experimental reactors

Hanford Site solid waste acceptance criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Willis, N.P.; Triner, G.C.

1991-09-01

Westinghouse Hanford Company manages the Hanford Site solid waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities for the US Department of Energy Field Office, Richland under contract DE-AC06-87RL10930. These facilities include radioactive solid waste disposal sites, radioactive solid waste storage areas and hazardous waste treatment, storage, and/or disposal facilities. This manual defines the criteria that must be met by waste generators for solid waste to be accepted by Westinghouse Hanford Company for treatment, storage and/or disposal facilities. It is to be used by all waste generators preparing radioactive solid waste for storage or disposal at the Hanford Site facilities and for all Hanford Site generators of hazardous waste. This manual is also intended for use by Westinghouse Hanford Company solid waste technical staff involved with approval and acceptance of solid waste. The criteria in this manual represent a compilation of state and federal regulations; US Department of Energy orders; Hanford Site requirements; and other rules, regulations, guidelines, and standards as they apply to management of solid waste. Where appropriate, these requirements are included in the manual by reference. It is the intent of this manual to provide guidance to the waste generator in meeting the applicable requirements

Migration of plutonium from freshwater ecosystem at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emery, R.M.; Klopfer, D.C.; McShane, M.C.

1977-09-01

A reprocessing waste pond at Hanford has been inventoried to determine quantities of plutonium (Pu) that have been accumulated since its formation in 1944. Expressions of export were developed from these inventory data and from informed assumptions about the vectors which act to mobilize material containing Pu. This 14-acre pond provides a realistic illustration of the mobility of Pu in a lentic ecosystem. The ecological behavior of Pu in this pond is similar to that in other contaminated aquatic systems having widely differing limnological characteristics. Since its creation, this pond has received about one Ci of 239 , 240 Pu and 238 Pu, most of which has been retained by its sediments. Submerged plants, mainly diatoms and Potamogeton, accumulate >95% of the Pu contained in biota. Emergent insects are the only direct biological route of export, mobilizing about 5 x 10 3 nCi of Pu annually, which is also the estimated maximum quantity of the Pu exported by waterfowl, birds and mammals collectively. There is no apparent significant export by wind, and it is not likely that Pu has migrated to the ground water below U-Pond via percolation. Although this pond has a rapid flushing rate, a eutrophic nutrient supply with a diverse biotic profile, and interacts with an active terrestrial environment, it appears to effectively bind Pu and prevent it from entering pathways to man and other life

Hanford Site Tank Waste Remediation System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-05-01

The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State has the most diverse and largest amount of highly radioactive waste of any site in the US. High-level radioactive waste has been stored in large underground tanks since 1944. A Tank Waste Remediation System Program has been established within the DOE to safely manage and immobilize these wastes in anticipation of permanent disposal in a geologic repository. The Hanford Site Tank Waste Remediation System Waste Management 1993 Symposium Papers and Viewgraphs covered the following topics: Hanford Site Tank Waste Remediation System Overview; Tank Waste Retrieval Issues and Options for their Resolution; Tank Waste Pretreatment - Issues, Alternatives and Strategies for Resolution; Low-Level Waste Disposal - Grout Issue and Alternative Waste Form Technology; A Strategy for Resolving High-Priority Hanford Site Radioactive Waste Storage Tank Safety Issues; Tank Waste Chemistry - A New Understanding of Waste Aging; Recent Results from Characterization of Ferrocyanide Wastes at the Hanford Site; Resolving the Safety Issue for Radioactive Waste Tanks with High Organic Content; Technology to Support Hanford Site Tank Waste Remediation System Objectives

Hanford site near-facility environmental monitoring annual report, calendar year 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perkins, C.J.

1997-08-05

This document summarizes the results of the near-facility environmental monitoring results for 1996 in the 100, 200/600, and 300/400 areas of the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State. Surveillance activities included sampling and analyses of ambient air, surface water, groundwater, soil, sediments, and biota. Also, external radiation measurements and radiological surveys were taken at waste disposal sites, radiologically controlled areas, and roads. These activities were conducted to assess and control the effects of nuclear facilities and waste sites on the local environment. The monitoring implements applicable portions of DOE Orders 5400.1 (DOE 1988a), 5400.5 (DOE 1990), and 5820.2A (DOE 1988b); Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 246-247; and Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 61, Subpart H (EPA 1989). In addition, diffuse sources were monitored to determine compliance with federal, state, and/or local regulations. In general, although effects from nuclear facilities can still be observed on the Hanford Site and radiation levels were slightly elevated when compared to offsite locations, the differences are less than in previous years.

Hanford Site Development Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rinne, C.A.; Curry, R.H.; Hagan, J.W.; Seiler, S.W.; Sommer, D.J.; Yancey, E.F.

1990-01-01

The Hanford Site Development Plan (Site Development Plan) is intended to guide the short- and long-range development and use of the Hanford Site. All acquisition, development, and permanent facility use at the Hanford Site will conform to the approved plan. The Site Development Plan also serves as the base document for all subsequent studies that involve use of facilities at the Site. This revision is an update of a previous plan. The executive summary presents the highlights of the five major topics covered in the Site Development Plan: general site information, existing conditions, planning analysis, Master Plan, and Five-Year Plan. 56 refs., 67 figs., 31 tabs

Hanford Site Development Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rinne, C.A.; Curry, R.H.; Hagan, J.W.; Seiler, S.W.; Sommer, D.J. (Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (USA)); Yancey, E.F. (Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA))

1990-01-01

The Hanford Site Development Plan (Site Development Plan) is intended to guide the short- and long-range development and use of the Hanford Site. All acquisition, development, and permanent facility use at the Hanford Site will conform to the approved plan. The Site Development Plan also serves as the base document for all subsequent studies that involve use of facilities at the Site. This revision is an update of a previous plan. The executive summary presents the highlights of the five major topics covered in the Site Development Plan: general site information, existing conditions, planning analysis, Master Plan, and Five-Year Plan. 56 refs., 67 figs., 31 tabs.

Hanford defense waste studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napier, B.A.; Zimmerman, M.G.; Soldat, J.K.

1981-01-01

PNL is assisting Rockwell Hanford Operations to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for the management of Hanford defense nuclear waste. The Ecological Sciences Department is leading the task of calculation of public radiation doses from a large matrix of potential routine and accidental releases of radionuclides to the environment

Tackling the Challenge of Deep Vadose Zone Remediation at the Hanford Site

Science.gov (United States)

Morse, J. G.; Wellman, D. M.; Gephart, R.

2010-12-01

The Central Plateau of the Hanford Site in Washington State contains some 800 waste disposal sites where 1.7 trillion liters of contaminated water was once discharged into the subsurface. Most of these sites received liquids from the chemical reprocessing of spent uranium fuel to recover plutonium. In addition, 67 single shell tanks have leaked or are suspected to have leaked 3.8 million liters of high alkali and aluminate rich cesium-contaminated liquids into the sediment. Today, this inventory of subsurface contamination contains an estimated 550,000 curies of radioactivity and 150 million kg (165,000 tons) of metals and hazardous chemicals. Radionuclides range from mobile 99Tc to more immobilized 137Cs, 241Am, uranium, and plutonium. A significant fraction of these contaminants likely remain within the deep vadose zone. Plumes of groundwater containing tritium, nitrate, 129I and other contaminants have migrated through the vadose zone and now extend outward from the Central Plateau to the Columbia River. During most of Hanford Site history, subsurface studies focused on groundwater monitoring and characterization to support waste management decisions. Deep vadose zone studies were not a priority because waste practices relied upon that zone to buffer contaminant releases into the underlying aquifer. Remediation of the deep vadose zone is now central to Hanford Site cleanup because these sediments can provide an ongoing source of contamination to the aquifer and therefore to the Columbia River. However, characterization and remediation of the deep vadose zone pose some unique challenges. These include sediment thickness; contaminant depth; coupled geohydrologic, geochemical, and microbial processes controlling contaminant spread; limited availability and effectiveness of traditional characterization tools and cleanup remedies; and predicting contaminant behavior and remediation performance over long time periods and across molecular to field scales. The U

NHC's contribution to cleanup of the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chauve, H.D.

1998-01-01

The one billion dollars per year Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC), managed by Fluor Daniel Hanford, calls for cleanup of the Hanford Site for the Department of Energy. Project Hanford comprises four major subprojects, each managed by a different major contractor. Numatec Hanford Corporation (NHC) is a fifth major subcontractor which provides energy and technology to each of the Hanford projects. NHC draws on the experience and capabilities of its parent companies, COGEMA and SGN, and relies on local support from its sister Company in Richland, COGEMA Engineering Corporation, to bring the best commercial practices and new technology to the Project

Hanford Site Solid Waste Acceptance Criteria

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-11-17

This manual defines the Hanford Site radioactive, hazardous, and sanitary solid waste acceptance criteria. Criteria in the manual represent a guide for meeting state and federal regulations; DOE Orders; Hanford Site requirements; and other rules, regulations, guidelines, and standards as they apply to acceptance of radioactive and hazardous solid waste at the Hanford Site. It is not the intent of this manual to be all inclusive of the regulations; rather, it is intended that the manual provide the waste generator with only the requirements that waste must meet in order to be accepted at Hanford Site TSD facilities.

Hanford Site Solid Waste Acceptance Criteria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This manual defines the Hanford Site radioactive, hazardous, and sanitary solid waste acceptance criteria. Criteria in the manual represent a guide for meeting state and federal regulations; DOE Orders; Hanford Site requirements; and other rules, regulations, guidelines, and standards as they apply to acceptance of radioactive and hazardous solid waste at the Hanford Site. It is not the intent of this manual to be all inclusive of the regulations; rather, it is intended that the manual provide the waste generator with only the requirements that waste must meet in order to be accepted at Hanford Site TSD facilities

Hanford Site baseline risk assessment methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-03-01

This methodology has been developed to prepare human health and environmental evaluations of risk as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act remedial investigations (RIs) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act facility investigations (FIs) performed at the Hanford Site pursuant to the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement. Development of the methodology has been undertaken so that Hanford Site risk assessments are consistent with current regulations and guidance, while providing direction on flexible, ambiguous, or undefined aspects of the guidance. The methodology identifies Site-specific risk assessment considerations and integrates them with approaches for evaluating human and environmental risk that can be factored into the risk assessment program supporting the Hanford Site cleanup mission. Consequently, the methodology will enhance the preparation and review of individual risk assessments at the Hanford Site

Hanford Site 1998 Environmental Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

RL Dirkes; RW Hanf; TM Poston

1999-09-21

This Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, to describe environmental management performance, to demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and to highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet requirements and guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; discuss the estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1998 Hanford Site activities; present the effluent monitoring, environmental surveillance, and groundwater protection and monitoring information; and discuss the activities to ensure quality.

Hanford Site ground-water surveillance for 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, J.C.; Bryce, R.W.; Bates, D.J.; Kemner, M.L.

1990-06-01

This annual report of ground-water surveillance activities provides discussions and listings of results for ground-water monitoring at the Hanford Site during 1989. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) assesses the impacts of Hanford operations on the environment for the US Department of Energy (DOE). The impact Hanford operations has on ground water is evaluated through the Hanford Site Ground-Water Surveillance program. Five hundred and sixty-seven wells were sampled during 1989 for Hanford ground-water monitoring activities. This report contains a listing of analytical results for calendar year (CY) 1989 for species of importance as potential contaminants. 30 refs., 29 figs,. 4 tabs

Characterization of natural titanomagnetites (Fe3-xTixO4) for studying heterogeneous electron transfer to Tc(VII) in the Hanford subsurface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pearce, Carolyn I.; Liu, Juan; Baer, Donald R.; Qafoku, Odeta; Heald, Steve M.; Arenholz, Elke; Grosz, Andrew E.; McKinley, James P.; Resch, Charles T.; Bowden, Mark E.; Engelhard, Mark H.; Rosso, Kevin M.

2014-03-01

Sediments with basaltic provenance, such as those at the Hanford nuclear reservation, Washington, USA, are rich in Fe-bearing minerals of mixed valence. These minerals are redox reactive with aqueous O2 or Fe(II), and have the potential to react with important environmental contaminants including Tc. Here we isolate, identify and characterize natural Fe(II)/Fe(III)-bearing microparticles from Hanford sediments, develop synthetic analogues and investigate their batch redox reactivity with aqueous Tc(VII). Natural Fe-rich mineral samples were isolated by magnetic separation from sediments collected at several locations on Hanford’s central plateau. This magnetic mineral fraction was found to represent up to 1 wt% of the total sediment, and be composed of 90% magnetite with minor ilmenite and hematite, as determined by X-ray diffraction. The magnetite contained variable amounts of transition metalsconsistent with alio- and isovalent metal substitutions for Fe. X-ray microprobe analysis showed that Ti was the most significant substituent, and that these grains could be described with the titanomagnetite formula Fe3_xTixO4, which falls between endmember magnetite (x = 0) and ulvo¨ spinel (x = 1). The dominant composition was determined to be x = 0.15 by chemical analysis and electron probe microanalysis in the bulk, and by L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at the surface. Site-level characterization of the titanomagnetites by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism showed that despite native oxidation, octahedral Fe(II) was detectable within 5 nm of the mineral surface. By testing the effect of contact with oxic Hanford and Ringold groundwaters to reduced Ringold groundwater, it was found that the concentration of this near-surface structural Fe(II) was strongly dependent on aqueous redox condition. This highlights the potential for restoring reducing equivalents and thus reduction capacity to oxidized Fe-mineral surfaces through

HANFORD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY NEEDS STATEMENTS 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

WIBLE, R.A.

2002-04-01

This document: (a) provides a comprehensive listing of the Hanford sites science and technology needs for fiscal year (FY) 2002; and (b) identifies partnering and commercialization opportunities within industry, other federal and state agencies, and the academic community. These needs were prepared by the Hanford projects (within the Project Hanford Management Contract, the Environmental Restoration Contract and the River Protection Project) and subsequently reviewed and endorsed by the Hanford Site Technology Coordination Group (STCG). The STCG reviews included participation of DOE-RL and DOE-ORP Management, site stakeholders, state and federal regulators, and Tribal Nations. These needs are reviewed and updated on an annual basis and given a broad distribution.

Pollution prevention opportunity assessments at Hanford

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Betsch, M.D., Westinghouse Hanford

1996-06-26

The Pollution Prevention Opportunity Assessment (PPOA) is a pro- active way to look at a waste generating activity and identify opportunities to minimize wastes through a cost benefit analysis. Hanford`s PPOA process is based upon the graded approach developed by the Kansas City Plant. Hanford further streamlined the process while building in more flexibility for the individual users. One of the most challenging aspects for implementing the PPOA process at Hanford is one overall mission which is environmental restoration, Now that the facilities are no longer in production, each has a different non- routine activity making it difficult to quantify the inputs and outputs of the activity under consideration.

Hanford Sitewide Groundwater Remediation Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knepp, A.J.; Isaacs, J.D.

1997-09-01

This document fulfills the requirements of the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, Milestone M-13-81, to develop a concise statement of strategy that describe show the Hanford Site groundwater remediation will be accomplished. The strategy addresses objectives and goals, prioritization of activities, and technical approaches for groundwater cleanup. The strategy establishes that the overall goal of groundwater remediation on the Hanford Site is to restore groundwater to its beneficial uses in terms of protecting human health and the environment, and its use as a natural resource. The Hanford Future Site Uses Working Group established two categories for groundwater commensurate with various proposed landuses: (1) restricted use or access to groundwater in the Central Plateau and in a buffer zone surrounding it and (2) unrestricted use or access to groundwater for all other areas. In recognition of the Hanford Future Site Uses Working Group and public values, the strategy establishes that the sitewide approach to groundwater cleanup is to remediate the major plumes found in the reactor areas that enter the Columbia River and to contain the spread and reduce the mass of the major plumes found in the Central Plateau

An Integrated Biological Control System At Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, A.R.; Caudill, J.G.; Giddings, R.F.; Rodriguez, J.M.; Roos, R.C.; Wilde, J.W.

2010-01-01

In 1999 an integrated biological control system was instituted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site. Successes and changes to the program needed to be communicated to a large and diverse mix of organizations and individuals. Efforts at communication are directed toward the following: Hanford Contractors (Liquid or Tank Waste, Solid Waste, Environmental Restoration, Science and Technology, Site Infrastructure), General Hanford Employees, and Hanford Advisory Board (Native American Tribes, Environmental Groups, Local Citizens, Washington State and Oregon State regulatory agencies). Communication was done through direct interface meetings, individual communication, where appropriate, and broadly sharing program reports. The objectives of the communication efforts was to have the program well coordinated with Hanford contractors, and to have the program understood well enough that all stakeholders would have confidence in the work performed by the program to reduce or elimate spread of radioactive contamination by biotic vectors. Communication of successes and changes to an integrated biological control system instituted in 1999 at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site have required regular interfaces with not only a diverse group of Hanford contractors (i.e., those responsible for liquid or tank waste, solid wastes, environmental restoration, science and technology, and site infrastructure), and general Hanford employees, but also with a consortium of designated stake holders organized as the Hanford Advisory Board (i.e., Native American tribes, various environmental groups, local citizens, Washington state and Oregon regulatory agencies, etc.). Direct interface meetings, individual communication where appropriate, and transparency of the biological control program were the methods and outcome of this effort.

AN INTEGRATED BIOLOGICAL CONTROL SYSTEM AT HANFORD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

JOHNSON AR; CAUDILL JG; GIDDINGS RF; RODRIGUEZ JM; ROOS RC; WILDE JW

2010-02-11

In 1999 an integrated biological control system was instituted at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site. Successes and changes to the program needed to be communicated to a large and diverse mix of organizations and individuals. Efforts at communication are directed toward the following: Hanford Contractors (Liquid or Tank Waste, Solid Waste, Environmental Restoration, Science and Technology, Site Infrastructure), General Hanford Employees, and Hanford Advisory Board (Native American Tribes, Environmental Groups, Local Citizens, Washington State and Oregon State regulatory agencies). Communication was done through direct interface meetings, individual communication, where appropriate, and broadly sharing program reports. The objectives of the communication efforts was to have the program well coordinated with Hanford contractors, and to have the program understood well enough that all stakeholders would have confidence in the work performed by the program to reduce or elimated spread of radioactive contamination by biotic vectors. Communication of successes and changes to an integrated biological control system instituted in 1999 at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site have required regular interfaces with not only a diverse group of Hanford contractors (i.e., those responsible for liquid or tank waste, solid wastes, environmental restoration, science and technology, and site infrastructure), and general Hanford employees, but also with a consortium of designated stake holders organized as the Hanford Advisory Board (i.e., Native American tribes, various environmental groups, local citizens, Washington state and Oregon regulatory agencies, etc.). Direct interface meetings, individual communication where appropriate, and transparency of the biological control program were the methods and outcome of this effort.

Hanford Waste Management Plan, 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-01-01

The purpose of the Hanford Waste Management Plan (HWMP) is to provide an integrated plan for the safe storage, interim management, and disposal of existing waste sites and current and future waste streams at the Hanford Site. The emphasis of this plan is, however, on the disposal of Hanford Site waste. The plans presented in the HWMP are consistent with the preferred alternative which is based on consideration of comments received from the public and agencies on the draft Hanford Defense Waste Environmental Impact Statement (HDW-EIS). Low-level waste was not included in the draft HDW-EIS whereas it is included in this plan. The preferred alternative includes disposal of double-shell tank waste, retrievably stored and newly generated TRU waste, one pre-1970 TRU solid waste site near the Columbia River and encapsulated cesium and strontium waste

Hanford Site Environmental Report 1999

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poston, TM; Hanf, RW; Dirkes, RL

2000-01-01

This Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, to describe environmental management performance, to demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and to highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet requirements and guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to: (1) describe the Hanford Site and its mission; (2) summarize the status of compliance with environmental regulations; (3) describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; (4) discuss the estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1999 Hanford Site activities; (5) present the effluent monitoring, environmental surveillance, groundwater protection and monitoring information; and (6) discuss the activities to ensure quality

Hanford Site Environmental Report 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

TM Poston; RW Hanf; RL Dirkes

2000-09-28

This Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, to describe environmental management performance, to demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and to highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet requirements and guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to: (1) describe the Hanford Site and its mission; (2) summarize the status of compliance with environmental regulations; (3) describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; (4) discuss the estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1999 Hanford Site activities; (5) present the effluent monitoring, environmental surveillance, groundwater protection and monitoring information; and (6) discuss the activities to ensure quality.

Physical Properties of Hanford Transuranic Waste. Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berg, John C.

2010-01-01

The research described herein was undertaken to provide needed physical property descriptions of the Hanford transuranic tank sludges under conditions that might exist during retrieval, treatment, packaging and transportation for disposal. The work addressed the development of a fundamental understanding of the types of systems represented by these sludge suspensions through correlation of the macroscopic rheological properties with particle interactions occurring at the colloidal scale in the various liquid media. The results of the work have advanced existing understanding of the sedimentation and aggregation properties of complex colloidal suspensions. Bench scale models were investigated with respect to their structural, colloidal and rheological properties that should be useful for the development and optimization of techniques to process the wastes at various DOE sites.

Soil washing results for mixed waste pond soils at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, M.A.; Freeman, H.D.; Baker, E.G.; Riemath, W.F.

1991-01-01

Soil washing technology was assessed as a means for remediating soil contaminated with mixed wastes primarily composed of heavy metals and radionuclides. The soils at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site are considered suitable for soil washing because of their relatively low quantities of silt and clay. However, in a limited number of soil washing experiments using soils from different locations in the north pond of the 300 Area, the degree of decontamination achieved for the coarse fraction of the soil varied considerably. Part of this variation appears to be due to the presence of a discrete layer of contaminated sediment found in some of the samples

History of Hanford Site Defense Production (Brief)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GERBER, M S

2001-02-01

This paper acquaints the audience with the history of the Hanford Site, America's first full-scale defense plutonium production site. The paper includes the founding and basic operating history of the Hanford Site, including World War II construction and operations, three major postwar expansions (1947-55), the peak years of production (1956-63), production phase downs (1964-the present), a brief production spurt from 1984-86, the end of the Cold War, and the beginning of the waste cleanup mission. The paper also delineates historical waste practices and policies as they changed over the years at the Hanford Site, past efforts to chemically treat, ''fractionate,'' and/or immobilize Hanford's wastes, and resulting major waste legacies that remain today. This paper presents original, primary-source research into the waste history of the Hanford Site. Finally, the paper places the current Hanford Site waste remediation endeavors in the broad context of American and world history.

History of Hanford Site Defense Production (Brief)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GERBER, M.S.

2001-01-01

This paper acquaints the audience with the history of the Hanford Site, America's first full-scale defense plutonium production site. The paper includes the founding and basic operating history of the Hanford Site, including World War II construction and operations, three major postwar expansions (1947-55), the peak years of production (1956-63), production phase downs (1964-the present), a brief production spurt from 1984-86, the end of the Cold War, and the beginning of the waste cleanup mission. The paper also delineates historical waste practices and policies as they changed over the years at the Hanford Site, past efforts to chemically treat, ''fractionate,'' and/or immobilize Hanford's wastes, and resulting major waste legacies that remain today. This paper presents original, primary-source research into the waste history of the Hanford Site. Finally, the paper places the current Hanford Site waste remediation endeavors in the broad context of American and world history

Vascular Plants of the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sackschewsky, Michael R.; Downs, Janelle L.

2001-01-01

This report provides an updated listing of the vascular plants present on and near the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. This document is an update of a listing of plants prepared by Sackschewdky et al. in 1992. Since that time there has been a significant increase in the botanical knowledge of the Hanford Site. The present listing is based on an examination of herbarium collections held at PNNL, at WSU-Tri Cities, WSU-Pullman, Brigham Young University, and The University of Washington, and on examination of ecological literature derived from the Hanford and Benton county areas over the last 100 years. Based on the most recent analysis, there are approximately 725 different plant species that have been documented on or around the Hanford Site. This represents an approximate 20% increase in the number of species reported within Sackschewsky et al. (1992). This listing directly supports DOE and contractor efforts to assess the potential impacts of Hanford Site operations

Uranium Mobility During In Situ Redox Manipulation of the 100 Areas of the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Resch, C.T.; Szecsody, J.E.; Fruchter, J.S.; Cantrell, K.J.; Krupka, K.M.; Williams, M.D.

1998-01-01

A series of laboratory experiments and computer simulations was conducted to assess the extent of uranium remobilization that is likely to occur at the end of the life cycle of an in situ sediment reduction process. The process is being tested for subsurface remediation of chromate- and chlorinated solvent-contaminated sediments at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington. Uranium species that occur naturally in the +6 valence state ∼(VI) at 10 ppb in groundwater at Hanford will accumulate as U(N) through the reduction and subsequent precipitation conditions of the permeable barrier created by in situ redox manipulation. The precipitated uranium will W remobilized when the reductive capacity of the barrier is exhausted and the sediment is oxidized by the groundwater containing dissolved oxygen and other oxidants such as chromate. Although U(N) accumulates from years or decades of reduction/precipitation within the reduced zone, U(W) concentrations in solution are only somewhat elevated during aquifer oxidation because oxidation and dissolution reactions that release U(N) precipitate to solution are slow. The release rate of uranium into solution was found to be controlled mainly by the oxidation/dissolution rate of the U(IV) precipitate (half-life 200 hours) and partially by the fast oxidation of adsorbed Fe(II) (half- life 5 hours) and the slow oxidation of Fe(II)CO 3 (half-life 120 hours) in the reduced sediment. Simulations of uranium transport that incorporated these and other reactions under site-relevant conditions indicated that 35 ppb U(VI) is the maximum concentration likely to result from mobilization of the precipitated U(IV) species. Experiments also indicated that increasing the contact time between the U(IV) precipitates and the reduced sediment, which is likely to occur in the field, results in a slower U(IV) oxidation rate, which, in turn, would lower the maximum concentration of mobilized U(W). A six-month-long column experiment confirmed that

Geochemical Processes Controlling Migration of High Level Wastes in Hanford's Vadose Zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zachara, John M.; Serne, R. Jeffrey; Freshley, Mark D.; Mann, Frederick M.; Anderson, Frank J.; Wood, Marcus I.; Jones, Thomas E.; Myers, David A.

2007-01-01

High level nuclear wastes (HLW) from Hanford's plutonium reprocessing are stored in massive, buried, single-shell tanks in eighteen tank farms. The wastes were initially hot because of radioactive decay, and many exhibited extreme chemical character in terms of pH, salinity, and radionuclide concentration. At present, 67 of the 149 single shell tanks are suspected to have released over 1.9 million L of tank waste to the vadose zone, with most leak events occurring between 1950 and 1975. Boreholes have been placed through the largest vadose zone plumes to define the extent of contaminant migration, and to develop conceptual models of processes governing the transformation, retardation, and overall transport of tank waste residuals. Laboratory studies with sediments so collected have shown that ion exchange, precipitation and dissolution, and surface complexation reactions have occurred between the HLW and subsurface sediments moderating their chemical character, and retarding the migration of select contaminants. Processes suspected to facilitate the far-field migration of immobile radionuclides including stable aqueous complex formation and mobile colloids were found to be potentially operative, but unlikely to occur in the field, with the exception of cyanide-facilitated migration of 60Co. Fission product oxyanions are the most mobile of tank waste constituents because their adsorption is suppressed by large concentrations of waste anions; the vadose zone clay fraction is negative in surface charge; and, unlike Cr, their reduced forms are unstable in oxidizing environments. Reaction/process-based transport modeling is beginning to be used for predictions of future contaminant mobility and plume evolution

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediments Below the C Tank Farm: Borehole C4297 and RCRA Borehole 299-E27-22

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Christopher F.; Serne, R. Jeffrey; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Horton, Duane G.; Lanigan, David C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Valenta, Michelle M.; Vickerman, Tanya S.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Geiszler, Keith N.; Baum, Steven R.; Parker, Kent E.; Lindberg, Michael J.

2008-01-01

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Tables 4.7 and 4.25. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in September 2006. The overall goal of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities at the Hanford Site. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. tasked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediments from within Waste Management Area (WMA) C. This report is the first of two reports written to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physiochemical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from borehole C4297, installed adjacent to tank C-105, and from borehole 299-E27-22, installed directly north of the C Tank Farm. This report also presents the interpretation of data in the context of sediment types, the vertical extent of contamination, the migration potential of the contaminants, and the likely source of the contamination in the vadose zone below the C Tank Farm. The information presented in this report supports the WMA A-AX, C, and U field investigation report in preparation by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediments Below the C Tank Farm: Borehole C4297 and RCRA Borehole 299-E27-22

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, Christopher F.; Serne, R. Jeffrey; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Horton, Duane G.; Lanigan, David C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Valenta, Michelle M.; Vickerman, Tanya S.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Geiszler, Keith N.; Baum, Steven R.; Parker, Kent E.; Lindberg, Michael J.

2008-09-11

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Tables 4.7 and 4.25. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in September 2006. The overall goal of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities at the Hanford Site. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. tasked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediments from within Waste Management Area (WMA) C. This report is the first of two reports written to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physiochemical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from borehole C4297, installed adjacent to tank C-105, and from borehole 299-E27-22, installed directly north of the C Tank Farm. This report also presents the interpretation of data in the context of sediment types, the vertical extent of contamination, the migration potential of the contaminants, and the likely source of the contamination in the vadose zone below the C Tank Farm. The information presented in this report supports the WMA A-AX, C, and U field investigation report in preparation by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc.

Hanford Patrol Academy demolition sites closure plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-09-30

The Hanford Site is owned by the U.S. Government and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office. Westinghouse Hanford Company is a major contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office and serves as co-operator of the Hanford Patrol Academy Demolition Sites, the unit addressed in this paper. This document consists of a Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Part A Permit Application, Form 3 (Revision 4), and a closure plan for the site. An explanation of the Part A Form 3 submitted with this closure plan is provided at the beginning of the Part A section. This Hanford Patrol Academy Demolition Sites Closure Plan submittal contains information current as of December 15, 1994.

List of currently classified documents relative to Hanford Production Facilities Operations originated on the Hanford Site between 1961 and 1972

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-04-01

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has declared that all Hanford plutonium production- and operations-related information generated between 1944 and 1972 is declassified. Any documents found and deemed useful for meeting Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) objectives may be declassified with or without deletions in accordance with DOE guidance by Authorized Derivative Declassifiers. The September 1992, letter report, Declassifications Requested by the Technical Steering Panel of Hanford Documents Produced 1944--1960, (PNWD-2024 HEDR UC-707), provides an important milestone toward achieving a complete listing of documents that may be useful to the HEDR Project. The attached listing of approximately 7,000 currently classified Hanford-originated documents relative to Hanford Production Facilities Operations between 1961 and 1972 fulfills TSP Directive 89-3. This list does not include such titles as the Irradiation Processing Department, Chemical Processing Department, and Hanford Laboratory Operations monthly reports generated after 1960 which have been previously declassified with minor deletions and made publicly available. Also Kaiser Engineers Hanford (KEH) Document Control determined that no KEH documents generated between January 1, 1961 and December 31, 1972 are currently classified. Titles which address work for others have not been included because Hanford Site contractors currently having custodial responsibility for these documents do not have the authority to determine whether other than their own staff have on file an appropriate need-to-know. Furthermore, these documents do not normally contain information relative to Hanford Site operations.

HANFORD SITE RIVER CORRIDOR CLEANUP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BAZZELL, K.D.

2006-01-01

In 2005, the US Department of Energy (DOE) launched the third generation of closure contracts, including the River Corridor Closure (RCC) Contract at Hanford. Over the past decade, significant progress has been made on cleaning up the river shore that bordes Hanford. However, the most important cleanup challenges lie ahead. In March 2005, DOE awarded the Hanford River Corridor Closure Contract to Washington Closure Hanford (WCH), a limited liability company owned by Washington Group International, Bechtel National and CH2M HILL. It is a single-purpose company whose goal is to safely and efficiently accelerate cleanup in the 544 km 2 Hanford river corridor and reduce or eliminate future obligations to DOE for maintaining long-term stewardship over the site. The RCC Contract is a cost-plus-incentive-fee closure contract, which incentivizes the contractor to reduce cost and accelerate the schedule. At $1.9 billion and seven years, WCH has accelerated cleaning up Hanford's river corridor significantly compared to the $3.2 billion and 10 years originally estimated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. Predictable funding is one of the key features of the new contract, with funding set by contract at $183 million in fiscal year (FY) 2006 and peaking at $387 million in FY2012. Another feature of the contract allows for Washington Closure to perform up to 40% of the value of the contract and subcontract the balance. One of the major challenges in the next few years will be to identify and qualify sufficient subcontractors to meet the goal

Testing of a Rotary Micro-filter for Hanford Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poirier, M.R.; Herman, D.T.; Stefanko, D.B.; Fink, S.D.

2009-01-01

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) researchers are investigating and developing a rotary micro-filter for solid-liquid separation applications with emphasis on deployment in radioactive services. The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Waste Processing employed the SRNL team to evaluate the use of this rotary micro-filter for the Hanford Supplemental Pretreatment process. The authors tested a full-scale, 25-disk filter unit containing 0.5 μ filter media using a Hanford Tank AN-105 simulant at solids loadings of 0.06, 0.29, and 1.29 wt %. Based on recommendations from prior tests, the authors modified the filter unit by replacing the primary mechanical seal with an air seal. They also replaced the bushing with alternate materials of construction aimed at extended mean time between maintenance events. The testing provides the following conclusions. - The rotary filter produces a higher flux than the crossflow filter for the Hanford simulant. The gain in performance is less than previously seen for Savannah River Site simulants. - Filtrate clarity proved excellent with turbidity of <4 NTU (nephelometric turbidity units) in all samples. - Inspection of the primary mechanical seal faces after ∼140 hours of operation showed an expected minimal amount of initial wear, no passing of process fluid through the seal faces, and very little change in the air channeling grooves on the stationary face. - Some polishing of surfaces occurred at the bottom of the shaft bushing. The authors recommend improving the shaft bushing by holding it in place with a locking ring and incorporating grooves to provide additional cooling. - The authors recommend that Hanford test other pore size media to determine the optimum pore size for Hanford waste. - During final facility operation, the filter should be rinsed with filtrate or dilute caustic and drained prior to an extended shutdown to prevent the formation of a layer of settled solids on top of the filter disks. (authors)

The Hanford Site focus, 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peterson, J.M.

1994-03-01

This report describes what the Hanford Site will look like in the next two years. We offer thumbnail sketches of Hanford Site programs and the needs we are meeting through our efforts. We describe our goals, some recent accomplishments, the work we will do in fiscal year (FY) 1994, the major activities the FY 1995 budget request covers, and the economic picture in the next few years. The Hanford Site budget shows the type of work being planned. US Department of Energy (DOE) sites like the Hanford Site use documents called Activity Data Sheets to meet this need. These are building blocks that are included in the budget. Each Activity Data Sheet is a concise (usually 4 or 5 pages) summary of a piece of work funded by the DOE's Environmental Restoration and Waste Management budget. Each sheet describes a waste management or environmental restoration need over a 5-year period; related regulatory requirements and agreements; and the cost, milestones, and steps proposed to meet the need. The Hanford Site is complex and has a huge budget, and its Activity Data Sheets run to literally thousands of pages. This report summarizes the Activity Data Sheets in a less detailed and much more reader-friendly fashion

Interim Hanford Waste Management Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-09-01

The September 1985 Interim Hanford Waste Management Plan (HWMP) is the third revision of this document. In the future, the HWMP will be updated on an annual basis or as major changes in disposal planning at Hanford Site require. The most significant changes in the program since the last release of this document in December 1984 include: (1) Based on studies done in support of the Hanford Defense Waste Environmental Impact Statement (HDW-EIS), the size of the protective barriers covering contaminated soil sites, solid waste burial sites, and single-shell tanks has been increased to provide a barrier that extends 30 m beyond the waste zone. (2) As a result of extensive laboratory development and plant testing, removal of transuranic (TRU) elements from PUREX cladding removal waste (CRW) has been initiated in PUREX. (3) The level of capital support in years beyond those for which specific budget projections have been prepared (i.e., fiscal year 1992 and later) has been increased to maintain Hanford Site capability to support potential future missions, such as the extension of N Reactor/PUREX operations. The costs for disposal of Hanford Site defense wastes are identified in four major areas in the HWMP: waste storage and surveillance, technology development, disposal operations, and capital expenditures

Processes of Formation of Spheroidal Concretions and Inferences for "Blueberries" in Meridiani Planum Sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Coleman, M. L.

2005-03-01

Formation of spheroidal concretions on Earth results generally from reactions of organic matter in oxidized sediments. Had organic matter been present in Merididani Planum it could have produced a reduced iron mineral phase later oxidized to hematite.

Hanford Site Environmental Report 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dirkes, R.L.; Hanf, R.W.; Woodruff, R.K. [eds.

1994-06-01

The Hanford Site Environmental Report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet reporting requirements and Guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) an to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to (a) describe the Hanford Site and its mission, (b) summarize the status in 1993 of compliance with environmental regulations, (c) describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site, (d) discuss estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1993 Hanford activities, (e) present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including ground-water protection and monitoring, (f) discuss activities to ensure quality. More detailed information can be found in the body of the report, the appendixes, and the cited references.

Hanford Site Environmental Report 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dirkes, R.L.; Hanf, R.W.; Woodruff, R.K.

1994-06-01

The Hanford Site Environmental Report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet reporting requirements and Guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) an to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to (a) describe the Hanford Site and its mission, (b) summarize the status in 1993 of compliance with environmental regulations, (c) describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site, (d) discuss estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1993 Hanford activities, (e) present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including ground-water protection and monitoring, (f) discuss activities to ensure quality. More detailed information can be found in the body of the report, the appendixes, and the cited references

Hanford site transuranic waste sampling plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GREAGER, T.M.

1999-01-01

This sampling plan (SP) describes the selection of containers for sampling of homogeneous solids and soil/gravel and for visual examination of transuranic and mixed transuranic (collectively referred to as TRU) waste generated at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site. The activities described in this SP will be conducted under the Hanford Site TRU Waste Certification Program. This SP is designed to meet the requirements of the Transuranic Waste Characterization Quality Assurance Program Plan (CAO-94-1010) (DOE 1996a) (QAPP), site-specific implementation of which is described in the Hanford Site Transuranic Waste Characterization Program Quality Assurance Project Plan (HNF-2599) (Hanford 1998b) (QAPP). The QAPP defines the quality assurance (QA) requirements and protocols for TRU waste characterization activities at the Hanford Site. In addition, the QAPP identifies responsible organizations, describes required program activities, outlines sampling and analysis strategies, and identifies procedures for characterization activities. The QAPP identifies specific requirements for TRU waste sampling plans. Table 1-1 presents these requirements and indicates sections in this SP where these requirements are addressed

Vitrification testing of simulated high-level radioactive waste at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perez, J.M. Jr.; Nakaoka, R.R.

1986-03-01

The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant may apply vitrification technology, being developed at Pacific Northwest Laboratory, to solidify selected Hanford waste streams prior to disposal in a federal repository. Based on the first stage of flowsheet development and laboratory testing, a reference working glass and two candidate simulated feed slurries were recommended for vitrification testing. Over 500 hours of melter testing were performed in 1985 during prototype vitrification experiments. Testing demonstrated that the slurry compositions had acceptable processing characteristics in a ceramic melter. A pre-made glass-former frit was determined to be preferred as the method of glass-former addition. Due to a high chromium content in the waste, spinal crystal formation and settling occurred in the glass tank. The nature and extent of off-gas effluents were consistent with past experiments processing slurries containing formic acid

Hanford inventory program user's manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinkelman, K.C.

1994-01-01

Provides users with instructions and information about accessing and operating the Hanford Inventory Program (HIP) system. The Hanford Inventory Program is an integrated control system that provides a single source for the management and control of equipment, parts, and material warehoused by Westinghouse Hanford Company in various site-wide locations. The inventory is comprised of spare parts and equipment, shop stock, special tools, essential materials, and convenience storage items. The HIP replaced the following systems; ACA, ASP, PICS, FSP, WSR, STP, and RBO. In addition, HIP manages the catalog maintenance function for the General Supplies inventory stocked in the 1164 building and managed by WIMS

Vadose Zone Infiltration Rate at Hanford, Washington, Inferred from Sr Isotope Measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maher, Katharine; DePaolo, Donald J.; Conrad, Mark E.; Serne, R. Jeffrey

2003-01-01

Sr isotope ratios were measured in the pore water, acid extracts, and sediments of a 70-m vadose zone core to obtain estimates of the long-term infiltration flux for a site in the Hanford/DOE complex in eastern Washington State. The 87Sr/86Sr values of the pore waters decrease systematically with depth, from a high value of 0.721 near the surface toward the bulk sediment average value of 0.711. Estimates of the bulk weathering rate combined with Sr isotopic data were used to constrain the long-term (century to millenial scale) natural diffuse infiltration flux for the site given both steady state and nonsteady state conditions. The models suggest that the infiltration fluc for the site is 7+- 3 mm/yr. The method shows potential for providing long-term in situ estimates of infiltration rates for deep heterogeneous vadose zones

Hanford Site Composite Analysis Technical Approach Description: Hanford Site Disposition Baseline.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cobb, M. A. [CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, Richland, WA (United States); Dockter, R. E. [CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company, Richland, WA (United States)

2017-10-02

The permeability of ground surfaces within the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Hanford Site strongly influences boundary conditions when simulating the movement of groundwater using the Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases model. To conduct site-wide modeling of cumulative impacts to groundwater from past, current, and future waste management activities, a site-wide assessment of the permeability of surface conditions is needed. The surface condition of the vast majority of the Hanford Site has been and continues to be native soils vegetated with dryland grasses and shrubs.

Shelf-to-basin iron shuttling enhances vivianite formation in deep Baltic Sea sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Daniel C.; Gustafsson, Bo G.; Slomp, Caroline P.

2016-01-01

Coastal hypoxia is a growing and persistent problem largely attributable to enhanced terrestrial nutrient (i.e., nitrogen and phosphorus) loading. Recent studies suggest phosphorus removal through burial of iron (II) phosphates, putatively vivianite, plays an important role in nutrient cycling in the Baltic Sea - the world's largest anthropogenic dead zone - yet the dynamics of iron (II) phosphate formation are poorly constrained. To address this, a reactive-transport model was used to reconstruct the diagenetic and depositional history of sediments in the Fårö basin, a deep anoxic and sulphidic region of the Baltic Sea where iron (II) phosphates have been observed. Simulations demonstrate that transport of iron from shelf sediments to deep basins enhances vivianite formation while sulphide concentrations are low, but that pyrite forms preferentially over vivianite when sulphate reduction intensifies due to elevated organic loading. Episodic reoxygenation events, associated with major inflows of oxic waters, encourage the retention of iron oxyhydroxides and iron-bound phosphorus in sediments, increasing vivianite precipitation as a result. Results suggest that artificial reoxygenation of the Baltic Sea bottom waters could sequester up to 3% of the annual external phosphorus loads as iron (II) phosphates, but this is negligible when compared to potential internal phosphorus loads due to dissolution of iron oxyhydroxides when low oxygen conditions prevail. Thus, enhancing vivianite formation through artificial reoxygenation of deep waters is not a viable engineering solution to eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. Finally, simulations suggest that regions with limited sulphate reduction and hypoxic intervals, such as eutrophic estuaries, could act as important phosphorus sinks by sequestering vivianite. This could potentially alleviate eutrophication in shelf and slope environments.

Historical research in the Hanford site waste cleanup

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, Michele S.

1992-01-01

This paper will acquaint the audience with role of historical research in the Hanford Site waste cleanup - the largest waste cleanup endeavor ever undertaken in human history. There were no comparable predecessors to this massive waste remediation effort, but the Hanford historical record can provide a partial road map and guide. It can be, and is, a useful tool in meeting the goal of a successful, cost-effective, safe and technologically exemplary waste cleanup. The Hanford historical record is rich and complex. Yet, it poses difficult challenges, in that no central and complete repository or data base exists, records contain obscure code words and code numbers, and the measurement systems and terminology used in the records change many times over the years. Still, these records are useful to the current waste cleanup in technical ways, and in ways that extend beyond a strictly scientific aspect. Study and presentations of Hanford Site history contribute to the huge educational and outreach tasks of helping the Site's work force deal with 'culture change' and become motivated for the cleanup work that is ahead, and of helping the public and the regulators to place the events at Hanford in the context of WWII and the Cold War. This paper traces historical waste practices and policies as they changed over the years at the Hanford Site, and acquaints the audience with the generation of the major waste streams of concern in Hanford Site cleanup today. It presents original, primary-source research into the waste history of the Hanford Site. The earliest, 1940s knowledge base, assumptions and calculations about radioactive and chemical discharges, as discussed in the memos, correspondence and reports of the original Hanford Site (then Hanford Engineer Works) builders and operators, are reviewed. The growth of knowledge, research efforts, and subsequent changes in Site waste disposal policies and practices are traced. Examples of the strengths and limitations of the

Toward petascale computing in geosciences: application to the Hanford 300 area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hammond, G E; Lichtner, P C; Mills, R T; Lu, C

2008-01-01

Modeling uranium transport at the Hanford 300 Area presents new challenges for high performance computing. A field-scale three-dimensional domain with an hourly fluctuating Columbia river stage coupled to flow in highly permeable sediments results in fast groundwater flow rates requiring small time steps. In this work, high-performance computing has been applied to simulate variably saturated groundwater flow and tracer transport at the 300 Area using PFLOTRAN. Simulation results are presented for discretizations up to 10.8 million degrees of freedom, while PFLOTRAN performance was assessed on up to one billion degrees of freedom and 12,000 processor cores on Jaguar, the Cray XT4 supercomputer at ORNL

Mortality studies of Hanford workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, E.S.

1986-04-01

Radiation exposures at Hanford have been deliberately limited as a protection to the worker. This means that if current estimates of radiation risks, which have been determined by national and international groups, are correct, it's highly unlikely that noticeable radiation-induced health effects will be identified among Hanford workers. 1 fig., 4 tabs

Soil washing results for mixed waste pond soils at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerber, M.A.

1991-09-01

Soil washing technology was assessed as a means for remediating soil contaminated with mixed wastes primarily composed of heavy metals and radionuclides. The soils at the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site are considered suitable for soil washing because of their relatively low quantities of silt and clay. However, in a limited number of soil washing experiments using soils from different locations in the north pond of the 300 Area, the degree of decontamination achieved for the coarse fraction of the soil varied considerably. Part of this variation appears to be due to the presence of a discrete layer of contaminated sediment found in some of the samples. 7 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs

Hanford's Radioactive Mixed Waste Disposal Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McKenney, D.E.

1995-01-01

The Radioactive Mixed Waste Disposal Facility, is located in the Hanford Site Low-Level Burial Grounds and is designated as Trench 31 in the 218-W-5 Burial Ground. Trench 31 is a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act compliant landfill and will receive wastes generated from both remediation and waste management activities. On December 30, 1994, Westinghouse Hanford Company declared readiness to operate Trench 31, which is the Hanford Site's (and the Department of Energy complex's) first facility for disposal of low-level radioactive mixed wastes

Hanford cultural resources laboratory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, M.K.

1995-06-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report describes activities of the Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory (HCRL) which was established by the Richland Operations Office in 1987 as part of PNL.The HCRL provides support for the management of the archaeological, historical, and traditional cultural resources of the site in a manner consistent with the National Historic Preservation Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.

Hanford cultural resources laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, M.K.

1995-01-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report describes activities of the Hanford Cultural Resources Laboratory (HCRL) which was established by the Richland Operations Office in 1987 as part of PNL.The HCRL provides support for the management of the archaeological, historical, and traditional cultural resources of the site in a manner consistent with the National Historic Preservation Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act

Hanford work faces change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This article is a discussion of DOE efforts in the awarding of a large engineering-construction contract at the Hanford Reservation. Though the announced winner was a group lead by J. A. Jones Construction/Duke Engineering Services, the incumbent (ICF-Kaiser Engineers) protested the announced award. The protest was dismissed by the GAO, but DOE officials still reopened the bidding. There was also a short note regarding the award of the ERMC at Hanford

Annual Hanford seismic report - fiscal year 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartshorn, D.C.; Reidel, S.P.

1996-12-01

Seismic monitoring (SM) at the Hanford Site was established in 1969 by the US Geological Survey (USGS) under a contract with the US Atomic Energy Commission. Since 1980, the program has been managed by several contractors under the US Department of Energy (USDOE). Effective October 1, 1996, the Seismic Monitoring workscope, personnel, and associated contracts were transferred to the USDOE Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). SM is tasked to provide an uninterrupted collection and archives of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) located on and encircling the Hanford Site. SM is also tasked to locate and identify sources of seismic activity and monitor changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site. The data compiled are used by SM, Waste Management, and engineering activities at the Hanford Site to evaluate seismic hazards and seismic design for the Site

Field trip guide to the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reidel, S.P.; Lindsey, K.A.; Fecht, K.R.

1992-11-01

This report is designed to provide a guide to the key geologic and hydrologic features of the US Department of Energy's Hanford Site located in south-central Washington. The guide is divided into two parts. The first part is a general introduction to the geology of the Hanford Site and its relation to the regional framework of south-central Washington. The second part is a road log that provides directions to important geologic features on the Hanford Site and descriptions of the locality. The exposures described were chosen for their accessibility and importance to the geologic history of the Hanford Site and to understanding the geohydrology of the Site

Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rathbone, Bruce A.

2006-01-01

The Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842 documents the design and implementation of the external dosimetry system used at Hanford. The manual describes the dosimeter design, processing protocols, dose calculation methodology, radiation fields encountered, dosimeter response characteristics, limitations of dosimeter design under field conditions, and makes recommendations for effective use of the dosimeters in the field. The manual describes the technical basis for the dosimetry system in a manner intended to help ensure defensibility of the dose of record at Hanford and to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 835, DOELAP, DOE-RL, ORP, PNSO, and Hanford contractor requirements. The dosimetry system is operated by PNNL's Hanford External Dosimetry Program which provides dosimetry services to all Hanford contractors. The primary users of this manual are DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford using the dosimetry services of PNNL. Development and maintenance of this manual is funded directly by DOE and DOE contractors. Its contents have been reviewed and approved by DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford through the Hanford Personnel Dosimetry Advisory Committee which is chartered and chaired by DOE-RL and serves as means of coordinating dosimetry practices across contractors at Hanford. This manual was established in 1996. Since inception, it has been revised many times and maintained by PNNL as a controlled document with controlled distribution. Rev. 0 marks the first revision to be released through PNNL's Electronic Records & Information Capture Architecture (ERICA) database

Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rathbone, Bruce A.

2005-02-25

The Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842 documents the design and implementation of the external dosimetry system used at Hanford. The manual describes the dosimeter design, processing protocols, dose calculation methodology, radiation fields encountered, dosimeter response characteristics, limitations of dosimeter design under field conditions, and makes recommendations for effective use of the dosimeters in the field. The manual describes the technical basis for the dosimetry system in a manner intended to help ensure defensibility of the dose of record at Hanford and to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 835, DOELAP, DOE-RL, ORP, PNSO, and Hanford contractor requirements. The dosimetry system is operated by PNNL’s Hanford External Dosimetry Program which provides dosimetry services to all Hanford contractors. The primary users of this manual are DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford using the dosimetry services of PNNL. Development and maintenance of this manual is funded directly by DOE and DOE contractors. Its contents have been reviewed and approved by DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford through the Hanford Personnel Dosimetry Advisory Committee which is chartered and chaired by DOE-RL and serves as means of coordinating dosimetry practices across contractors at Hanford. This manual was established in 1996. Since inception, it has been revised many times and maintained by PNNL as a controlled document with controlled distribution. Rev. 0 marks the first revision to be released through PNNL’s Electronic Records & Information Capture Architecture (ERICA) database.

Environmental monitoring at Hanford for 1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, K.R.; Carlile, J.M.V.; Dirkes, R.L.; Jaquish, R.E.; Trevathan, M.S.; Woodruff, R.K.

1985-05-01

Environmental surveillance activities performed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory for the Department of Energy's Hanford Site for 1984 are discussed in this report. Samples of environmental media were collected in support of the Hanford Environmental Monitoring Program to determine radionuclide concentrations in the Hanford environs. Radiological impacts in terms of radiation dose equivalents as a result of Hanford operations are also discussed. Gross beta radioactivity concentrations in airborne particulates at all sampling locations were lower in 1984 than during 1983 as a result of declining levels of worldwide fallout. Slightly higher levels of 85 Kr and 129 I were noted at several onsite and offsite locations. The sampling location in close proximity to the PUREX plant also detected increased 3 H. Very low levels of radionuclides were detected in samples of Columbia River water during 1984. An extensive groundwater monitoring program was performed for the Hanford Site during 1984. The 3 H and nitrate plumes continued to move slowly toward the Columbia River. All 3 H results were within applicable concentration guides. Samples of deer, rabbits, game birds, waterfowl and fish were collected onsite or in the Columbia River at locations where the potential for radionuclide uptake was most likely, or at the nearest locations where wildlife samples were available. Radioisotope levels were measured. Dose rates from external penetrating radiation measured in the vicinity of residential areas were similar to those observed in the previous years, and no contribution from Hanford activities could be identified. An assessment of the 1984 potential radiological impacts attributable to the Hanford operations indicated that measured and calculated radiation doses to the public continued to be low, and well below applicable regulatory limits. 21 refs., 48 figs., 83 tabs

Independent technical review of the Hanford Tank Farm Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-07-01

The Independent Technical Assessment of the Hanford Tank Farm Operations was commissioned by the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration and Waste Management on November 1, 1991. The Independent Technical Assessment team conducted on-site interviews and inspections during the following periods: November 18 to 22,1991; April 13 to 17; and April 27 to May 1, 1992. Westinghouse Hanford Company is the management and operating contractor for the Department of Energy at the Hanford site. The Hanford Tank Farm Operations consists of 177 underground storage tanks containing 61 million gallons of high-level radioactive mixed wastes from the chemical reprocessing of nuclear fuel. The Tank Farm Operations also includes associated transfer lines, ancillary equipment, and instrumentation. The Independent Technical Assessment of the Hanford Tank Farm Operations builds upon the prior assessments of the Hanford Waste Vitrification System and the Hanford Site Tank Waste Disposal Strategy.The objective of this technical assessment was to determine whether an integrated and sound program exists to manage the tank-waste storage and tankfarm operations consistent with the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Restoration and Waste Management's guidance of overall risk minimization. The scope of this review includes the organization, management, operation, planning, facilities, and mitigation of the safety-concerns of the Hanford Tank Waste Remediation System. The assessments presented in the body of this report are based on the detailed observations discussed in the appendices. When the assessments use the term ''Hanford'' as an organizational body it means DOE-RL and Westinghouse Hanford Company as a minimum, and in many instances all of the stake holders for the Hanford site

Geochemical Data Package for the 2005 Hanford Integrated Disposal Facility Performance Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krupka, Kenneth M.; Serne, R JEFFREY.; Kaplan, D I.

2004-09-30

CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. (CH2M HILL) is designing and assessing the performance of an integrated disposal facility (IDF) to receive low-level waste (LLW), mixed low-level waste (MLLW), immobilized low-activity waste (ILAW), and failed or decommissioned melters. The CH2M HILL project to assess the performance of this disposal facility is the Hanford IDF Performance Assessment (PA) activity. The goal of the Hanford IDF PA activity is to provide a reasonable expectation that the disposal of the waste is protective of the general public, groundwater resources, air resources, surface-water resources, and inadvertent intruders. Achieving this goal will require prediction of contaminant migration from the facilities. This migration is expected to occur primarily via the movement of water through the facilities, and the consequent transport of dissolved contaminants in the vadose zone to groundwater where contaminants may be re-introduced to receptors via drinking water wells or mixing in the Columbia River. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) assists CH2M HILL in their performance assessment activities. One of the PNNL tasks is to provide estimates of the geochemical properties of the materials comprising the IDF, the disturbed region around the facility, and the physically undisturbed sediments below the facility (including the vadose zone sediments and the aquifer sediments in the upper unconfined aquifer). The geochemical properties are expressed as parameters that quantify the adsorption of contaminants and the solubility constraints that might apply for those contaminants that may exceed solubility constraints. The common parameters used to quantify adsorption and solubility are the distribution coefficient (Kd) and the thermodynamic solubility product (Ksp), respectively. In this data package, we approximate the solubility of contaminants using a more simplified construct, called the solution concentration limit, a constant value. The Kd values and

Hanford Site sustainable development initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, C.T.

1994-05-01

Since the days of the Manhattan Project of World War II, the economic well being of the Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland) of Washington State has been tied to the US Department of Energy missions at the nearby Hanford Site. As missions at the Site changed, so did the economic vitality of the region. The Hanford Site is now poised to complete its final mission, that of environmental restoration. When restoration is completed, the Site may be closed and the effect on the local economy will be devastating if action is not taken now. To that end, economic diversification and transition are being planned. To facilitate the process, the Hanford Site will become a sustainable development demonstration project

Mineralogic Residence and Desorption Rates of Sorbed 90Sr in Contaminated Subsurface Sediments: Implications to Future Behavior and In-Ground Stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PIs: John M. Zachara; Jim P. McKinley; S. M. Heald; Chongxuan Liu; Peter C. Lichtner

2006-01-01

The project is investigating the adsorption/desorption process of 90Sr in coarse-textured pristine and contaminated Hanford sediment with the goal to define a generalized reaction-based model for use in reactive transport calculations. While it is known that sorbed 90Sr exists in an ion exchangeable state, the mass action relationships that control the solid-liquid distribution and the mineral phases responsible for adsorption have not been defined. Many coarse-textured Hanford sediment display significant sorptivity for 90Sr, but contain few if any fines that may harbor phyllosilicates with permanent negative charge and associated cation exchange capacity. Moreover, it is not known whether the adsorption-desorption process exhibits time dependence within context of transport, and if so, the causes for kinetic behavior

Hanford Site Environmental Report for calendar year 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Lundgren, R.E.

1993-06-01

This report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations at the Hanford Site. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1992 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; discuss public dose estimates from 1992 Hanford activities; present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including ground-water protection and monitoring, and discuss activities to ensure quality

Hanford Site Environmental Report for calendar year 1992

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Lundgren, R.E. [eds.

1993-06-01

This report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations at the Hanford Site. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1992 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; discuss public dose estimates from 1992 Hanford activities; present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including ground-water protection and monitoring, and discuss activities to ensure quality.

Hanford Facility contingency plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutton, L.N.; Miskho, A.G.; Brunke, R.C.

1993-10-01

The Hanford Facility Contingency Plan, together with each TSD unit-specific contingency plan, meets the WAC 173-303 requirements for a contingency plan. This plan includes descriptions of responses to a nonradiological hazardous materials spill or release at Hanford Facility locations not covered by TSD unit-specific contingency plans or building emergency plans. This plan includes descriptions of responses for spills or releases as a result of transportation activities, movement of materials, packaging, and storage of hazardous materials

Hanford Mission Plan risk-based prioritization methodologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesser, W.A.; Madden, M.S.; Pyron, N.M.; Butcher, J.L.

1994-08-01

Sites across the US Department (DOE) complex recognize the critical need for a systematic method for prioritizing among their work scope activities. Here at the Hanford Site, Pacific Northwest Laboratory and Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) conducted preliminary research into techniques to meet this need and assist managers in making financial resource allocation decisions. This research is a subtask of the risk management task of the Hanford Mission Plan as described in the WHC Integrated Planning Work Breakdown Structure 1.8.2 Fiscal Year 1994 Work Plan. The research team investigated prioritization techniques used at other DOE sites and compared them with the Priority Planning Grid (PPG), a tool used at Hanford. The authors concluded that the PPG could be used for prioritization of resource allocation, but it needed to be revised to better reflect the Site's priorities and objectives. The revised PPG was tested with three Hanford programs, the PPG was modified, and updated procedures were prepared

Public involvement in environmental surveillance at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanf, R.W. Jr.; Patton, G.W.; Woodruff, R.K.; Poston, T.M.

1994-08-01

Environmental surveillance at the Hanford Site began during the mid-1940s following the construction and start-up of the nation's first plutonium production reactor. Over the past approximately 45 years, surveillance operations on and off the Site have continued, with virtually all sampling being conducted by Hanford Site workers. Recently, the US Department of Energy Richland Operations Office directed that public involvement in Hanford environmental surveillance operations be initiated. Accordingly, three special radiological air monitoring stations were constructed offsite, near hanford's perimeter. Each station is managed and operated by two local school teaches. These three stations are the beginning of a community-operated environmental surveillance program that will ultimately involve the public in most surveillance operations around the Site. The program was designed to stimulate interest in Hanford environmental surveillance operations, and to help the public better understand surveillance results. The program has also been used to enhance educational opportunities at local schools

Hanford Site Risk Assessment Methodology. Revision 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-05-01

This methodology has been developed to prepare human health and ecological evaluations of risk as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) remedial investigations (RI) and the Resource conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) facility investigations (FI) performed at the Hanford Site pursuant to the hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Ecology et al. 1994), referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement. Development of the methodology has been undertaken so that Hanford Site risk assessments are consistent with current regulations and guidance, while providing direction on flexible, ambiguous, or undefined aspects of the guidance. The methodology identifies site-specific risk assessment considerations and integrates them with approaches for evaluating human and ecological risk that can be factored into the risk assessment program supporting the Hanford Site cleanup mission. Consequently, the methodology will enhance the preparation and review of individual risk assessments at the Hanford Site

Hanford Site cleanup and transition: Risk data needs for decision making (Hanford risk data gap analysis decision guide)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gajewski, S.; Glantz, C.; Harper, B.; Bilyard, G.; Miller, P.

1995-10-01

Given the broad array of environmental problems, technical alternatives, and outcomes desired by different stakeholders at Hanford, DOE will have to make difficult resource allocations over the next few decades. Although some of these allocations will be driven purely by legal requirements, almost all of the major objectives of the cleanup and economic transition missions involve choices among alternative pathways. This study examined the following questions: what risk information is needed to make good decisions at Hanford; how do those data needs compare to the set(s) of risk data that will be generated by regulatory compliance activities and various non-compliance studies that are also concerned with risk? This analysis examined the Hanford Site missions, the Hanford Strategic Plan, known stakeholder values, and the most important decisions that have to be made at Hanford to determine a minimum domain of risk information required to make good decisions that will withstand legal, political, and technical scrutiny. The primary risk categories include (1) public health, (2) occupational health and safety, (3) ecological integrity, (4) cultural-religious welfare, and (5) socio-economic welfare

Radionuclide releases to the atmosphere from Hanford Operations, 1944--1972. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heeb, C.M.

1994-05-01

The purpose of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation dose that individuals could have received as a result of radionuclide emissions since 1944 from the Hanford Site. The first step in determining dose is to estimate the amount and timing of radionuclide releases to air and water. This report provides the air release information.

Researchers take up environmental challenge at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Illman, D.L.

1993-01-01

The Hanford nuclear site, built to produce plutonium for the nation's first atomic weapons, occupies 560 square miles of desert in southeastern Washington State. Only 29 months after ground was broken at the site in March 1943, the Hanford project delivered the plutonium used in the bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, at the end of World War II. Secrecy surrounding the nuclear weapons program continued through the Cold War years, concealing the fact that for decades, hazardous and radioactive wastes were discharged to the ground, water, and air at Hanford. Only in 1986 were documents finally declassified--tens of thousands of them--describing the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Hanford facilities, allowing a picture to be pieced together of the environmental cost there of the nuclear weapons buildup. That cost may never be completely tallied. But Westinghouse Hanford, Co., the principal operations contractor on the site, and Pacific Northwest Laboratories (PNL), operated by Battelle Memorial Institute for the Department of Energy (DOE), have now begun working together to develop new technologies that are needed to address the short-term and long-term challenges of environmental restoration at Hanford. The paper discusses the problems and possible solutions that are being investigated

Listed waste history at Hanford facility TSD units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miskho, A.G.

1996-01-01

This document was prepared to close out an occurrence report that Westinghouse Hanford Company issued on December 29, 1994. Occurrence Report RL-WHC-GENERAL-1994-0020 was issued because knowledge became available that could have impacted start up of a Hanford Site facility. The knowledge pertained to how certain wastes on the Hanford Site were treated, stored, or disposed of. This document consolidates the research performed by Westinghouse Hanford Company regarding listed waste management at onsite laboratories that transfer waste to the Double-Shell Tank System. Liquid and solid (non-liquid) dangerous wastes and mixed wastes at the Hanford Site are generated from various Site operations. These wastes may be sampled and characterized at onsite laboratories to meet waste management requirements. In some cases, the wastes that are generated in the field or in the laboratory from the analysis of samples require further management on the Hanford Site and are aggregated together in centralized tank storage facilities. The process knowledge presented herein documents the basis for designation and management of 242-A Evaporator Process Condensate, a waste stream derived from the treatment of the centralized tank storage facility waste (the Double-Shell Tank System). This document will not be updated as clean up of the Hanford Site progresses

TRACKING CLEAN UP AT HANFORD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CONNELL, C.W.

2005-01-01

The Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, known as the ''Tri-Party Agreement'' (TPA), is a legally binding agreement among the US Department of Energy (DOE), The Washington State Department of Ecology, and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for cleaning up the Hanford Site. Established in the 1940s to produce material for nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project, Hanford is often referred to as the world's large environmental cleanup project. The Site covers more than 580 square miles in a relatively remote region of southeastern Washington state in the US. The production of nuclear materials at Hanford has left a legacy of tremendous proportions in terms of hazardous and radioactive waste. From a waste-management point of view, the task is enormous: 1700 waste sites; 450 billion gallons of liquid waste; 70 billion gallons of contaminated groundwater; 53 million gallons of tank waste; 9 reactors; 5 million cubic yards of contaminated soil; 22 thousand drums of mixed waste; 2.3 tons of spent nuclear fuel; and 17.8 metric tons of plutonium-bearing material and this is just a partial listing. The agreement requires that DOE provide the results of analytical laboratory and non-laboratory tests/readings to the lead regulatory agency to help guide then in making decisions. The agreement also calls for each signatory to preserve--for at least ten years after the Agreement has ended--all of the records in it, or its contractors, possession related to sampling, analysis, investigations, and monitoring conducted. The Action Plan that supports the TPA requires that Ecology and EPA have access to all data that is relevant to work performed, or to be performed, under the Agreement. Further, the Action Plan specifies two additional requirements: (1) that EPA, Ecology and their respective contractor staffs have access to all the information electronically, and (2) that the databases are accessible to, and used by, all personnel doing TPA

Hydrochemistry in the development of groundwater flow models at the Hanford site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Early, T.O.

1986-01-01

Site characterization activities in progress at the Hanford Site include efforts to understand the groundwater flow regime within the Columbia River Basalt Group. Hydrochemical data from deep boreholes at Hanford suggest that groundwater has migrated upward at an unknown rate from the underlying sediments and mixed with more dilute shallow groundwaters within basalt aquifers. The driving force for upward flow is hypothesized to result from a regional flow system. Detailed analysis of deep groundwaters indicates that two major types exist. For example, water underlying the western part of the Site are sulfate poor and associated with relatively abundant dissolved methane. Deep groundwaters of the second type, lying to the east, are relatively sulfate rich but contain essentially no methane. Specific features of the source regions that yield these different geochemical types are poorly known but association of the western waters with methane-producing coal strata is proposed. At the level of the proposed repository evidence seems to point to little lateral flow. At shallower depths a somewhat more active lateral flow system is possible. The direction of lateral flow, whatever its rate, appears to be structurally controlled

Potential radiation doses from 1994 Hanford Operations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soldat, J.K.; Antonio, E.J.

1995-06-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report summarizes the potential radiation doses to the public from releases originating at the Hanford Site. Members of the public are potentially exposed to low-levels of radiation from these effluents through a variety of pathways. The potential radiation doses to the public were calculated for the hypothetical MEI and for the general public residing within 80 km (50 mi) of the Hanford Site.

Potential radiation doses from 1994 Hanford Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soldat, J.K.; Antonio, E.J.

1995-01-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report summarizes the potential radiation doses to the public from releases originating at the Hanford Site. Members of the public are potentially exposed to low-levels of radiation from these effluents through a variety of pathways. The potential radiation doses to the public were calculated for the hypothetical MEI and for the general public residing within 80 km (50 mi) of the Hanford Site

Vascular Plants of the Hanford Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sackschewsky, Michael R.; Downs, Janelle L.

2001-09-28

This report provides an updated listing of the vascular plants present on and near the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. This document is an update of a listing of plants prepared by Sackschewdky et al. in 1992. Since that time there has been a significant increase in the botanical knowledge of the Hanford Site. The present listing is based on an examination of herbarium collections held at PNNL, at WSU-Tri Cities, WSU-Pullman, Bringham Young University, and The University of Washington, and on examination of ecological literature derived from the Hanford and Benton county areas over the last 100 years. Based on the most recent analysis, there are approximately 725 different plant species that have been documented on or around the Hanford Site. This represents an approximate 20% increase in the number of species reported within Sackschewsky et al. (1992). This listing directly supports DOE and contractor efforts to assess the potential impacts of Hanford Site operations on the biological environment, including impacts to rare habitats and to species listed as endangered or\\ threatened. This document includes a listing of plants currently listed as endangered, threatened, or otherwise of concern to the Washington Natural Heritage Program or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as those that are currently listed as noxious weeds by the State of Washington. Also provided is an overview of how plants on the Hanford Site can be used by people. This information may be useful in developing risk assessment models, and as supporting information for clean-up level and remediation decisions.

Hanford science and technology needs statements document

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piper, L.L.

1997-12-31

This document is a compilation of the Hanford science and technology needs statements for FY 1998. The needs were developed by the Hanford Site Technology Coordination Group (STCG) with full participation and endorsement of site user organizations, stakeholders, and regulators. The purpose of this document is to: (a) provide a comprehensive listing of Hanford science and technology needs, and (b) identify partnering and commercialization opportunities with industry, other federal and state agencies, and the academic community. The Hanford STCG reviews and updates the needs annually. Once completed, the needs are communicated to DOE for use in the development and prioritization of their science and technology programs, including the Focus Areas, Cross-Cutting Programs, and the Environmental Management Science Program. The needs are also transmitted to DOE through the Accelerating Cleanup: 2006 Plan. The public may access the need statements on the Internet on: the Hanford Home Page (www.hanford.gov), the Pacific Rim Enterprise Center`s web site (www2.pacific-rim.org/pacific rim), or the STCG web site at DOE headquarters (em-52.em.doegov/ifd/stcg/stcg.htm). This page includes links to science and technology needs for many DOE sites. Private industry is encouraged to review the need statements and contact the Hanford STCG if they can provide technologies that meet these needs. On-site points of contact are included at the ends of each need statement. The Pacific Rim Enterprise Center (206-224-9934) can also provide assistance to businesses interested in marketing technologies to the DOE.

Natural phenomena analyses, Hanford Site, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tallman, A.M.

1989-01-01

Probabilistic seismic hazard studies completed for the Washington Public Power Supply System's Nuclear Plant 2 and for the US Department of Energy's N Reactor sites, both on the Hanford Site, suggested that the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory seismic exposure estimates were lower than appropriate, especially for sites near potential seismic sources. A probabilistic seismic hazard assessment was completed for those areas that contain process and/or waste management facilities. the lower bound magnitude of 5.0 is used in the hazard analysis and the characteristics of small-magnitude earthquakes relatively common to the Hanford Site are addressed. The recommended ground motion for high-hazard facilities is somewhat higher than the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory model and the ground motion from small-magnitude earthquakes is addressed separately from the moderate- to large-magnitude earthquake ground motion. The severe wind and tornado hazards determined for the Hanford Siste are in agreement with work completed independently using 43 years of site data. The low-probability, high-hazard, design-basis flood at the Hanford Site is dominated by dam failure on the Columbia River. Further evaluation of the mechanisms and probabilities of such flooding is in progress. The Hanford Site is downwind from several active Cascade volcanoes. Geologic and historical data are used to estimate the ashfall hazard

Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Technology Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sexton, R.A.

1988-06-01

The reference Hanford plan for disposal of defense high-level waste is based on waste immobilization in glass by the vitrification process and temporary vitrified waste storage at the Hanford Site until final disposal in a geologic repository. A companion document to the Hanford Waste Management Plan (HWMP) is the Draft, Interim Hanford Waste Management Technology Plan (HWMTP), which provides a description of the technology that must be developed to meet the reference waste management plan. One of the issues in the HWMTP is DST-6, Immobilization (Glass). The HWMTP includes all expense funding needed to complete the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) project. A preliminary HWVP Technology Plan was prepared in 1985 as a supporting document to the HWMTP to provide a more detailed description of the technology needed to construct and operate a vitrification facility. The plan was updated and issued in 1986, and revised in 1987. This document is an annual update of the plan. The HWVP Technology Plan is limited in scope to technology that requires development or confirmation testing. Other expense-funded activities are not included. The relationship between the HWVP Technology Plan and other waste management issues addressed in the HWMTP is described in section 1.6 of this plan. 6 refs., 4 figs., 34 tabs

Hanford groundwater scenario studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnett, R.C.; Gephart, R.E.; Deju, R.A.; Cole, C.R.; Ahlstrom, S.W.

1977-05-01

This report documents the results of two Hanford groundwater scenario studies. The first study examines the hydrologic impact of increased groundwater recharge resulting from agricultural development in the Cold Creek Valley located west of the Hanford Reservation. The second study involves recovering liquid radioactive waste which has leaked into the groundwater flow system from a hypothetical buried tank containing high-level radioactive waste. The predictive and control capacity of the onsite Hanford modeling technology is used to evaluate both scenarios. The results of the first study indicate that Cold Creek Valley irrigationis unlikely to cause significant changes in the water table underlying the high-level waste areas or in the movement of radionuclides already in the groundwater. The hypothetical tank leak study showed that an active response (in this case waste recovery) can be modeled and is a possible alternative to passive monitoring of radionuclide movement in the unlikely event that high-level waste is introduced into the groundwater

Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larson, D.E.; Allen, C.R.; Kruger, O.L.; Weber, E.T.

1991-10-01

The Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) is being designed to immobilize pretreated Hanford high-level waste and transuranic waste in borosilicate glass contained in stainless steel canisters. Testing is being conducted in the HWVP Technology Development Project to ensure that adapted technologies are applicable to the candidate Hanford wastes and to generate information for waste form qualification. Empirical modeling is being conducted to define a glass composition range consistent with process and waste form qualification requirements. Laboratory studies are conducted to determine process stream properties, characterize the redox chemistry of the melter feed as a basis for controlling melt foaming and evaluate zeolite sorption materials for process waste treatment. Pilot-scale tests have been performed with simulated melter feed to access filtration for solids removal from process wastes, evaluate vitrification process performance and assess offgas equipment performance. Process equipment construction materials are being selected based on literature review, corrosion testing, and performance in pilot-scale testing. 3 figs., 6 tabs

Actinide occurrences in sediments following ground disposal of acid wastes at 216-Z-9

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ames, L.L.

1976-01-01

Liquid acid wastes from a Pu recovery facility at Hanford were released to the ground via structures collectively termed trenches from 1955 through 1962. Data are presented from a study of the microdistribution of Am and Pu in samples from the 216-Z-9 trench. Solution sediment relationships and associated actinide removal mechanisms under acid conditions were studied. Core wells were drilled into the sediments in which this covered trench is located and in the immediate vicinity to obtain samples for quantitative mineralogical analysis and comparison of sediments from various depths of contaminated and noncontaminated areas. Analytical techniques are described and results are reported

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediment: Uncontaminated RCRA Borehole Core Samples and Composite Samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serne, R. Jeffrey; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Schaef, Herbert T.; Williams, Bruce A.; Lanigan, David C.; Horton, Duane G.; Clayton, Ray E.; Mitroshkov, Alexandre V.; Legore, Virginia L.; O'Hara, Matthew J.; Brown, Christopher F.; Parker, Kent E.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Serne, Jennifer N.; Last, George V.; Smith, Steven C.; Lindenmeier, Clark W.; Zachara, John M.; Burke, Deborah S.

2008-01-01

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Tables 4.14, 4.16, 5.20, 5.22, 5.43, and 5.45. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in February 2002. The overall goal of the of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. asked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediment from within the S-SX Waste Management Area. This report is one in a series of four reports to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) borehole bore samples and composite samples

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediment: Uncontaminated RCRA Borehole Core Samples and Composite Samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serne, R. Jeffrey; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Schaef, Herbert T.; Williams, Bruce A.; Lanigan, David C.; Horton, Duane G.; Clayton, Ray E.; Mitroshkov, Alexandre V.; Legore, Virginia L.; O' Hara, Matthew J.; Brown, Christopher F.; Parker, Kent E.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Serne, Jennifer N.; Last, George V.; Smith, Steven C.; Lindenmeier, Clark W.; Zachara, John M.; Burke, Deborah S.

2008-09-11

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Tables 4.14, 4.16, 5.20, 5.22, 5.43, and 5.45. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in February 2002. The overall goal of the of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. asked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediment from within the S-SX Waste Management Area. This report is one in a series of four reports to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) borehole bore samples and composite samples.

Laboratory report on iodine (¹²⁹I and ¹²⁷I) speciation, transformation and mobility in Handford groundwater, suspended particles and sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Santschi, P. H. [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Xu, C. [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Zhang, S. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Ho, Y. [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Li, H. [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Schwehr, K. [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States); Kaplan, D. I. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2012-09-01

The Hanford Site in eastern Washington produced plutonium for several decades and in the process generated billions of gallons of radioactive waste. Included in this complex mixture of waste was 50 Ci of iodine-129 (¹²⁹I). Iodine-129’s high abundance, due to its high fission yield, and extreme toxicity result in iodine-129 becoming a key risk driver at many Department of Energy (DOE) sites. The mobility of radioiodine in arid environments, such as the Hanford Site, depends largely on its chemical speciation and is also greatly affected by many other environmental factors, especially natural sediment organic matter (SOM). Groundwater radioiodine speciation has not been measured in arid regions with major plumes or large disposed ¹²⁹I inventories, including the Hanford Site, Idaho National Laboratory, and Nevada Test Site. In this study, stable iodine-127 and radioiodine-129 speciation, pH, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of groundwater samples collected from seven wells located in the 200-West Area of the Hanford site were investigated. The most striking finding was that iodate (IO₃^-) was the most abundant species. Unexpectedly, iodide (I^-), which was likely the form of iodine in the source materials and the expected dominant groundwater species based on thermodynamic considerations, only accounted for 1-2% of the total iodine concentration. It is likely that the relatively high pH and the low abundance of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) that is present at the site slowed down or even inhibited the reduction of iodate, as SOM abiotically reduce iodate into iodide. Moreover, a study on the kinetics of iodide and iodate uptake and aqueous speciation transformation by three representative subsurface Hanford sediments was performed over a period of about one month. This study was carried out by using iodide-125 or iodate-125 at the ambient iodine-127concentration found at the site. Iodate K_d values

Evaluating Contaminant Flux from the Vadose Zone to the Groundwater in the Hanford Central Plateau. SX Tank Farms Case Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Truex, Michael J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Oostrom, Martinus [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Last, George V. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Strickland, Christopher E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Tartakovsky, Guzel D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2015-09-01

At the DOE Hanford Site, contaminants were discharged to the subsurface through engineered waste sites in the Hanford Central Plateau. Additional waste was released through waste storage tank leaks. Much of the contaminant inventory is still present within the unsaturated vadose zone sediments. The nature and extent of future groundwater contaminant plumes and the growth or decline of current groundwater plumes beneath the Hanford Central Plateau are a function of the contaminant flux from the vadose zone to the groundwater. In general, contaminant transport is slow through the vadose zone and it is difficult to directly measure contaminant flux in the vadose zone. Predictive analysis, supported by site characterization and monitoring data, was applied using a structured, systems-based approach to estimate the future contaminant flux to groundwater in support of remediation decisions for the vadose zone and groundwater (Truex and Carroll 2013). The SX Tank Farm was used as a case study because of the existing contaminant inventory in the vadose zone, observations of elevated moisture content in portions of the vadose zone, presence of a limited-extent groundwater plume, and the relatively large amount and wide variety of data available for the site. Although the SX Tank Farm case study is most representative of conditions at tank farm sites, the study has elements that are also relevant to other types of disposal sites in the Hanford Central Plateau.

Hanford internal dosimetry program manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carbaugh, E.H.; Sula, M.J.; Bihl, D.E.; Aldridge, T.L.

1989-10-01

This document describes the Hanford Internal Dosimetry program. Program Services include administrating the bioassay monitoring program, evaluating and documenting assessments of internal exposure and dose, ensuring that analytical laboratories conform to requirements, selecting and applying appropriate models and procedures for evaluating internal radionuclide deposition and the resulting dose, and technically guiding and supporting Hanford contractors in matters regarding internal dosimetry. 13 refs., 16 figs., 42 tabs

Hanford Site baseline risk assessment methodology. Revision 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-03-01

This methodology has been developed to prepare human health and environmental evaluations of risk as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act remedial investigations (RIs) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act facility investigations (FIs) performed at the Hanford Site pursuant to the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement. Development of the methodology has been undertaken so that Hanford Site risk assessments are consistent with current regulations and guidance, while providing direction on flexible, ambiguous, or undefined aspects of the guidance. The methodology identifies Site-specific risk assessment considerations and integrates them with approaches for evaluating human and environmental risk that can be factored into the risk assessment program supporting the Hanford Site cleanup mission. Consequently, the methodology will enhance the preparation and review of individual risk assessments at the Hanford Site.

Resource book: Decommissioning of contaminated facilities at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-09-01

In 1942 Hanford was commissioned as a site for the production of weapons-grade plutonium. The years since have seen the construction and operation of several generations of plutonium-producing reactors, plants for the chemical processing of irradiated fuel elements, plutonium and uranium processing and fabrication plants, and other facilities. There has also been a diversification of the Hanford site with the building of new laboratories, a fission product encapsulation plant, improved high-level waste management facilities, the Fast Flux test facility, commercial power reactors and commercial solid waste disposal facilities. Obsolescence and changing requirements will result in the deactivation or retirement of buildings, waste storage tanks, waste burial grounds and liquid waste disposal sites which have become contaminated with varying levels of radionuclides. This manual was established as a written repository of information pertinent to decommissioning planning and operations at Hanford. The Resource Book contains, in several volumes, descriptive information of the Hanford Site and general discussions of several classes of contaminated facilities found at Hanford. Supplementing these discussions are appendices containing data sheets on individual contaminated facilities and sites at Hanford. Twelve appendices are provided, corresponding to the twelve classes into which the contaminated facilities at Hanford have been organized. Within each appendix are individual data sheets containing administrative, geographical, physical, radiological, functional and decommissioning information on each facility within the class. 68 refs., 54 figs., 18 tabs

Resource book: Decommissioning of contaminated facilities at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-09-01

In 1942 Hanford was commissioned as a site for the production of weapons-grade plutonium. The years since have seen the construction and operation of several generations of plutonium-producing reactors, plants for the chemical processing of irradiated fuel elements, plutonium and uranium processing and fabrication plants, and other facilities. There has also been a diversification of the Hanford site with the building of new laboratories, a fission product encapsulation plant, improved high-level waste management facilities, the Fast Flux test facility, commercial power reactors and commercial solid waste disposal facilities. Obsolescence and changing requirements will result in the deactivation or retirement of buildings, waste storage tanks, waste burial grounds and liquid waste disposal sites which have become contaminated with varying levels of radionuclides. This manual was established as a written repository of information pertinent to decommissioning planning and operations at Hanford. The Resource Book contains, in several volumes, descriptive information of the Hanford Site and general discussions of several classes of contaminated facilities found at Hanford. Supplementing these discussions are appendices containing data sheets on individual contaminated facilities and sites at Hanford. Twelve appendices are provided, corresponding to the twelve classes into which the contaminated facilities at Hanford have been organized. Within each appendix are individual data sheets containing administrative, geographical, physical, radiological, functional and decommissioning information on each facility within the class. 49 refs., 44 figs., 14 tabs

Oxidative dissolution potential of biogenic and abiogenic TcO2 in subsurface sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fredrickson, J.K.; Zachara, J.M.; Plymale, A.E.; Heald, S.M.; McKinley, J.P.; Kennedy, D.W.; Liu, C.; Nachimuthu, P.

2009-01-01

Technetium-99 (Tc) is an important fission product contaminant associated with sites of nuclear fuels reprocessing and geologic nuclear waste disposal. Tc is highly mobile in its most oxidized state (Tc(VII)O 4 - ) and less mobile in the reduced form (Tc(IV)O 2 · nH 2 O). Here we investigate the potential for oxidation of Tc(IV) that was heterogeneously reduced by reaction with biogenic Fe(II) in two sediments differing in mineralogy and aggregation state; unconsolidated Pliocene-age fluvial sediment from the upper Ringold (RG) Formation at the Hanford Site and a clay-rich saprolite from the Field Research Center (FRC) background site on the Oak Ridge Site. Both sediments contained Fe(III) and Mn(III/IV) as redox active phases, but FRC also contained mass-dominant Fe-phyllosilicates of different types. Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 reduced Mn(III/IV) oxides and generated Fe(II) that was reactive with Tc(VII) in heat-killed, bioreduced sediment. After bioreduction and heat-killing, biogenic Fe(II) in the FRC exceeded that in RG by a factor of two. More rapid reduction rates were observed in the RG that had lower biogenic Fe(II), and less particle aggregation. EXAFS measurements indicated that the primary reduction product was a TcO 2 -like phase in both sediments. The biogenic redox product Tc(IV) oxidized rapidly and completely in RG when contacted with air. Oxidation, in contrast, was slow and incomplete in the FRC, in spite of similar molecular scale speciation of Tc compared to RG. X-ray microprobe, electron microprobe, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and micro X-ray diffraction were applied to the whole sediment and isolated Tc-containing particles. These analyses revealed that non-oxidizable Tc(IV) in the FRC existed as complexes with octahedral Fe(III) within intra-grain domains of 50-100 (micro)m-sized, Fe-containing micas presumptively identified as celadonite. The markedly slower oxidation rates in FRC as compared to RG were attributed to mass

Oxidative dissolution potential of biogenic and abiogenic TcO 2 in subsurface sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Fredrickson, James K.; Zachara, John M.; Plymale, Andrew E.; Heald, Steve M.; McKinley, James P.; Kennedy, David W.; Liu, Chongxuan; Nachimuthu, Ponnusamy

2009-04-01

Technetium-99 (Tc) is an important fission product contaminant associated with sites of nuclear fuels reprocessing and geologic nuclear waste disposal. Tc is highly mobile in its most oxidized state [Tc(VII)O4-] and less mobile in the reduced form [Tc(IV)O 2· nH 2O]. Here we investigate the potential for oxidation of Tc(IV) that was heterogeneously reduced by reaction with biogenic Fe(II) in two sediments differing in mineralogy and aggregation state; unconsolidated Pliocene-age fluvial sediment from the upper Ringold (RG) Formation at the Hanford Site and a clay-rich saprolite from the Field Research Center (FRC) background site on the Oak Ridge Site. Both sediments contained Fe(III) and Mn(III/IV) as redox active phases, but FRC also contained mass-dominant Fe-phyllosilicates of different types. Shewanella putrefaciens CN32 reduced Mn(III/IV) oxides and generated Fe(II) that was reactive with Tc(VII) in heat-killed, bioreduced sediment. After bioreduction and heat-killing, biogenic Fe(II) in the FRC exceeded that in RG by a factor of two. More rapid reduction rates were observed in the RG that had lower biogenic Fe(II), and less particle aggregation. EXAFS measurements indicated that the primary reduction product was a TcO 2-like phase in both sediments. The biogenic redox product Tc(IV) oxidized rapidly and completely in RG when contacted with air. Oxidation, in contrast, was slow and incomplete in the FRC, in spite of similar molecular scale speciation of Tc compared to RG. X-ray microprobe, electron microprobe, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and micro X-ray diffraction were applied to the whole sediment and isolated Tc-containing particles. These analyses revealed that non-oxidizable Tc(IV) in the FRC existed as complexes with octahedral Fe(III) within intra-grain domains of 50-100 μm-sized, Fe-containing micas presumptively identified as celadonite. The markedly slower oxidation rates in FRC as compared to RG were attributed to mass

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediment: Slant Borehole SX-108 in the S-SX Waste Management Area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serne, R. Jeffrey; Last, George V.; Schaef, Herbert T.; Lanigan, David C.; Lindenmeier, Clark W.; Ainsworth, Calvin C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Legore, Virginia L.; O'Hara, Matthew J.; Brown, Christopher F.; Orr, Robert D.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Wilson, Teresa C.; Wagnon, Kenneth B.; Williams, Bruce A.; Burke, Deborah S.

2008-01-01

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Table 4.17. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in February 2002. The overall goal of the of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., asked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediment from within the S-SX Waste Management Area. This report is the fourth in a series of four reports to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from a slant borehole installed beneath tank SX-108 (or simply SX-108 slant borehole)

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediment: Borehole 41-09-39 in the S-SX Waste Management Area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serne, R. Jeffrey; Last, George V.; Schaef, Herbert T.; Lanigan, David C.; Lindenmeier, Clark W.; Ainsworth, Calvin C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Legore, Virginia L.; O' Hara, Matthew J.; Brown, Christopher F.; Orr, Robert D.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Wilson, Teresa C.; Wagnon, Kenneth B.; Williams, Bruce A.; Burke, Deborah S.

2008-09-11

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Table 5.15. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in February 2002. The overall goal of the of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., asked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediment from within the S-SX Waste Management Area. This report is one in a series of four reports to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from borehole 41-09-39 installed adjacent to tank SX-109.

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediment: Slant Borehole SX-108 in the S-SX Waste Management Area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serne, R. Jeffrey; Last, George V.; Schaef, Herbert T.; Lanigan, David C.; Lindenmeier, Clark W.; Ainsworth, Calvin C.; Clayton, Ray E.; Legore, Virginia L.; O' Hara, Matthew J.; Brown, Christopher F.; Orr, Robert D.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Wilson, Teresa C.; Wagnon, Kenneth B.; Williams, Bruce A.; Burke, Deborah S.

2008-09-11

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Table 4.17. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in February 2002. The overall goal of the of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., asked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediment from within the S-SX Waste Management Area. This report is the fourth in a series of four reports to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from a slant borehole installed beneath tank SX-108 (or simply SX-108 slant borehole).

GENII: The Hanford Environmental Radiation Dosimetry Software System: Volume 2, Users' manual: Hanford Environmental Dosimetry Upgrade Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napier, B.A.; Peloquin, R.A.; Strenge, D.L.; Ramsdell, J.V.

1988-11-01

The Hanford Environmental Dosimetry Upgrade Project was undertaken to incorporate the internal dosimetry models recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in updated versions of the environmental pathway analysis models used at Hanford. The resulting second generation of Hanford environmental dosimetry computer codes is compiled in the Hanford Environmental Dosimetry System (Generation II, or GENII). The purpose of this coupled system of computer codes is to analyze environmental contamination of, air, water, or soil. This is accomplished by calculating radiation doses to individuals or populations. GENII is described in three volumes of documentation. This second volume is a Users' Manual, providing code structure, users' instructions, required system configurations, and QA-related topics. The first volume describes the theoretical considerations of the system. The third volume is a Code Maintenance Manual for the user who requires knowledge of code detail. It includes logic diagrams, global dictionary, worksheets, example hand calculations, and listings of the code and its associated data libraries. 27 refs., 17 figs., 23 tabs

Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rathbone, Bruce A.

2009-08-28

The Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842 documents the design and implementation of the external dosimetry system used at Hanford. The manual describes the dosimeter design, processing protocols, dose calculation methodology, radiation fields encountered, dosimeter response characteristics, limitations of dosimeter design under field conditions, and makes recommendations for effective use of the dosimeters in the field. The manual describes the technical basis for the dosimetry system in a manner intended to help ensure defensibility of the dose of record at Hanford and to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 835, DOELAP, DOE-RL, ORP, PNSO, and Hanford contractor requirements. The dosimetry system is operated by PNNL’s Hanford External Dosimetry Program (HEDP) which provides dosimetry services to all Hanford contractors. The primary users of this manual are DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford using the dosimetry services of PNNL. Development and maintenance of this manual is funded directly by DOE and DOE contractors. Its contents have been reviewed and approved by DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford through the Hanford Personnel Dosimetry Advisory Committee (HPDAC) which is chartered and chaired by DOE-RL and serves as means of coordinating dosimetry practices across contractors at Hanford. This manual was established in 1996. Since inception, it has been revised many times and maintained by PNNL as a controlled document with controlled distribution. The first revision to be released through PNNL’s Electronic Records & Information Capture Architecture (ERICA) database was designated Revision 0. Revision numbers that are whole numbers reflect major revisions typically involving changes to all chapters in the document. Revision numbers that include a decimal fraction reflect minor revisions, usually restricted to selected chapters or selected pages in the document.

DOE Order 5480.28 Hanford facilities database

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayenga, J.L., Westinghouse Hanford

1996-09-01

This document describes the development of a database of DOE and/or leased Hanford Site Facilities. The completed database will consist of structure/facility parameters essential to the prioritization of these structures for natural phenomena hazard vulnerability in compliance with DOE Order 5480.28, `Natural Phenomena Hazards Mitigation`. The prioritization process will be based upon the structure/facility vulnerability to natural phenomena hazards. The ACCESS based database, `Hanford Facilities Site Database`, is generated from current Hanford Site information and databases.

Waste minimization -- Hanford`s strategy for sustainability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Merry, D.S.

1998-01-30

The Hanford Site cleanup activity is an immense and challenging undertaking, which includes characterization and decommissioning of 149 single-shell storage tanks, treating waste stored in 28 double-shell tanks, safely disposing of over 2,100 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel stored onsite, removing thousands of structures, and dealing with significant solid waste, groundwater, and land restoration issues. The Pollution Prevention/Waste Minimization (P2/WMin) Program supports the Hanford Site mission to safely clean up and manage legacy waste and to develop and deploy science and technology in many ways. Once such way is through implementing and documenting over 231 waste reduction projects during the past five years, resulting in over $93 million in cost savings/avoidances. These savings/avoidances allowed other high priority cleanup work to be performed. Another way is by exceeding the Secretary of Energy`s waste reduction goals over two years ahead of schedule, thus reducing the amount of waste to be stored, treated and disposed. Six key elements are the foundation for these sustained P2/WMin results.

Hanford Dose Overview Program. Comparison of AIRDOS-EPA and Hanford site dose codes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aaberg, R.L.; Napier, B.A.

1985-11-01

Radiation dose commitments for persons in the Hanford environs calculated using AIRDOS-EPA were compared with those calculated using a suite of Hanford codes: FOOD, PABLM, DACRIN, and KRONIC. Dose commitments to the population and to the maximally exposed individual (MI) based on annual releases of eight radionuclides from the N-Reactor, were calculated by these codes. Dose commitments from each pathway to the total body, lung, thyroid, and lower large intestine (LLI) are given for the population and MI, respectively. 11 refs., 25 tabs

Hanford Site Raptor Nest Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nugent, John J. [Mission Support Alliance (MSA), Richland, WA (United States); Lindsey, Cole T. [Mission Support Alliance (MSA), Richland, WA (United States); Wilde, Justin W. [Mission Support Alliance (MSA), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-02-13

The U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) conducts ecological monitoring on the Hanford Site to collect and track data needed to ensure compliance with an array of environmental laws, regulations, and policies governing DOE activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitat under DOE-RL stewardship at Hanford required for decision-making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The Hanford Site Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP, DOE/EIS-0222-F) which is the Environmental Impact Statement for Hanford Site activities, helps ensure that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conducting activities on the Hanford Site are in compliance with NEPA. The Hanford Site supports a large and diverse community of raptorial birds (Fitzner et al. 1981), with 26 species of raptors observed on the Hanford Site.

Feasibility study for the processing of Hanford Site cesium and strontium isotopic sources in the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anantatmula, R.P.; Watrous, R.A.; Nelson, J.L.; Perez, J.M.; Peters, R.D.; Peterson, M.E.

1991-09-01

The final environmental impact statement for the disposal of defense-related wastes at the Hanford Site (Final Environmental Impact Statement: Disposal of Hanford Defense High-Level, Transuranic and Tank Wastes [HDW-EIS] [DOE 1987]) states that the preferred alternative for disposal of cesium and strontium wastes at the Hanford Site will be to package and ship these wastes to the commercial high-level waste repository. The Record of Decision for this EIS states that before shipment to a geologic repository, these wastes will be packaged in accordance with repository waste acceptance criteria. However, the high cost per canister for repository disposal and uncertainty about the acceptability of overpacked capsules by the repository suggest that additional alternative means of disposal be considered. Vitrification of the cesium and strontium salts in the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP) has been identified as a possible alternative to overpacking. Subsequently, Westinghouse Hanford Company's (Westinghouse Hanford) Projects Technical Support Office undertook a feasibility study to determine if any significant technical issues preclude the vitrification of the cesium and strontium salts. Based on the information presented in this report, it is considered technically feasible to blend the cesium chloride and strontium fluoride salts with neutralized current acid waste (NCAW) and/or complexant concentrate (CC) waste feedstreams, or to blend the salts with fresh frit and process the waste through the HWVP

Prevention of solids formation: Results of the FY 1999 studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunt, R.D.; Beahm, E.C.; Chase, C.W.; Collins, J.L.; Dillow, T.A.; Weber, C.F.

1999-01-01

Tank farm operations at Hanford and Savannah River have been adversely affected by unintentional solids formations. At Hanford, a new cross-site transfer line had to be built because nearly all the original transfer lines were no longer operational due to plugs. At Savannah River, operations at its evaporator system were suspended while a plug in the gravity drain line was physically removed at considerable expense. The plugs as Hanford and Savannah River, which have been characterized, were primarily due to sodium phosphate and sodium aluminosilicate, respectively

Hanford Facility Annual Dangerous Waste Report Calendar Year 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

FR-EEMAN, D.A.

2003-01-01

Hanford CY 2002 dangerous waste generation and management forms. The Hanford Facility Annual Dangerous Waste Report (ADWR) is prepared to meet the requirements of Washington Administrative Code Sections 173-303-220, Generator Reporting, and 173-303-390, Facility Reporting. In addition, the ADWR is required to meet Hanford Facility RCRA Permit Condition I.E.22, Annual Reporting. The ADWR provides summary information on dangerous waste generation and management activities for the Calendar Year for the Hanford Facility EPA ID number assigned to the Department of Energy for RCRA regulated waste, as well as Washington State only designated waste and radioactive mixed waste. The Solid Waste Information and Tracking System (SWITS) database is utilized to collect and compile the large array of data needed for preparation of this report. Information includes details of waste generated on the Hanford Facility, waste generated offsite and sent to Hanford for management, and other waste management activities conducted at Hanford, including treatment, storage, and disposal. Report details consist of waste descriptions and weights, waste codes and designations, and waste handling codes. In addition, for waste shipped to Hanford for treatment and/or disposal, information on manifest numbers, the waste transporter, the waste receiving facility, and the original waste generators are included. In addition to paper copies, electronic copies of the report are also transmitted to the regulatory agency

Overview of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shipler, D.B.; Napier, B.A.; Ikenberry, T.A.

1992-04-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that specific and representative individuals and populations may have received as a result of releases of radioactive materials from historical operations at the Hanford Site. These dose estimates would account for the uncertainties of information regarding facilities operations, environmental monitoring, demography, food consumption and lifestyles, and the variability of natural phenomena. Other objectives of the HEDR Project include: supporting the Hanford Thyroid Disease Study (HTDS), declassifying Hanford-generated information and making it available to the public, performing high-quality, credible science, and conducting the project in an open, public forum. The project is briefly described

Hanford Site radioactive mixed waste thermal treatment initiative

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Place, B.G.; Riddelle, J.G.

1993-03-01

This paper is a progress report of current Westinghouse Hanford Company engineering activities related to the implementation of a program for the thermal treatment of the Hanford Site radioactive mixed waste. Topics discussed include a site-specific engineering study, the review of private sector capability in thermal treatment, and thermal treatment of some of the Hanford Site radioactive mixed waste at other US Department of Energy sites

Laboratory testing of ozone oxidation of Hanford site waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delegard, C.H.; Stubbs, A.M.; Bolling, S.D.; Colby, S.A.

1994-01-01

Organic constituents in radioactive waste stored in underground tanks at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site provoke safety concerns arising from their low-temperature reactions with nitrate and nitrite oxidants. Destruction of the organics would eliminate both safety problems. Oxone oxidation was investigated to destroy organic species present in simulated and genuine waste from Hanford Site Tank 241-SY-101. Bench-scale tests showed high-shear mixing apparatus achieved efficient gas-to-solution mass transfer and utilization of the ozone reagent. Oxidations of nitrite (to form nitrate) and organic species were observed. The organics formed carbonate and oxalate as well as nitrate and nitrogen gas from organic nitrogen. Formate, acetate and oxalate were present both in source waste and as reaction intermediates. Metal species oxidations also were observed directly or inferred by solubilities. Chemical precipitations of metal ions such as strontium and americium occurred as the organic species were destroyed by ozone. Reaction stoichiometries were consistent with the reduction of one oxygen atom per ozone molecule

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediments Below the T Tank Farm: Boreholes C4104, C4105, 299-W10-196, and RCRA Borehole 299-W11-39

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serne, R. Jeffrey; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Horton, Duane G.; Lanigan, David C.; Schaef, Herbert T.; Lindenmeier, Clark W.; Lindberg, Michael J.; Clayton, Ray E.; Legore, Virginia L.; Geiszler, Keith N.; Baum, Steven R.; Valenta, Michelle M.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Vickerman, Tanya S.; Orr, Robert D.; Brown, Christopher F.

2008-09-11

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Tables 4.8, 4.28, and 4.52. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in September 2004. The overall goal of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities at Hanford. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. tasked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediments from within Waste Management Area (WMA) T-TX-TY. This report is the second of two reports written to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from boreholes C4104 and C4105 in the T Tank Farm, and from borehole 299-W-11-39 installed northeast of the T Tank Farm. Finally, the measurements on sediments from borehole C4104 are compared with a nearby borehole drilled in 1993, 299- W10-196, through the tank T-106 leak plume.

Hanford Site Transuranic (TRU) Waste Certification Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GREAGER, T.M.

1999-09-09

The Hanford Site Transuranic Waste Certification Plan establishes the programmatic framework and criteria within which the Hanford Site ensures that contract-handled TRU wastes can be certified as compliant with the WIPP WAC and TRUPACT-II SARP.

Hanford general employee training - A million dollar cost beneficial program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardner, P.R.

1991-02-01

In January 1990, Westinghouse Hanford Company implemented an interactive videodisc training program entitled Hanford General Employee Training. Covering all Institute of Nuclear Power Operations general employee training objectives, training mandated by US Department of Energy orders, and training prescribed by internal Westinghouse Hanford Company policies, Hanford General Employee Training presents and manages engaging training programs individually tailored to each of the 9,000 employees. Development costs for a sophisticated program such as Hanford General Employee Training were high compared to similar costs for developing ''equivalent'' traditional training. Hardware ($500,000) and labor costs ($400,000) totaled $900,000. Annual maintenance costs, equipment plus labor, are totalling about $200,000. On the benefit side, by consolidating some 17 previous Westinghouse Hanford Company courses and more effectively managing the instructional process, Hanford General Employee Training reduced the average student training time from over 11 hours to just under 4 hours. For 9,000 employees, the computed net annual savings exceeds $1.3 million. 2 refs

Hanford Site Wide Transportation Safety Document [SEC 1 Thru 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

MCCALL, D L

2002-06-01

This safety evaluation report (SER) documents the basis for the US Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations Office (RL) to approve the Hanford Sitewide Transportation Safety Document (TSD) for onsite Transportation and Packaging (T&P) at Hanford. Hanford contractors, on behalf of DOE-RL, prepared and submitted the Hanford Sitewide Transportation Safety Document, DOE/RL-2001-0036, Revision 0, (DOE/RL 2001), dated October 4, 2001, which is referred to throughout this report as the TSD. In the context of the TSD, Hanford onsite shipments are the activities of moving hazardous materials, substances, and wastes between DOE facilities and over roadways where public access is controlled or restricted and includes intra-area and inter-area movements. The TSD sets forth requirements and standards for onsite shipment of radioactive and hazardous materials and wastes within the confines of the Hanford Site on roadways where public access is restricted by signs, barricades, fences, or other means including road closures and moving convoys controlled by Hanford Site security forces.

The role of sediment supply in esker formation and ice tunnel evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Burke, Matthew J.; Brennand, Tracy A.; Sjogren, Darren B.

2015-05-01

Meltwater is an important part of the glacier system as it can directly influence ice sheet dynamics. Although it is important that ice sheet models incorporate accurate information about subglacial meltwater processes, the relative inaccessibility of contemporary ice sheet beds makes direct investigation challenging. Former ice sheet beds contain a wealth of meltwater landforms such as eskers that, if accurately interpreted, can provide detailed insight into the hydrology of former ice sheets. Eskers are the casts of ice-walled channels and are a common landform within the footprint of the last Laurentide and Cordilleran Ice Sheets. In south-western Alberta, esker distribution suggests that both water and sediment supply may have been important controls; the longest esker ridge segments are located within meltwater valleys partially filled by glaciofluvial sediments, whereas the shortest esker ridge segments are located in areas dominated by clast-poor till. Through detailed esker ridge planform and crest-type mapping, and near surface geophysics we reveal morpho-sedimentary relationships that suggest esker sedimentation was dynamic, but that esker distribution and architecture were primarily governed by sediment supply. Through comparison of these data with data from eskers elsewhere, we suggest three formative scenarios: 1) where sediment supply and flow powers were high, coarse sediment loads result in rapid deposition, and rates of thermo-mechanical ice tunnel growth is exceeded by the rate of ice tunnel closure due to sediment infilling. High sedimentation rates reduce ice tunnel cross-sectional area, cause an increase in meltwater flow velocity and force ice tunnel growth. Thus, ice tunnel growth is fastest where sedimentation rate is highest; this positive feedback results in a non-uniform ice tunnel geometry, and favours macroform development and non-uniform ridge geometry. 2) Where sediment supply is limited, but flow power high, the rate of sedimentation

Modeling long-term risk to environmental and human systems at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation: Scope and findings from the initial model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, Michael J.; Brandt, Charles A.; Bunn, Amoret L.; Engel, David W.; Eslinger, Paul W.; Miley, Terri B.; Napier, Bruce A.; Prendergast-Kennedy, Ellen L.; Nieves, Leslie A.

2005-01-01

The Groundwater/Vadose Zone (GW/VZ) Integration Project at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in Washington state is currently developing the tools and supporting data to assess the cumulative impact to human and ecological health and the region's economy and cultures from waste that will remain at the Hanford Site after the site closes. This integrated system of new and legacy models and data is known as the System Assessment Capability (SAC). The environmental transport modules of the SAC modeling system provide estimates of contaminant concentrations from Hanford Site sources in a time-dependent manner in the vadose zone, groundwater, and the Columbia River and its associated sediments. The Risk/Impact Module uses these estimates of media- and time-specific concentrations to estimate potential impacts on the ecology of the Columbia River corridor, the health of persons who might live in or use the corridor or the upland Hanford environment, the local economy, and the cultural resources. Preliminary Monte Carlo realizations from the SAC modeling system demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale uncertainty analysis of the complex relationships in environmental transport on the one hand and ecological, human, cultural, and economic risk on the other. Initial impact results show successful linking of codes and very small long-term risks for the 10 radionuclides and chemicals evaluated

Status of remedial investigation activities in the Hanford Site 300 Area groundwater operable unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hulstrom, L.C.; Innis, B.E.; Frank, M.A.

1993-09-01

The Phase 1 remedial investigation (RI) and Phase 1 and 2 feasibility studies (FS) for the 300-FF-5 groundwater operable unit underlying the 300 Area on the Hanford Site have been completed. Analysis and evaluation of soil, sediment, and surface water, and biotic sampling data, groundwater chemistry, and radiological data gathered over the past 3 years has been completed. Risk assessment calculations have been performed. Use of the data gathered, coupled with information from an automated water level data collection system, has enabled engineers to track three plumes that represent the most significant contamination of the groundwater

Hanford Site Anuran Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilde, Justin W. [Mission Support Alliance LLC, Richland, WA (United States); Johnson, Scott J. [Mission Support Alliance LLC, Richland, WA (United States); Lindsey, Cole T. [Mission Support Alliance LLC, Richland, WA (United States)

2014-02-13

The U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) conducts ecological monitoring on the Hanford Site to collect and track data needed to ensure compliance with an array of environmental laws, regulations, and policies governing DOE activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitat under DOE-RL stewardship at Hanford required for decision-making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The Hanford Site Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP, DOE/EIS-0222-F) which is the Environmental Impact Statement for Hanford Site activities, helps ensure that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conducting activities on the Hanford Site are in compliance with NEPA.

Association of long-lived radioactivity with sediment along the Columbia River shoreline, islands, bottom and slough areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fix, J.J.

1975-01-01

Since deactivation of the last once-through cooling production reactor in January 1971, radioactivity associated with sediments or biota in the Columbia River attributable to past Hanford operations decreased to very low levels. Currently only a few long-lived radionuclides are measurable and generally due to the association of these radionuclides with sediments in the river. The data available from several different monitoring programs provide a preliminary description of the extent, concentration, and physical form of these radionuclides. Data are presented on 137 Cs, 60 Co, 65 Zn, and 152 Eu in sediments sampled in 1974

Hanford Site Transuranic (TRU) Waste Certification Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GREAGER, T.M.

1999-01-01

The Hanford Site Transuranic Waste Certification Plan establishes the programmatic framework and criteria with in which the Hanford Site ensures that contract-handled TRU wastes can be certified as compliant with the WIPP WAC and TRUPACT-II SARP

A Study Plan for Determining Recharge Rates at the Hanford Site Using Environmental Tracers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murphy, E. M.; Szecsody, J. E.; Phillips, S. J.

1991-02-01

This report presents a study plan tor estimating recharge at the Hanford Site using environmental tracers. Past operations at the Hanford Site have led to both soil and groundwater contamination, and recharge is one of the primary mechanisms for transporting contaminants through the vadose zone and into the groundwater. The prediction of contaminant movement or transport is one aspect of performance assessment and an important step in the remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) process. In the past, recharge has been characterized by collecting lysimeter data. Although lysimeters can generate important and reliable data, their limitations include 1) fixed location, 2) fixed sediment contents, 3) edge effects, 4) low rates, and 5) relatively short duration of measurement. These limitations impact the ability to characterize the spatial distribution of recharge at the Hanford Site, and thus the ability to predict contaminant movement in the vadose zone. An alternative to using fixed lysimeters for determining recharge rates in the vadose zone is to use environmental tracers. Tracers that have been used to study water movement in the vadose zone include total chloride, {sup 36}CI, {sup 3}H, and {sup 2}H/{sup 18}O. Atmospheric levels of {sup 36}CI and {sup 3}H increased during nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific, and the resulting "bomb pulse" or peak concentration can be measured in the soil profile. Locally, past operations at the Hanford Site have resu~ed in the atmospheric release of numerous chemical and isotopic tracers, including nitrate, {sup 129}I, and {sup 99}Tc. The radionuclides, in particular, reached a well-defined atmospheric peak in 1945. Atmospheric releases of {sup 129}I and {sup 99}Tc were greatly reduced by mid-1946, but nitrogen oxides continued to be released from the uranium separations facilities. As a result, the nitrate concentrations probably peaked in the mid-1950s, when the greatest number of separations facilities were operating

Locating Ground-Water Discharge in the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, D.R.; Geist, D.R.; Saldi, K.; Hartwig, D.; Cooper, T.

1997-01-01

A bottom-contacting probe for measuring electrical conductivity at the sediment-water interface was used to scan the bed of the Columbia River adjacent to the Hanford Site in southeast Washington State during a 10-day investigation. Four river-sections, each about a kilometer in length, were scanned for variations in electrical conductivity. The probe was towed along the riverbed at a speed of 1 m/s and is position was recorded using a Global Positioning System. The bottom tows revealed several areas of elevated electrical conductivity. Where these anomalies were relatively easy to access, piezometers were driven into the riverbed and porewater electrical conductivity ranged from 111 to 150 uS/cm. The piezometers, placed in electrical conductivity ''hotspots'' yielded chemical or isotopic data consistent with previous analyses of water taken from monitoring wells and visible shoreline seeps. Tritium, nitrate, and chromium exceeded water quality standards in some porewaters. The highest tritium and nitrate levels were found near the Old Hanford Townsite at 120,000 pCi/L (+ 5,880 pCi/L total propagated analytical uncertainty) and ug/L (+ 5,880 ug/L), respectively. The maximum chromium (total and hexavalent) levels were found near 100-H reactor area where unfiltered porewater total chromium was 1,900 ug/L (+ 798 ug/L) and hexavalent chromium was 20 ug/L. The electrical conductivity probe provided rapid, cost-effective reconnaissance for ground-water discharge areas when used in combination with conventional piezometers. It may be possible to obtain quantitative estimates of both natural and contaminated ground-water discharge in the Hanford Reach with more extensive surveys of river bottom

Axial Dispersion during Hanford Saltcake Washing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Josephson, Gary B.; Geeting, John GH; Lessor, Delbert L.; Barton, William B.

2006-01-01

Clean up of Hanford salt cake wastes begins with dissolution retrieval of the sodium rich salts that make up the dominant majority of mass in the tanks. Water moving through the porous salt cake dissolves the soluble components and also displaces the soluble radionuclides (e.g. 137Cs and 99TcO4- ). The separation that occurs from this displacement, known as Selective dissolution, is an important component in Hanford?s pretreatment of low activity wastes for subsequent Supplemental treatment. This paper describes lab scale testing conducted to evaluate Selective dissolution of cesium from non-radioactive Hanford tank 241-S-112 salt cake simulant containing the primary chemicals found the actual tank. An modified axial dispersion model with increasing axial dispersion was developed to predict cesium removal. The model recognizes that water dissolves the salt cake during washing, which causes an increase in the axial dispersion during the wash. This model was subsequently compared with on-line cesium measurements from the retrieval of tank 241-S-112. The model had remarkably good agreement with both the lab scale and full scale data

Software recycling at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HINKELMAN, K.C.

1999-01-01

The Hanford Site was the first Department of Energy (DOE) complex to recycle excess software rather than dispose of it in the landfill. This plan, which took over a year to complete, was reviewed for potential legal conflicts, which could arise from recycling rather than disposal of software. It was determined that recycling was an approved method of destruction and therefore did not conflict with any of the licensing agreements that Hanford had with the software manufacturers. The Hanford Recycling Program Coordinator combined efforts with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to recycle all Hanford software through a single contract, which went out for bid in January 1995. It was awarded to GreenDisk, Inc. located in Woodinville Washington and implemented in March 1995. The contract was later re-bid and awarded to EcoDisWGreenDisk in December 1998. The new contract included materials such as; software manuals, diskettes, tyvek wrapping, cardboard and paperboard packaging, compact disks (CDs), videotapes, reel-to-reel tapes, magnetic tapes, audio tapes, and many other types of media

Hanford: A Conversation About Nuclear Waste and Cleanup

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gephart, Roy E.

2003-01-01

The author takes us on a journey through a world of facts, values, conflicts, and choices facing the most complex environmental cleanup project in the United States, the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site. Starting with the top-secret Manhattan Project, Hanford was used to create tons of plutonium for nuclear weapons. Hundreds of tons of waste remain. In an easy-to-read, illustrated text, Gephart crafts the story of Hanford becoming the world's first nuclear weapons site to release large amounts of contaminants into the environment. This was at a time when radiation biology was in its infancy, industry practiced unbridled waste dumping, and the public trusted what it was told. The plutonium market stalled with the end of the Cold War. Public accountability and environmental compliance ushered in a new cleanup mission. Today, Hanford is driven by remediation choices whose outcomes remain uncertain. It's a story whose epilogue will be written by future generations. This book is an information resource, written for the general reader as well as the technically trained person wanting an overview of Hanford and cleanup issues facing the nuclear weapons complex. Each chapter is a topical mini-series. It's an idea guide that encourages readers to be informed consumers of Hanford news, to recognize that knowledge, high ethical standards, and social values are at the heart of coping with Hanford's past and charting its future. Hanford history is a window into many environmental conflicts facing our nation; it's about building upon success and learning from failure. And therein lies a key lesson, when powerful interests are involved, no generation is above pretense. Roy E. Gephart is a geohydrologist and senior program manager at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington. He has 30 years experience in environmental studies and the nuclear waste industry

FINAL FRONTIER AT HANFORD TACKLING THE CENTRAL PLATEAU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GERBER MS

2008-01-01

The large land area in the center of the vast Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site in southeast Washington State is known as 'the plateau'--aptly named because its surface elevations are 250-300 feet above the groundwater table. By contrast, areas on the 585-square mile Site that border the Columbia River sit just 30-80 feet above the water table. The Central Plateau, which covers an ellipse of approximately 70 square miles, contains Hanford's radiochemical reprocessing areas--the 200 East and 200 West Areas--and includes the most highly radioactive waste and contaminated facilities on the Site. Five 'canyons' where chemical processes were used to separate out plutonium (Pu), 884 identified soil waste sites (including approximately 50 miles of solid waste burial trenches), more than 900 structures, and all of Hanford's liquid waste storage tanks reside in the Central Plateau. (Notes: Canyons is a nickname given by Hanford workers to the chemical reprocessing facilities. The 177, underground waste tanks at Hanford comprise a separate work scope and are not under Fluor's management). Fluor Hanford, a DOE prime cleanup contractor at the Site for the past 12 years, has moved aggressively to investigate Central Plateau waste sites in the last few years, digging more than 500 boreholes, test pits, direct soil 'pushes' or drive points; logging geophysical data sets; and performing electrical-resistivity scans (a non-intrusive technique that maps patterns of sub-surface soil conductivity). The goal is to identify areas of contamination areas in soil and solid waste sites, so that cost-effective and appropriate decisions on remediation can be made. In 2007, Fluor developed a new work plan for DOE that added 238 soil waste-site characterization activities in the Central Plateau during fiscal years (FYs) 2007-2010. This number represents a 50 percent increase over similar work previously done in central Hanford. Work Plans are among the required steps in the Comprehensive

Summary and evaluation of available hydraulic property data for the Hanford Site unconfined aquifer system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thorne, P.D.; Newcomer, D.R.

1992-11-01

Improving the hydrologic characterization of the Hanford Site unconfined aquifer system is one of the objectives of the Hanford Site Ground-Water Surveillance Project. To help meet this objective, hydraulic property data available for the aquifer have been compiled, mainly from reports published over the past 40 years. Most of the available hydraulic property estimates are based on constant-rate pumping tests of wells. Slug tests have also been conducted at some wells and analyzed to determine hydraulic properties. Other methods that have been used to estimate hydraulic properties of the unconfined aquifer are observations of water-level changes in response to river stage, analysis of ground-water mound formation, tracer tests, and inverse groundwater flow models

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neitzel, Duane A.; Antonio, Ernest J.; Eschbach, Tara O.; Fowler, Richard A.; Goodwin, Shannon M.; Harvey, David W.; Hendrickson, Paul L.; Hoitink, Dana J.; Horton, Duane G.; Last, George V.; Poston, Ted M.; Prendergast, Ellen L.; Rohay, Alan C.; Thorne, Paul D.

2001-09-01

This document describes the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site environment. It is updated each year and is intended to provide a consistent description of the Hanford Site environment for the many National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents being prepared by DOE contractors. No statements of significance or environmental consequences are provided. This year's report is the thirteenth revision of the original document published in 1988 and is (until replaced by the fourteenth revision) the only version that is relevant for use in the preparation of Hanford NEPA, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) documents. The two chapters included in this document (Chapters 4 and 6) are numbered to correspond to the chapters where such information is typically presented in environmental impact statements (Weiss) and other Hanford Site NEPA or CERCLA documentation. Chapter 4.0 (Affected Environment) describes Hanford Site climate and meteorology, geology, hydrology, ecology, cultural, archaeological, and historical resources, socioeconomics, occupational safety, and noise. Chapter 6.0 (Statutory and Regulatory Requirements) describes federal and state laws and regulations, DOE directives and permits, and presidential executive orders that are applicable to the NEPA documents prepared for Hanford Site activities.

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neitzel, Duane A.; Bunn, Amoret L.; Duncan, Joanne P.; Eschbach, Tara O.; Fowler, Richard A.; Fritz, Brad G.; Goodwin, Shannon M.; Harvey, David W.; Hendrickson, Paul L.; Hoitink, Dana J.; Horton, Duane G.; Last, George V.; Poston, Ted M.; Prendergast-Kennedy, Ellen L.; Rohay, Alan C.; Scott, Michael J.; Thorne, Paul D.

2002-09-01

This document describes the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site environment. It is updated each year and is intended to provide a consistent description of the Hanford Site environment for the many National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents being prepared by DOE contractors. No statements of significance or environmental consequences are provided. This year's report is the thirteenth revision of the original document published in 1988 and is (until replaced by the fourteenth revision) the only version that is relevant for use in the preparation of Hanford NEPA, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) documents. The two chapters included in this document (Chapters 4 and 6) are numbered to correspond to the chapters where such information is typically presented in environmental impact statements (Weiss) and other Hanford Site NEPA or CERCLA documentation. Chapter 4.0 (Affected Environment) describes Hanford Site climate and meteorology, geology, hydrology, ecology, cultural, archaeological, and historical resources, socioeconomics, occupational safety, and noise. Chapter 6.0 (Statutory and Regulatory Requirements) describes federal and state laws and regulations, DOE directives and permits, and presidential executive orders that are applicable to the NEPA documents prepared for Hanford Site activities.

Hanford process review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-12-01

This report is a summary of past incidents at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site. The purpose of the report is to provide the major, significant, nuclear-safety-related incidents which incurred at the Hanford Site in a single document for ease of historical research. It should be noted that the last major accident occurred in 1980. This document is a summary of reports released and available to the public in the DOE Headquarters and Richland public reading rooms. This document provides no new information that has not previously been reported. This report is not intended to cover all instances of radioactivity release or contamination, which are already the subject of other major reviews, several of which are referenced in Section 1.3

Use of Polyphosphate to Decrease Uranium Leaching in Hanford 300 Area Smear Zone Sediments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szecsody, James E.; Zhong, Lirong; Oostrom, Martinus; Vermeul, Vincent R.; Fruchter, Jonathan S.; Williams, Mark D.

2012-09-30

The primary objective of this study is to summarize the laboratory investigations performed to evaluate short- and long-term effects of phosphate treatment on uranium leaching from 300 area smear zone sediments. Column studies were used to compare uranium leaching in phosphate-treated to untreated sediments over a year with multiple stop flow events to evaluate longevity of the uranium leaching rate and mass. A secondary objective was to compare polyphosphate injection, polyphosphate/xanthan injection, and polyphosphate infiltration technologies that deliver phosphate to sediment.

Hanford tank initiative test facility site selection study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staehr, T.W.

1997-01-01

The Hanford Tanks Initiative (HTI) project is developing equipment for the removal of hard heel waste from the Hanford Site underground single-shell waste storage tanks. The HTI equipment will initially be installed in the 241-C-106 tank where its operation will be demonstrated. This study evaluates existing Hanford Site facilities and other sites for functional testing of the HTI equipment before it is installed into the 241-C-106 tank

Master schedule for CY-1979 Hanford environmental surveillance routine program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blumer, P.J.; Houston, J.R.; Eddy, P.A.

1978-12-01

The current schedule of data collection for the routine environmental surveillance program at the Hanford Site, as conducted by the Environmental Evaluation Section of Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratory for the Department of Energy (DOE), is given. Modifications to the schedule are made during the year and special areas of study, usually of short duration, are not scheduled. The environmental surveillance program objectives are to evaluate the levels of radioactive and nonradioactive pollutants in the Hanford environs, and to monitor Hanford operations for compliance with applicable environmental criteria and Washington State Water Quality Standards. Air quality data are obtained in a separate program administered by the Hanford Environmental Health Foundation. The collection schedule for potable water is shown but it is not part of the routine environmental surveillance program. Water quality data for Hanford Site potable water systems are published each year by the Hanford Environmental Health Foundation. The data collected are available in routine reports issued by the Environmental Evaluations staff. Groundwater data and evaluation are reported in the series, ''Radiological Status of the Groundwater Beneath the Hanford Project for...,'' the latest issue being PNL-2624 for CY-1977. Data from locations within the plant boundaries are presented in the annual ''Environmental Status of the Hanford Site for...'' report series, the most recent report being PNL-2677 for 1977. Data from offsite locations are presented in the annual ''Environmental Surveillance at Hanford for...'' series of reports, the latest being PNL-2614 for 1977

HANFORD WASTE MINEROLOGY REFERENCE REPORT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Disselkamp, R.S.

2010-01-01

This report lists the observed mineral phases present in the Hanford tanks. This task was accomplished by performing a review of numerous reports using experimental techniques including, but not limited to: x-ray diffraction, polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and particle size distribution analyses. This report contains tables that can be used as a quick reference to identify the crystal phases present observed in Hanford waste.

Hanford Waste Mineralogy Reference Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Disselkamp, R.S.

2010-01-01

This report lists the observed mineral phases present in the Hanford tanks. This task was accomplished by performing a review of numerous reports that used experimental techniques including, but not limited to: x-ray diffraction, polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and particle size distribution analyses. This report contains tables that can be used as a quick reference to identify the crystal phases observed in Hanford waste.

HANFORD WASTE MINERALOGY REFERENCE REPORT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DISSELKAMP RS

2010-06-29

This report lists the observed mineral phases present in the Hanford tanks. This task was accomplished by performing a review of numerous reports that used experimental techniques including, but not limited to: x-ray diffraction, polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and particle size distribution analyses. This report contains tables that can be used as a quick reference to identify the crystal phases observed in Hanford waste.

HANFORD WASTE MINEROLOGY REFERENCE REPORT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

DISSELKAMP RS

2010-06-18

This report lists the observed mineral phase phases present in the Hanford tanks. This task was accomplished by performing a review of numerous reports using experimental techniques including, but not limited to: x-ray diffraction, polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and particle size distribution analyses. This report contains tables that can be used as a quick reference to identify the crystal phases present observed in Hanford waste.

Report for Batch Leach Analyses on Sediments at 100-KR-4 Operable Unit, Boreholes C7684, C7688, and C7695

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindberg, Michael J.

2011-03-01

This is a data report for sediment samples received by CHPRC from the 100-KR-4 OU. Between December 17, 2010 and February 17, 2011 sediment samples were received from 100-KR-4 Operable Unit for geochemical studies. The analyses for this project were performed at the 331 building located in the 300 Area of the Hanford Site. The analyses were performed according to Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) approved procedures and/or nationally recognized test procedures. The data sets include the sample identification numbers, analytical results, estimated quantification limits (EQL), and quality control data. The preparatory and analytical quality control requirements, calibration requirements, acceptance criteria, and failure actions are defined in the on-line QA plan 'Conducting Analytical Work in Support of Regulatory Programs' (CAW). This QA plan implements the Hanford Analytical Services Quality Assurance Requirements Documents (HASQARD) for PNNL.

Software configuration management plan for the Hanford site technical database

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GRAVES, N.J.

1999-01-01

The Hanford Site Technical Database (HSTD) is used as the repository/source for the technical requirements baseline and programmatic data input via the Hanford Site and major Hanford Project Systems Engineering (SE) activities. The Hanford Site SE effort has created an integrated technical baseline for the Hanford Site that supports SE processes at the Site and project levels which is captured in the HSTD. The HSTD has been implemented in Ascent Logic Corporation (ALC) Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) package referred to as the Requirements Driven Design (RDD) software. This Software Configuration Management Plan (SCMP) provides a process and means to control and manage software upgrades to the HSTD system

75 FR 6018 - Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-05

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Hanford AGENCY... Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford (known locally as the Hanford Advisory... and site management in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related...

Environmental surveillance at Hanford for CY-1974

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fix, J.J.

1975-04-01

During 1974, the work at Hanford included N Reactor operation, nuclear fuel fabrication, liquid waste solidification, continued construction of the Fast Flux Test Facility, continued construction of Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS) No. 2 power reactor, Arid Lands Ecology studies, as well as continued use of a variety of research and laboratory facilities. Environmental data collected during 1974 showed continued compliance of Hanford operations with all applicable state and federal regulations. Levels of radioactivity in the atmosphere from Hanford operations at all offsite sampling locations were indistinguishable from levels due to natural causes and fallout from nuclear detonations in the atmosphere. Air quality measurements of NO 2 in the Hanford environs recorded a maximum yearly average concentration of 0.006 ppM or 12 percent of the ambient air standard. There was no indication that Hanford operations contributed significantly to these levels. All SO 2 results were less than the detection limit of 0.005 ppM or 25 percent of the ambient air quality standard. Routine radiological, chemical, biological, and physical analyses of Columbia River water upstream and downstream of the Hanford Reservation operations with the possible exception of water temperature. Levels of radioactivity were similar at both locations and were due to natural and fallout radioactivity. Estimates are included of the radiation dose to the human population within an 80-kilometer (50-mile) radius of the site during 1974. Methods used in calculations of the annual dose and 50-year dose commitment from radioactive effluents are discussed. (U.S.)

Hanford: The evolution of a dinosaur

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fulton, J.

1995-01-01

This article describes how the Westinghouse Hanford Company is reinventing the US DOE's Hanford Site, turning a 1940s-era dinosaur into a 1990s-style business. The major topics covered include the following: breaking the logjam by ending the inefficient cost-plus days; Concentrating resources on resolving urgent safety issues; contract reform with more incentive, greater risk; finally reengineering: the next step

Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant applied technology plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruger, O.L.

1990-09-01

This Applied Technology Plan describes the process development, verification testing, equipment adaptation, and waste form qualification technical issues and plans for resolution to support the design, permitting, and operation of the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant. The scope of this Plan includes work to be performed by the research and development contractor, Pacific Northwest Laboratory, other organizations within Westinghouse Hanford Company, universities and companies with glass technology expertise, and other US Department of Energy sites. All work described in this Plan is funded by the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant Project and the relationship of this Plan to other waste management documents and issues is provided for background information. Work to performed under this Plan is divided into major areas that establish a reference process, develop an acceptable glass composition envelope, and demonstrate feed processing and glass production for the range of Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant feeds. Included in this work is the evaluation and verification testing of equipment and technology obtained from the Defense Waste Processing Facility, the West Valley Demonstration Project, foreign countries, and the Hanford Site. Development and verification of product and process models and other data needed for waste form qualification documentation are also included in this Plan. 21 refs., 4 figs., 33 tabs

Hanford facility dangerous waste permit application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This document, Set 2, the Hanford Facility Dangerous Waste Part B Permit Application, consists of 15 chapters that address the content of the Part B checklists prepared by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology 1987) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (40 CFR 270), with additional information requirements mandated by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 and revisions of WAC 173-303. For ease of reference, the Washington State Department of Ecology checklist section numbers, in brackets, follow the chapter headings and subheadings. This permit application contains ''umbrella- type'' documentation with overall application to the Hanford Facility. This documentation is broad in nature and applies to all TSD units that have final status under the Hanford Facility Permit

The Hanford summit and sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sullivan, C.T.

1994-05-01

Since the days of the Manhattan Project of World War II, the economic well being of the Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland) of Washington State has been tied to the US Department of Energy missions at the nearby Hanford Site. As missions at the Site changed, so did the well being of the region. The Hanford Site is now poised to complete its final mission, that of environmental restoration. When restoration is compiled, the Site may be closed and the effect on the local economy will be devastating if action is not taken now. To that end, economic diversification and transition are being planned. To facilitate the process, the Hanford Site will become a sustainable development demonstration project -- a project with regional, national, and international application

Management of Hanford Site non-defense production reactor spent nuclear fuel, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-03-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) needs to provide radiologically, and industrially safe and cost-effective management of the non-defense production reactor spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at the Hanford Site. The proposed action would place the Hanford Site's non-defense production reactor SNF in a radiologically- and industrially-safe, and passive storage condition pending final disposition. The proposed action would also reduce operational costs associated with storage of the non-defense production reactor SNF through consolidation of the SNF and through use of passive rather than active storage systems. Environmental, safety and health vulnerabilities associated with existing non-defense production reactor SNF storage facilities have been identified. DOE has determined that additional activities are required to consolidate non-defense production reactor SNF management activities at the Hanford Site, including cost-effective and safe interim storage, prior to final disposition, to enable deactivation of facilities where the SNF is now stored. Cost-effectiveness would be realized: through reduced operational costs associated with passive rather than active storage systems; removal of SNF from areas undergoing deactivation as part of the Hanford Site remediation effort; and eliminating the need to duplicate future transloading facilities at the 200 and 400 Areas. Radiologically- and industrially-safe storage would be enhanced through: (1) removal from aging facilities requiring substantial upgrades to continue safe storage; (2) utilization of passive rather than active storage systems for SNF; and (3) removal of SNF from some storage containers which have a limited remaining design life. No substantial increase in Hanford Site environmental impacts would be expected from the proposed action. Environmental impacts from postulated accident scenarios also were evaluated, and indicated that the risks associated with the proposed action would be small

Second and Third Quarters Hanford Seismic Report for Fiscal Year 1999

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartshorn, Donald C.; Reidel, Stephen P.; Rohay, Alan C.

1999-10-08

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors. Hanford Seismic Monitoring also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the Hanford Site.

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cannon, S.D.; Finch, S.M.

1992-10-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP) provides technical direction. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed from release to impact on humans (dose estimates):Source Terms, Environmental Transport, Environmental Monitoring Data, Demography, Food Consumption, and Agriculture, and Environmental Pathways and Dose Estimates

Temporal variations in atmospheric dispersion at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramsdell, J.V.; Burk, K.W.

1990-01-01

Climatological data are frequently used to estimate atmospheric dispersion factors for historical periods and for future releases for which adequate meteorological data are unavailable. This practice routinely leads to questions concerning the representativeness of data used. The work described here was performed to provide a basis for answering these questions at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in eastern Washington. Atmospheric transport and diffusion near Hanford have been examined using a Lagrangian puff dispersion model and hourly meteorological data from the Hanford Meteorological Station and a network of 24 surface wind stations for a 5-yr period. Average normalized monthly concentrations were computed at 2.5-km intervals on a 31 by 31 grid from January 1983 through 1987, assuming an elevated release in the 200-East Area. Monthly average concentrations were used to determine 5-yr mean pattern and monthly mean patterns and the interannual variability about each pattern. Intra-annual and diurnal variations in dispersion factors are examined for six locations near Hanford

Accelerated clean-up at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frain, J.M.; Johnson, W.L.

1994-01-01

The Hanford Site began operations in 1943 as one of the sites for plutonium production associated with the Manhattan Project. It has been used, in part, for nuclear reactor operation, reprocessing of spent fuel, and management of radioactive waste. The Hanford Site covers approximately 1,434 km 2 (560 mi 2 2) in southeastern Washington State. The subject of this paper, the 618-9 Burial Ground, is located on the Hanford Site approximately 1.6 km (1 mi) west of the Columbia River, and a few miles north of Richland, Washington. Throughout Hanford Site history, prior to legislation regarding disposal of chemical waste products, some chemical waste byproducts were disposed ,ia burial in trenches. One such trench was the 618-9 Burial Ground. This burial ground was suspected to contain approximately 19,000 L (5,000 gal) of uranium-contaminated organic solvent, disposed in standard 55-gal (208-L) metal drums. The waste was produced from research and development activities related to fuel reprocessing

Hanford spent nuclear fuel project update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Williams, N.H.

1997-08-19

Twenty one hundred metric tons of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) are currently stored in the Hanford Site K Basins near the Columbia River. The deteriorating conditions of the fuel and the basins provide engineering and management challenges to assure safe current and future storage. DE and S Hanford, Inc., part of the Fluor Daniel Hanford, Inc. lead team on the Project Hanford Management Contract, is constructing facilities and systems to move the fuel from current pool storage to a dry interim storage facility away from the Columbia River, and to treat and dispose of K Basins sludge, debris and water. The process starts in K Basins where fuel elements will be removed from existing canisters, washed, and separated from sludge and scrap fuel pieces. Fuel elements will be placed in baskets and loaded into Multi-Canister Overpacks (MCOs) and into transportation casks. The MCO and cask will be transported to the Cold Vacuum Drying Facility, where free water within the MCO will be removed under vacuum at slightly elevated temperatures. The MCOs will be sealed and transported via the transport cask to the Canister Storage Building.

Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poston, Ted M.; Hanf, Robert W.; Dirkes, Roger L.; Morasch, Launa F.

2003-09-01

This report is prepared annually to satisfy the requirements of DOE Orders. The report provides an overview of activities at the Hanford Site during 2002 and demonstrates the site's compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws, regulations, executive orders, and DOE policies; and to summarize environmental data that characterize Hanford Site environmental management performance. The purpose of the report is to provide useful summary information to members of the public, public officials, regulators, Hanford contractors, and elected representatives.

Formation and preservation of greigite (Fe3S4) in a thick sediment layer from the central South Yellow Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jianxing; Mei, Xi; Shi, Xuefa; Liu, Qingsong; Liu, Yanguang; Ge, Shulan

2018-04-01

Sediments from continental shelves are sensitive to changes in both oceanic and terrestrial conditions, and, therefore, magnetic minerals in such sediments are affected strongly by depositional and diagenetic processes. Here, we investigated systematically an N-S transect of three sediment cores from the central South Yellow Sea (SYS) muddy area. Magnetic data indicate the presence of a horizontally distributed thick greigite-bearing layer. From an age model based on published magnetostratigraphy, accelerator mass spectrometry 14C dating ages, sedimentary characteristics and foraminiferal analysis, this layer was deposited within marine isotope stages (MIS) 17-13, following an enhanced sulphidic period over MIS 21-19 when the YS Warm Current and the associated YS Cold Water Mass were strong and where underlying sediments have higher total organic carbon, total sulphur and trace element molybdenum contents. Trace element cadmium enrichment in the greigite-bearing layers is documented for the first time, which indicates that weakly sulphidic (i.e. with trace levels of free H2S) conditions existed before greigite formed in a sulphidic environment during early diagenesis. It also indicates that subsequent conditions free of oxygen and H2S after greigite formation are more favourable for its preservation. We propose that organic matter supply was controlled over an extended period by moderate primary productivity. The combined effects of palaeoclimate and local tectonic subsidence were crucial for the formation and preservation of the identified greigite. In brief, our study improves understanding of the formation and preservation mechanisms of greigite in continental shelf sediments and reveals mid-Pleistocene palaeoenvironmental changes in the SYS.

Hanford site water table changes 1950-1980: data observations and evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmerman, D.A.; Reisenauer, A.E.; Black, G.D.; Young, M.A.

1986-04-01

The basalt formations underlying the Hanford site are being considered for characterization and evaluation as a deep geologic repository for defense and commercial radioactive wastes. To understand the hydrology of the Hanford area, we need to know if the ground-water system is in steady state and what impact a change in surface stress from artificial recharge may have on the underlying basalt aquifers. Researchers at Pacific Northwest Laboratory are supporting efforts to understand these issues by illustrating how changes in wastewater disposal activities at the Hanford site have altered the configuration of the water table surface with time. The objective of this work was to determine the magnitude and direction of changes in the elevation of the water table across the Hanford site from 1950 to 1980. Plots of the magnitudes of water-level changes occurring over 5-year intervals from 1950 through 1980 are presented. The water-level changes that occurred during each 5-year interval are related to water discharges from nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities or other discharge sources. The plots of water-level changes show large water-level increases in the vicinity of the Separations Area (200 East and 200 West) from 1950 to 1960; the rate of increase of water-level changes grows more slowly from 1960 to 1970, while the areal extent of the mounding continues to expand. Only small changes occur from 1970 to 1980; during this time period, the unconfined system appears to be in approximate equilibrium with the sources. Based on previous experience, it is believed that an increase in ground-water mounding will begin to appear near the 200 East Area B Pond as a result of the increased discharges from the restart of PUREX in 1983

Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rathbone, Bruce A.

2007-01-01

The Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842 documents the design and implementation of the external dosimetry system used at Hanford. The manual describes the dosimeter design, processing protocols, dose calculation methodology, radiation fields encountered, dosimeter response characteristics, limitations of dosimeter design under field conditions, and makes recommendations for effective use of the dosimeters in the field. The manual describes the technical basis for the dosimetry system in a manner intended to help ensure defensibility of the dose of record at Hanford and to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 835, DOELAP, DOE-RL, ORP, PNSO, and Hanford contractor requirements. The dosimetry system is operated by PNNL's Hanford External Dosimetry Program (HEDP) which provides dosimetry services to all Hanford contractors. The primary users of this manual are DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford using the dosimetry services of PNNL. Development and maintenance of this manual is funded directly by DOE and DOE contractors. Its contents have been reviewed and approved by DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford through the Hanford Personnel Dosimetry Advisory Committee (HPDAC) which is chartered and chaired by DOE-RL and serves as means of coordinating dosimetry practices across contractors at Hanford. This manual was established in 1996. Since inception, it has been revised many times and maintained by PNNL as a controlled document with controlled distribution. Rev. 0 marks the first revision to be released through PNNL's Electronic Records and Information Capture Architecture (ERICA) database. Revision numbers that are whole numbers reflect major revisions typically involving changes to all chapters in the document. Revision numbers that include a decimal fraction reflect minor revisions, usually restricted to selected chapters or selected pages in the document. Revision Log: Rev. 0 (2/25/2005) Major revision and expansion. Rev. 0.1 (3/12/2007) Minor

Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rathbone, Bruce A.

2007-03-12

The Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842 documents the design and implementation of the external dosimetry system used at Hanford. The manual describes the dosimeter design, processing protocols, dose calculation methodology, radiation fields encountered, dosimeter response characteristics, limitations of dosimeter design under field conditions, and makes recommendations for effective use of the dosimeters in the field. The manual describes the technical basis for the dosimetry system in a manner intended to help ensure defensibility of the dose of record at Hanford and to demonstrate compliance with 10 CFR 835, DOELAP, DOE-RL, ORP, PNSO, and Hanford contractor requirements. The dosimetry system is operated by PNNL’s Hanford External Dosimetry Program (HEDP) which provides dosimetry services to all Hanford contractors. The primary users of this manual are DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford using the dosimetry services of PNNL. Development and maintenance of this manual is funded directly by DOE and DOE contractors. Its contents have been reviewed and approved by DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford through the Hanford Personnel Dosimetry Advisory Committee (HPDAC) which is chartered and chaired by DOE-RL and serves as means of coordinating dosimetry practices across contractors at Hanford. This manual was established in 1996. Since inception, it has been revised many times and maintained by PNNL as a controlled document with controlled distribution. Rev. 0 marks the first revision to be released through PNNL’s Electronic Records & Information Capture Architecture (ERICA) database. Revision numbers that are whole numbers reflect major revisions typically involving changes to all chapters in the document. Revision numbers that include a decimal fraction reflect minor revisions, usually restricted to selected chapters or selected pages in the document. Revision Log: Rev. 0 (2/25/2005) Major revision and expansion. Rev. 0.1 (3/12/2007) Minor

Ground-water contribution to dose from past Hanford Operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freshley, M.D.; Thorne, P.D.

1992-08-01

The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction (HEDR) Project is being conducted to estimate radiation doses that populations and individuals could have received from Hanford Site operations from 1944 to the present. Four possible pathways by which radionuclides migrating in ground water on the Hanford Site could have reached the public have been identified: (1) through contaminated ground water migrating to the Columbia River; (2) through wells on or adjacent to the Hanford Site; (3) through wells next to the Columbia River downstream of Hanford that draw some or all of their water from the river (riparian wells); and (4) through atmospheric deposition resulting in contamination of a small watershed that, in turn, results in contamination of a shallow well or spring by transport in the ground water. These four pathways make up the ''ground-water pathway,'' which is the subject of this study. Assessment of the ground-water pathway was performed by (1) reviewing the existing extensive literature on ground water and ground-water monitoring at Hanford and (2) performing calculations to estimate radionuclide concentrations where no monitoring data were collected. Radiation doses that would result from exposure to these radionuclides were calculated

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E. (ed.)

1992-12-01

This fifth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. Information is presented on climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels, prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff. Models are described that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclide transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions. Federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable for the NEPA documents at the Hanford Site, are provided.

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cushing, C.E.

1992-12-01

This fifth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. Information is presented on climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels, prepared by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) staff. Models are described that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclide transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions. Federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable for the NEPA documents at the Hanford Site, are provided

Radioactive waste management at the Hanford Reservation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1979-01-01

During some 30 years of plutonium production, the Hanford Reservation has accumulated large quantities of low- and high-level radioactive wastes. The high-level wastes have been stored in underground tanks, and the low-level wastes have been percolated into the soil. In recent years some programs for solidification and separation of the high-level wastes have been initiated. The Hanford waste-management system was studied by a panel of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management of the National Academy of Sciences. The panel concluded that Hanford waste-management practices were adequate at present and for the immediate future but recommended increased research and development programs related to long-term isolation of the wastes. The panel also considered some alternatives for on-site disposal of the wastes. The Hanford Reservation was originally established for the production of plutonium for military purposes. During more than 30 years of operation, large volumes of high- and low-level radioactive wastes have been accumulated and contained at the site. The Management of these wastes has been the subject of controversy and criticism. To obtain a true technical evaluation of the Hanford waste situation, the Energy Research and Development Administration (now part of the Department of Energy) issued a contract to the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Councilto conduct an independent review and evaluation of the Hanford waste-management practices and plans. A panel of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CRWM) of the National Academy of Sciences conducted this study between the summer of 1976 and the summer of 1977. This article is a summary of the final report of that panel

Hanford annual first quarter seismic report, fiscal year 1998: Seismicity on and near the Hanford Site, Pasco Basin, Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartshorn, D.C.; Reidel, S.P.; Rohay, A.C.

1998-02-01

Hanford Seismic Monitoring provides an uninterrupted collection of high-quality raw and processed seismic data from the Hanford Seismic Network (HSN) for the US Department of Energy and its contractors. The staff also locates and identifies sources of seismic activity and monitors changes in the historical pattern of seismic activity at the hanford Site. The data are compiled, archived, and published for use by the Hanford Site for waste management, Natural Phenomena Hazards assessments, and engineering design and construction. In addition, the seismic monitoring organization works with the Hanford Site Emergency Services Organization to provide assistance in the event of an earthquake on the Hanford Site. The HSN and the Eastern Washington Regional Network (EWRN) consist of 41 individual sensor sites and 15 radio relay sites maintained by the Hanford Seismic Monitoring staff. The operational rate for the first quarter of FY98 for stations in the HSN was 98.5%. The operational rate for the first quarter of FY98 for stations of the EWRN was 99.1%. For the first quarter of FY98, the acquisition computer triggered 184 times. Of these triggers 23 were local earthquakes: 7 in the Columbia River Basalt Group, and 16 in the crystalline basement. The geologic and tectonic environments where these earthquakes occurred are discussed in this report. The most significant earthquakes in this quarter were a series of six events which occurred in the Cold Creek depression (approximately 4 km SW of the 200 West Area), between November 6 and November 11, 1997. All events were deep (> 15 km) and were located in the crystalline basement. The first event was the largest, having a magnitude of 3.49 M{sub c}. Two events on November 9, 1997 had magnitudes of 2.81 and 2.95 M{sub c}, respectively. The other events had magnitudes between 0.7 and 1.2 M{sub c}.

Soft-Sediment Deformation Structures Interpreted as Seismites in the Kolankaya Formation, Denizli Basin (SW Turkey)

Science.gov (United States)

Topal, Savaş; Özkul, Mehmet

2014-01-01

The NW-trending Denizli basin of the SW Turkey is one of the neotectonic grabens in the Aegean extensional province. It is bounded by normal faults on both southern and northern margins. The basin is filled by Neogene and Quaternary terrestrial deposits. Late Miocene- Late Pliocene aged Kolankaya formation crops out along the NW trending Karakova uplift in the Denizli basin. It is a typical fluviolacustrine succession that thickens and coarsens upward, comprising poorly consolidated sand, gravelly sand, siltstone and marl. Various soft-sediment deformation structures occur in the formation, especially in fine- to medium grained sands, silts and marls: load structures, flame structures, clastic dikes (sand and gravely-sand dike), disturbed layers, laminated convolute beds, slumps and synsedimentary faulting. The deformation mechanism and driving force for the soft-sediment deformation are related essentially to gravitational instability, dewatering, liquefaction-liquidization, and brittle deformation. Field data and the wide lateral extent of the structures as well as regional geological data show that most of the deformation is related to seismicity and the structures are interpreted as seismites. The existence of seismites in the Kolankaya Formation is evidence for continuing tectonic activity in the study area during the Neogene and is consistent with the occurrence of the paleoearthquakes of magnitude >5. PMID:25152909

Westinghouse Hanford Company package testing capabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hummer, J.H.; Mercado, M.S.

1993-07-01

The Department of Energy's Hanford Site is a 1,450-km 2 (560-mi 2 ) installation located in southeastern Washington State. Established in 1943 as a plutonium production facility, Hanford's role has evolved into one of environmental restoration and remediation. Many of these environmental restoration and remediation activities involve transportation of radioactive/hazardous materials. Packagings used for the transportation of radioactive/hazardous materials must be capable of meeting certain normal transport and hypothetical accident performance criteria. Evaluations of performance to these criteria typically involve a combination of analysis and testing. Required tests may include the free drop, puncture, penetration, compression, thermal, heat, cold, vibration, water spray, water immersion, reduced pressure, and increased pressure tests. The purpose of this paper is to outline the Hanford capabilities for performing each of these tests

Overview of the Hanford risk management plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halverson, T.G.

1998-01-01

The Project Hanford Management Contract called for the enhancement of site-wide decision processes, and development of a Hanford Risk Management Plan to adopt or develop a risk management system for the Hanford Site. This Plan provides a consistent foundation for Site issues and addresses site-wide management of risks of all types. It supports the Department of Energy planning and sitewide decision making policy. Added to this requirement is a risk performance report to characterize the risk management accomplishments. This paper presents the development of risk management within the context of work planning and performance. Also discussed are four risk elements which add value to the context

Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rathbone, Bruce A.

2010-04-01

The Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842 documents the design and implementation of the external dosimetry system used at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford site. The manual describes the dosimeter design, processing protocols, dose calculation methodology, radiation fields encountered, dosimeter response characteristics, limitations of dosimeter design under field conditions, and makes recommendations for effective use of the dosimeters in the field. The manual describes the technical basis for the dosimetry system in a manner intended to help ensure defensibility of the dose of record at Hanford and to demonstrate compliance with requirements of 10 CFR 835, the DOE Laboratory Accreditation Program, the DOE Richland Operations Office, DOE Office of River Protection, DOE Pacific Northwest Office of Science, and Hanford’s DOE contractors. The dosimetry system is operated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Hanford External Dosimetry Program which provides dosimetry services to PNNL and all Hanford contractors. The primary users of this manual are DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford using the dosimetry services of PNNL. Development and maintenance of this manual is funded directly by DOE and DOE contractors. Its contents have been reviewed and approved by DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford through the Hanford Personnel Dosimetry Advisory Committee which is chartered and chaired by DOE-RL and serves as means of coordinating dosimetry practices across contractors at Hanford. This manual was established in 1996. Since its inception, it has been revised many times and maintained by PNNL as a controlled document with controlled distribution. The first revision to be released through PNNL’s Electronic Records & Information Capture Architecture database was designated Revision 0. Revision numbers that are whole numbers reflect major revisions typically involving significant changes to all chapters in the document. Revision

Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rathbone, Bruce A.

2011-04-04

The Hanford External Dosimetry Technical Basis Manual PNL-MA-842 documents the design and implementation of the external dosimetry system used at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford site. The manual describes the dosimeter design, processing protocols, dose calculation methodology, radiation fields encountered, dosimeter response characteristics, limitations of dosimeter design under field conditions, and makes recommendations for effective use of the dosimeters in the field. The manual describes the technical basis for the dosimetry system in a manner intended to help ensure defensibility of the dose of record at Hanford and to demonstrate compliance with requirements of 10 CFR 835, the DOE Laboratory Accreditation Program, the DOE Richland Operations Office, DOE Office of River Protection, DOE Pacific Northwest Office of Science, and Hanford’s DOE contractors. The dosimetry system is operated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Hanford External Dosimetry Program which provides dosimetry services to PNNL and all Hanford contractors. The primary users of this manual are DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford using the dosimetry services of PNNL. Development and maintenance of this manual is funded directly by DOE and DOE contractors. Its contents have been reviewed and approved by DOE and DOE contractors at Hanford through the Hanford Personnel Dosimetry Advisory Committee which is chartered and chaired by DOE-RL and serves as means of coordinating dosimetry practices across contractors at Hanford. This manual was established in 1996. Since its inception, it has been revised many times and maintained by PNNL as a controlled document with controlled distribution. The first revision to be released through PNNL’s Electronic Records & Information Capture Architecture database was designated Revision 0. Revision numbers that are whole numbers reflect major revisions typically involving significant changes to all chapters in the document. Revision

Hanford Site environmental report for calendar year 1991

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Lundgren, R.E. (eds.)

1992-06-01

This report of the Hanford Reservation is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1991 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; present information on environmental surveillance and the ground-water protection and monitoring program; and discuss activities to ensure quality.

Hanford Site environmental report for calendar year 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Hefty, M.G.; Lundgren, R.E.

1991-01-01

The Hanford Site Environmental Report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its new mission; summarize the status in 1990 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; present information on environmental surveillance and the ground-water protection and monitoring program; and discuss activities to ensure quality

Hanford Site environmental report for calendar year 1990

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Hefty, M.G.; Lundgren, R.E. (eds.)

1991-12-20

The Hanford Site Environmental Report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its new mission; summarize the status in 1990 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; present information on environmental surveillance and the ground-water protection and monitoring program; and discuss activities to ensure quality.

Hanford Internal Dosimetry Program Manual, PNL-MA-552

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carbaugh, Eugene H.; Bihl, Donald E.; Maclellan, Jay A.

2009-09-24

This manual is a guide to the services provided by the Hanford Internal Dosimetry Program (IDP), which is operated by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.( ) for the U.S. Department of Energy Richland Operations Office, Office of River Protection and their Hanford Site contractors. The manual describes the roles of and relationships between the IDP and the radiation protection programs of the Hanford Site contractors. Recommendations and guidance are also provided for consideration in implementing bioassay monitoring and internal dosimetry elements of radiation protection programs.

Hanford Site environmental report for calendar year 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodruff, R.K.; Hanf, R.W.; Lundgren, R.E.

1992-06-01

This report of the Hanford Reservation is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, and demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations. The report also highlights major environmental programs and efforts. The following sections: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1991 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; present information on environmental surveillance and the ground-water protection and monitoring program; and discuss activities to ensure quality

Distribution of Hanford reactor produced radionuclides in the marine environment, 1961-73

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seymour, A.H.

1980-01-01

At Hanford (U.S.A.), the plutonium-producing reactors were in operation during 1944-1971. The period of maximum reactor operation was 1955-1965, when eight reactors were in operation. The reactor deactivation programme began in 1965 and the last reactor was deactivated in 1971. All these reactors were cooled by Columbia River water which passed through the reactors and then was discharged to the river and ultimately to the North Pacific. The Laboratory of Radiation Ecology (LRE) of the University of Washington started an environmental survey programme in 1965 and continued it upto 1973 i.e. even after the last plutonium producing reactor was deactivated. The programme objectives were: (1) to find the geographical distribution and concentration of Hanford produced radionuclides in water, sediments and biota of the marine environment, (2) to relate the operation of the Hanford reactors during the period of deactivation to the concentration of radionuclides in marine organisms, and (3) to observe the rate at which the marine organisms cleansed themselves of 65 Zn after the primary source had been removed. An account of the programme and highlights of the observations are reported. Most of the radioactivity entering the river water and marine organisms was due to 51 Cr, 65 Zn and 32 P of which 65 Zn was found to be the most abundant radionuclide in the biological samples. The rate of radioactivity from the river water entering into the Ocean was about 1000 curies per day and it did not produce any observable effects on populations of marine organisms. The internal dose to man from 65 Zn via seafoods was only a small fraction of the permissible dose for individual members of the population. (M.G.B.)

Hanford prototype-barrier status report: FY 1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gee, G.W.; Ward, A.L.; Gilmore, B.G.; Ligotke, M.W.; Link, S.O.

1995-11-01

Surface barriers (or covers) have been proposed for use at the Hanford Site as a means to isolate certain waste sites that, for reasons of cost or worker safety or both, may not be exhumed. Surface barriers are intende to isolated the wastes from the accessible environment and to provide long-term protection to future populations that might use the Hanford Site. Currently, no ''proven'' long-term barrier system is available. For this reason, the Hanford Site Permanent Isolation Surface-Barrier Development Program (BDP) was organized to develop the technology needed to provide long-term surface barrier capability for the Hanford Site for the US Department of Energy (DOE). Designs have been proposed to meet the most stringent needs for long-term waste disposal. The objective of the current barrier design is to use natural materials to develop a protective barrier system that isolates wastes for at least 1000 years by limiting water, plant, animal, and human intrusion; and minimizing erosion. The design criteria for water drainage has been set at 0.5 mm/yr. While other design criteria are more qualitative, it is clear that waste isolation for an extended time is the prime objective of the design. Constructibility and performance. are issues that can be tested and dealt with by evaluating prototype designs prior to extensive construction and deployment of covers for waste sites at Hanford

Iodate and nitrate transformation by Agrobacterium/Rhizobium related strain DVZ35 isolated from contaminated Hanford groundwater.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Brady D; Ellis, Joshua T; Dodwell, Alex; Eisenhauer, Emalee E R; Saunders, Danielle L; Lee, M Hope

2018-05-15

Nitrate and radioiodine ( 129 I) contamination is widespread in groundwater underneath the Central Plateau of the Hanford Site. 129 I, a byproduct of nuclear fission, is of concern due to a 15.7 million year half-life, and toxicity. The Hanford 200 West Area contains plumes covering 4.3 km 2 with average 129 I concentrations of 3.5 pCi/L. Iodate accounts for 70.6% of the iodine present and organo-iodine and iodide make up 25.8% and 3.6%, respectively. Nitrate plumes encompassing the 129 I plumes have a surface area of 16 km 2 averaging 130 mg/L. A nitrate and iodate reducing bacterium closely related to Agrobacterium, strain DVZ35, was isolated from sediment incubated in a 129 I plume. Iodate removal efficiency was 36.3% in transition cultures, and 47.8% in anaerobic cultures. Nitrate (10 mM) was also reduced in the microcosm. When nitrate was spiked into the microcosms, iodate removal efficiency was 84.0% and 69.2% in transition and anaerobic cultures, respectively. Iodate reduction was lacking when nitrate was absent from the growth medium. These data indicate there is simultaneous reduction of nitrate and iodate by DVZ35, and iodate is reduced to iodide. Results provide the scientific basis for combined nitrogen and iodine cycling throughout the Hanford Site. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Hanford Site environmental management specification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grygiel, M.L.

1998-06-10

The US Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (RL) uses this Hanford Site Environmental Management Specification (Specification) to document top-level mission requirements and planning assumptions for the prime contractors involved in Hanford Site cleanup and infrastructure activities under the responsibility of the US Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management. This Specification describes at a top level the activities, facilities, and infrastructure necessary to accomplish the cleanup of the Hanford Site and assigns this scope to Site contractors and their respective projects. This Specification also references the key National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), and safety documentation necessary to accurately describe the cleanup at a summary level. The information contained in this document reflects RL`s application of values, priorities, and critical success factors expressed by those involved with and affected by the Hanford Site project. The prime contractors and their projects develop complete baselines and work plans to implement this Specification. These lower-level documents and the data that support them, together with this Specification, represent the full set of requirements applicable to the contractors and their projects. Figure 1-1 shows the relationship of this Specification to the other basic Site documents. Similarly, the documents, orders, and laws referenced in this specification represent only the most salient sources of requirements. Current and contractual reference data contain a complete set of source documents.

Hanford Site environmental management specification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grygiel, M.L.

1998-01-01

The US Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (RL) uses this Hanford Site Environmental Management Specification (Specification) to document top-level mission requirements and planning assumptions for the prime contractors involved in Hanford Site cleanup and infrastructure activities under the responsibility of the US Department of Energy, Office of Environmental Management. This Specification describes at a top level the activities, facilities, and infrastructure necessary to accomplish the cleanup of the Hanford Site and assigns this scope to Site contractors and their respective projects. This Specification also references the key National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA), and safety documentation necessary to accurately describe the cleanup at a summary level. The information contained in this document reflects RL's application of values, priorities, and critical success factors expressed by those involved with and affected by the Hanford Site project. The prime contractors and their projects develop complete baselines and work plans to implement this Specification. These lower-level documents and the data that support them, together with this Specification, represent the full set of requirements applicable to the contractors and their projects. Figure 1-1 shows the relationship of this Specification to the other basic Site documents. Similarly, the documents, orders, and laws referenced in this specification represent only the most salient sources of requirements. Current and contractual reference data contain a complete set of source documents

Hanford Site Waste management units report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

This report summarizes the operable units in several areas of the Hanford Site Waste Facility. Each operable unit has several waste units (crib, ditch, pond, etc.). The operable units are summarized by describing each was unit. Some of the descriptions are unit name, unit type, waste category start data, site description, etc. The descriptions will vary for each waste unit in each operable unit and area of the Hanford Site

Hanford/Tomsk reciprocal site visit: Plutonium agreement compliance talks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Libby, R.A.; Sorenson, R.; Six, D.; Schiegel, S.C.

1994-11-01

The objective of the visit to Hanford Site was to: demonstrate equipment, technology, and methods for calculating Pu production, measuring integrated reactor power, and storing and safeguarding PuO 2 ; demonstrate the shutdown of Hanford production reactors; and foster openness and transparency of Hanford operations. The first day's visit was an introduction to Hanford and a review of the history of the reactors. The second day consisted of discussions on the production reactors, reprocessing operations, and PuO 2 storage. The group divided on the third day to tour facilities. Group A toured the N reactor, K-West reactor, K-West Basins, B reactor, and participated in a demonstration and discussion of reactor modeling computer codes. Group B toured the Hanford Pu Storage Facility, 200-East Area, N-cell (oxide loadout station), the Automated Storage Facility, and the Nondestructive Assay Measurement System. Group discussions were held during the last day of the visit, which included scheduling of a US visit to Russia

Characterization of Vadose Zone Sediments Below the TX Tank Farm: Boreholes C3830, C3831, C3832 and RCRA Borehole 299-W10-27

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serne, R. Jeffrey; Bjornstad, Bruce N.; Horton, Duane G.; Lanigan, David C.; Lindenmeier, Clark W.; Lindberg, Michael J.; Clayton, Ray E.; Legore, Virginia L.; Orr, Robert D.; Kutnyakov, Igor V.; Baum, Steven R.; Geiszler, Keith N.; Valenta, Michelle M.; Vickerman, Tanya S.

2008-09-11

This report was revised in September 2008 to remove acid-extractable sodium data from Tables 4.8, 4.28,4.43, and 4.59. The sodium data was removed due to potential contamination introduced during the acid extraction process. The rest of the text remains unchanged from the original report issued in April 2004. The overall goal of the Tank Farm Vadose Zone Project, led by CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc., is to define risks from past and future single-shell tank farm activities at Hanford. To meet this goal, CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. tasked scientists from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to perform detailed analyses on vadose zone sediments from within Waste Management Area (WMA) T-TX-TY. This report is the first of two reports written to present the results of these analyses. Specifically, this report contains all the geologic, geochemical, and selected physical characterization data collected on vadose zone sediment recovered from boreholes C3830, C3831, and C3832 in the TX Tank Farm, and from borehole 299-W-10-27 installed northeast of the TY Tank Farm.

Hanford analytical sample projections FY 1998 - FY 2002

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joyce, S.M.

1998-01-01

Analytical Services projections are compiled for the Hanford site based on inputs from the major programs for the years 1998 through 2002. Projections are categorized by radiation level, protocol, sample matrix and program. Analyses requirements are also presented. This document summarizes the Hanford sample projections for fiscal years 1998 to 2002. Sample projections are based on inputs submitted to Analytical Services covering Environmental Restoration, Tank Waste Remediation Systems (TWRS), Solid Waste, Liquid Effluents, Spent Nuclear Fuels, Transition Projects, Site Monitoring, Industrial Hygiene, Analytical Services and miscellaneous Hanford support activities. In addition, details on laboratory scale technology (development) work, Sample Management, and Data Management activities are included. This information will be used by Hanford Analytical Services (HAS) and the Sample Management Working Group (SMWG) to assure that laboratories and resources are available and effectively utilized to meet these documented needs

Hanford analytical sample projections FY 1998--FY 2002

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Joyce, S.M.

1998-02-12

Analytical Services projections are compiled for the Hanford site based on inputs from the major programs for the years 1998 through 2002. Projections are categorized by radiation level, protocol, sample matrix and program. Analyses requirements are also presented. This document summarizes the Hanford sample projections for fiscal years 1998 to 2002. Sample projections are based on inputs submitted to Analytical Services covering Environmental Restoration, Tank Waste Remediation Systems (TWRS), Solid Waste, Liquid Effluents, Spent Nuclear Fuels, Transition Projects, Site Monitoring, Industrial Hygiene, Analytical Services and miscellaneous Hanford support activities. In addition, details on laboratory scale technology (development) work, Sample Management, and Data Management activities are included. This information will be used by Hanford Analytical Services (HAS) and the Sample Management Working Group (SMWG) to assure that laboratories and resources are available and effectively utilized to meet these documented needs.

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, S.M.; McMakin, A.H.

1991-04-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation doses that populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is being managed and conducted by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) under the direction of an independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP). The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed, from released to impact on humans (dose estimates): source terms; environmental transport; environmental monitoring data; demographics, agriculture, food habits; and, environmental pathways and dose estimates

Disposal of Hanford defense waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holten, R.A.; Burnham, J.B.; Nelson, I.C.

1986-01-01

An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the disposal of Hanford Defense Waste is scheduled to be released near the end of March, 1986. This EIS will evaluate the impacts of alternatives for disposal of high-level, tank, and transuranic wastes which are now stored at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site or will be produced there in the future. In addition to releasing the EIS, the Department of Energy is conducting an extensive public participation process aimed at providing information to the public and receiving comments on the EIS

Use of decision analysis techniques to determine Hanford cleanup priorities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fassbender, L.; Gregory, R.; Winterfeldt, D. von; John, R.

1992-01-01

In January 1991, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Richland Field Office, Westinghouse Hanford Company, and the Pacific Northwest Laboratory initiated the Hanford Integrated Planning Process (HIPP) to ensure that technically sound and publicly acceptable decisions are made that support the environmental cleanup mission at Hanford. One of the HIPP's key roles is to develop an understanding of the science and technology (S and T) requirements to support the cleanup mission. This includes conducting an annual systematic assessment of the S and T needs at Hanford to support a comprehensive technology development program and a complementary scientific research program. Basic to success is a planning and assessment methodology that is defensible from a technical perspective and acceptable to the various Hanford stakeholders. Decision analysis techniques were used to help identify and prioritize problems and S and T needs at Hanford. The approach used structured elicitations to bring many Hanford stakeholders into the process. Decision analysis, which is based on the axioms and methods of utility and probability theory, is especially useful in problems characterized by uncertainties and multiple objectives. Decision analysis addresses uncertainties by laying out a logical sequence of decisions, events, and consequences and by quantifying event and consequence probabilities on the basis of expert judgments

Ground-water hydrology and radioactive waste disposal at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Law, A.G.

1979-02-01

This paper is a summary of the hydrologic activities conducted at the Hanford Site as a part of the environmental protection effort. The Site encompasses 1,480 square kilometers in the arid, southeastern part of Washington State. Precipitation averages about 160 millimeters per year with a negligible amount, if any, recharging the water table, which is from 50 to 100 meters below the ground surface. An unconfined aquifer occurs in the upper and middle Ringold Formations. The lower Ringold Formation along with interbed and interflow zones in the Saddle Mountain and Wanapum basalts forms a confined aquifer system. A potential exists for the interconnection of the unconfined and confined aquifer systems, especially near Gable Mountain where the anticlinal ridge was eroded by the catastrophic floods of the ancestral Columbia River system. Liquid wastes from chemical processing operations have resulted in large quantities of processing and cooling water disposed to ground via ponds, cribs, and ditches. The ground-water hydrology program at Hanford is designed: (1) to define and quantify the ground-water flow systems, (2) to evaluate the impact of the liquid waste discharges on these flow systems, and (3) to predict the impact on the ground-water systems of changes in system inputs. This work is conducted through a drilling, sampling, testing, and modeling program

Gas hydrate formation in deep-sea sediments - on the role of sediment-mechanical process determination; Gashydratbildung in Tiefseesedimenten - zur Rolle der sedimentmechanischen Prozesssteuerung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feeser, V. [Kiel Univ. (Germany). Geologisch-Palaeontologisches Inst.

1997-12-31

Slope failures in gas hydrate regions are encountered throughout the oceans. The stability of seafloor slopes can be assessed and predicted by means of calculation methods based on mechanical laws and parameters which describe the deformation behaviour and/or mechanical strength of the slope-forming sediments. Thermodynamic conditions conducive to the formation of gas hydrates in marine sediments differ from conditions prevailing in exclusively water-filled systems. The present contribution describes the relevant energetic conditions on the basis of a simple spherical model giving due consideration to petrographic parameters. Depending on pore size distribution, lithological stress conditions, pore water pressure, and sediment strength gas hydrates will either develop as a cementing phase or as segregated lenses. (MSK) [Deutsch] In den Weltmeeren ereignen sich immer wieder Hangrutschungen in Gashydratgebieten. Die zur Beurteilung und Prognonse von Hangstabilitaeten zu verwendenden Berechnungsverfahren erfordern Stoffgesetze und Parameter, welche das Deformations-und/oder Festigkeitsverhalten der hangbildenden Sedimente beschreiben. Die thermodynamischen Bildungsbedingungen von Gashydraten in marinen Sedimenten unterscheiden sich von den Bedingungen in ausschliesslich wassergefuellten Systemen. Unter Einbeziehung petrographischer Eigenschaften werden die energetischen Bedingungen beschrieben. Dazu dient ein einfaches Kugelmodell. Je nach vorhandenem Porenraumspektrum, lithostatischen Spannungsverhaeltnissen, Porenwasserdruck und Sedimentfestigkeit wachsen Gashydrate als Porenraumzement oder als segregierte Linsen.

Hanford low-level tank waste interim performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mann, F.M.

1997-01-01

The Hanford Low-Level Tank Waste Interim Performance Assessment examines the long-term environmental and human health effects associated with the disposal of the low-level fraction of the Hanford single and double-shell tank waste in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. This report was prepared as a good management practice to provide needed information about the relationship between the disposal system design and performance early in the disposal system project cycle. The calculations in this performance assessment show that the disposal of the low-level fraction can meet environmental and health performance objectives

Hydrologic management at the Hanford nuclear waste facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deju, R.A.; Gephart, R.E.

1975-05-01

Since 1944 the Hanford Reservation, located in south-central Washington, has been a site for radioactive waste storage and disposal. Many Hanford research programs are directed toward minimizing and managing the release of radionuclides into the environment. Hydrologic management of the Hanford facility involves such activities as regional and local geohydrologic characterization studies, environmental monitoring, groundwater management, and specific hydrologic research programs. This paper briefly examines each of these activities and reviews the progress to date in understanding the hydrologic flow regime existing beneath the Reservation. (U.S.)

Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poston, Ted M.; Duncan, Joanne P.; Dirkes, Roger L.

2009-09-15

The Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in accordance with regulatory requirements. The report provides an overview of activities at the Hanford Site; demonstrates the status of the site’s compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, executive orders, and DOE policies and directives; and summarizes environmental data that characterize Hanford Site environmental management performance. The report also highlights significant environmental and public protection programs and efforts. Some historical and early 2009 information is included where appropriate.

Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poston, Ted M.; Duncan, Joanne P.; Dirkes, Roger L.

2010-09-01

The Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in accordance with regulatory requirements. The report provides an overview of activities at the Hanford Site; demonstrates the status of the site’s compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, executive orders, and DOE policies and directives; and summarizes environmental data that characterize Hanford Site environmental management performance. The report also highlights significant environmental and public protection programs and efforts. Some historical and early 2010 information is included where appropriate.

Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poston, Ted M.; Duncan, Joanne P.; Dirkes, Roger L.

2011-07-12

The Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in accordance with regulatory requirements. The report provides an overview of activities at the Hanford Site; demonstrates the status of the site's compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, executive orders, and DOE policies and directives; and summarizes environmental data that characterize Hanford Site environmental management performance. The report also highlights significant environmental and public protection programs and efforts. Some historical and early 2011 information is included where appropriate.

Chemical evolution of leaked high-level liquid wastes in Hanford soils

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NYMAN,MAY D.; KRUMHANSL,JAMES L.; ZHANG,PENGCHU; ANDERSON,HOWARD L.; NENOFF,TINA M.

2000-05-19

A number of Hanford tanks have leaked high level radioactive wastes (HLW) into the surrounding unconsolidated sediments. The disequilibrium between atmospheric C0{sub 2} or silica-rich soils and the highly caustic (pH > 13) fluids is a driving force for numerous reactions. Hazardous dissolved components such as {sup 133}Cs, {sup 79}Se, {sup 99}Tc may be adsorbed or sequestered by alteration phases, or released in the vadose zone for further transport by surface water. Additionally, it is likely that precipitation and alteration reactions will change the soil permeability and consequently the fluid flow path in the sediments. In order to ascertain the location and mobility/immobility of the radionuclides from leaked solutions within the vadose zone, the authors are currently studying the chemical reactions between: (1) tank simulant solutions and Hanford soil fill minerals; and (2) tank simulant solutions and C0{sub 2}. The authors are investigating soil-solution reactions at: (1) elevated temperatures (60--200 C) to simulate reactions which occur immediately adjacent a radiogenically heated tank; and (2) ambient temperature (25 C) to simulate reactions which take place further from the tanks. The authors studies show that reactions at elevated temperature result in dissolution of silicate minerals and precipitation of zeolitic phases. At 25 C, silicate dissolution is not significant except where smectite clays are involved. However, at this temperature CO{sub 2} uptake by the solution results in precipitation of Al(OH){sub 3} (bayerite). In these studies, radionuclide analogues (Cs, Se and Re--for Tc) were partially removed from the test solutions both during high-temperature fluid-soil interactions and during room temperature bayerite precipitation. Altered soils would permanently retain a fraction of the Cs but essentially all of the Se and Re would be released once the plume was past and normal groundwater came in contact with the contaminated soil. Bayerite

Chemical evolution of leaked high-level liquid wastes in Hanford soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

NYMAN, MAY D.; KRUMHANSL, JAMES L.; ZHANG, PENGCHU; ANDERSON, HOWARD L.; NENOFF, TINA M.

2000-01-01

A number of Hanford tanks have leaked high level radioactive wastes (HLW) into the surrounding unconsolidated sediments. The disequilibrium between atmospheric C0 2 or silica-rich soils and the highly caustic (pH > 13) fluids is a driving force for numerous reactions. Hazardous dissolved components such as 133 Cs, 79 Se, 99 Tc may be adsorbed or sequestered by alteration phases, or released in the vadose zone for further transport by surface water. Additionally, it is likely that precipitation and alteration reactions will change the soil permeability and consequently the fluid flow path in the sediments. In order to ascertain the location and mobility/immobility of the radionuclides from leaked solutions within the vadose zone, the authors are currently studying the chemical reactions between: (1) tank simulant solutions and Hanford soil fill minerals; and (2) tank simulant solutions and C0 2 . The authors are investigating soil-solution reactions at: (1) elevated temperatures (60--200 C) to simulate reactions which occur immediately adjacent a radiogenically heated tank; and (2) ambient temperature (25 C) to simulate reactions which take place further from the tanks. The authors studies show that reactions at elevated temperature result in dissolution of silicate minerals and precipitation of zeolitic phases. At 25 C, silicate dissolution is not significant except where smectite clays are involved. However, at this temperature CO 2 uptake by the solution results in precipitation of Al(OH) 3 (bayerite). In these studies, radionuclide analogues (Cs, Se and Re--for Tc) were partially removed from the test solutions both during high-temperature fluid-soil interactions and during room temperature bayerite precipitation. Altered soils would permanently retain a fraction of the Cs but essentially all of the Se and Re would be released once the plume was past and normal groundwater came in contact with the contaminated soil. Bayerite, however, will retain significant

HANFORD SITE SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM RICHLAND WASHINGTON - 12464

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

FRITZ LL

2012-01-12

In support of implementation of Executive Order (EO) 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance, the Hanford Site Sustainability Plan was developed to implement strategies and activities required to achieve the prescribed goals in the EO as well as demonstrate measurable progress in environmental stewardship at the Hanford Site. The Hanford Site Sustainability Program was developed to demonstrate progress towards sustainability goals as defined and established in Executive Order (EO) 13514, Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy and Economic Performance; EO 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy and Transportation Management, and several applicable Energy Acts. Multiple initiatives were undertaken in Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 to implement the Program and poise the Hanford Site as a leader in environmental stewardship. In order to implement the Hanford Site Sustainability Program, a Sustainability Plan was developed in conjunction with prime contractors, two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Offices, and key stakeholders to serve as the framework for measuring progress towards sustainability goals. Based on the review of these metrics and future plans, several activities were initiated to proactively improve performance or provide alternatives for future consideration contingent on available funding. A review of the key metric associated with energy consumption for the Hanford Site in FY 2010 and 2011 indicated an increase over the target reduction of 3 percent annually from a baseline established in FY 2003 as illustrated in Figure 1. This slight increase was attributed primarily from the increased energy demand from the cleanup projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in FY 2010 and 2011. Although it is forecasted that the energy demand will decrease commensurate with the completion of ARRA projects, several major initiatives were launched to improve energy efficiency.

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neitzel, Duane A.; Bunn, Amoret L.; Cannon, Sandra D.; Duncan, Joanne P.; Fowler, Richard A.; Fritz, Brad G.; Harvey, David W.; Hendrickson, Paul L.; Hoitink, Dana J.; Horton, Duane G.; Last, George V.; Poston, Ted M.; Prendergast-Kennedy, Ellen L.; Reidel, Steve P.; Rohay, Alan C.; Scott, Michael J.; Thorne, Paul D.

2004-09-22

This document describes the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site environment. It is updated each year and is intended to provide a consistent description of the Hanford Site environment for the many National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents being prepared by DOE contractors. No statements of significance or environmental consequences are provided. This year's report is the sixteenth revision of the original document published in 1988 and is (until replaced by the seventeenth revision) the only version that is relevant for use in the preparation of Hanford NEPA, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) documents. The two chapters included in this document (Chapters 4 and 6) are numbered to correspond to the chapters where such information is typically presented in environmental impact statements (Weiss) and other Hanford Site NEPA or CERCLA documentation. Chapter 4.0 (Affected Environment) describes Hanford Site climate and meteorology, geology, hydrology, ecology, cultural, archaeological, and historical resources, socioeconomics, occupational safety and health, and noise. Chapter 6.0 (Statutory and Regulatory Requirements) describes federal and state laws and regulations, DOE directives and permits, and presidential executive orders that are applicable to the NEPA documents prepared for Hanford Site activities.

Removing Phosphate from Hanford High-Phosphate Tank Wastes: FY 2010 Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lumetta, Gregg J.; Braley, Jenifer C.; Edwards, Matthew K.; Qafoku, Odeta; Felmy, Andrew R.; Carter, Jennifer C.; MacFarlan, Paul J.

2010-09-22

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for environmental remediation at the Hanford Site in Washington State, a former nuclear weapons production site. Retrieving, processing, immobilizing, and disposing of the 2.2 × 105 m3 of radioactive wastes stored in the Hanford underground storage tanks dominates the overall environmental remediation effort at Hanford. The cornerstone of the tank waste remediation effort is the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). As currently designed, the capability of the WTP to treat and immobilize the Hanford tank wastes in the expected lifetime of the plant is questionable. For this reason, DOE has been pursuing supplemental treatment options for selected wastes. If implemented, these supplemental treatments will route certain waste components to processing and disposition pathways outside of WTP and thus will accelerate the overall Hanford tank waste remediation mission.

Qualification of Raman analysis on Hanford tank waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crawford, B.A.

1997-01-01

Chemical characterization is often required for the Hanford tanks in order to support safety assessments, compatibility between tank contents and operations activities such as sluicing and material transfer. Safety drivers include monitoring of organic chemical and oxidizer levels to better assess indicators that may point to problems from such factors as reactivity of tank contents and flammability from gas generation. Monitoring is also being recognized as a useful in support of operations in tank contents retrieval and storage of material before treatment. Important operations aspects which benefit from additional monitoring and characterization include formation of gels, foaming and fouling of transfer lines during material transfer

Physical Properties of Hanford Transuranic Waste Sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poloski, A. P.

2004-01-01

This project has two primary objectives. The first is to understand the physical properties and behavior of the Hanford transuranic (TRU) tank sludges under conditions that might exist during retrieval, treatment, packaging, and transportation for disposal at WIPP. The second primary objective is to develop a fundamental understanding of these sludge suspensions by correlating the macroscopic properties with particle interactions occurring at the colloidal scale in the various liquid media. The results of this research effort will enhance the existing understanding of agglomeration phenomena and the properties of complex colloidal suspensions. In addition, the knowledge gained and capabilities developed during this effort will aid in the development and optimization of techniques to process the wastes at various DOE sites. These objectives will be accomplished by: (1) characterizing the TRU sludges contained in the Hanford tanks that are intended for shipment to WIPP; (2) determining the physical behavior of the Hanford TRU tank sludges under conditions that might exist during treatment and packaging; (3) and modeling the retrieval, treatment, and packaging operations that will be performed at Hanford to dispose of TRU tank sludges

Prioritization of environmental cleanup problems at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fassbender, L.L.

1994-01-01

New technologies and scientific research are needed to clean up the Hanford Site. However, there is insufficient funding to develop every technology that is identified or to undertake every scientific research project that is proposed. Thus, the Department of Energy (DOE) must focus its resources on science and technology (S ampersand T) that will have the most significant impacts on the overall cleanup effort. Hanford has recognized the importance of identifying and prioritizing its most critical problems and the most promising solutions to them. Hanford cleanup will require numerous decisions about technology development and implementation, which will be complicated because there are substantial uncertainties about the risks and the costs of new technologies. Further, the choice of a specific technology for a specific application must be evaluated with respect to multiple (and often conflicting) objectives (e.g., risk reduction, increasing effectiveness, cost reduction, increasing public acceptability, regulatory compliance). This paper provides an overview of the decision analysis methodology that was used to prioritize S ampersand T needs for Hanford cleanup

Hanford 100-N Area In Situ Apatite and Phosphate Emplacement by Groundwater and Jet Injection: Geochemical and Physical Core Analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Szecsody, James E.; Vermeul, Vincent R.; Fruchter, Jonathan S.; Williams, Mark D.; Rockhold, Mark L.; Qafoku, Nikolla; Phillips, Jerry L.

2010-07-01

The purpose of this study is to evaluate emplacement of phosphate into subsurface sediments in the Hanford Site 100-N Area by two different technologies: groundwater injection of a Ca-citrate-PO4 solution and water-jet injection of sodium phosphate and/or fish-bone apatite. In situ emplacement of phosphate and apatite adsorbs, then incorporates Sr-90 into the apatite structure by substitution for calcium. Overall, both technologies (groundwater injection of Ca-citrate-PO4) and water-jet injection of sodium phosphate/fish-bone apatite) delivered sufficient phosphate to subsur¬face sediments in the 100-N Area. Over years to decades, additional Sr-90 will incorporate into the apatite precipitate. Therefore, high pressure water jetting is a viable technology to emplace phosphate or apatite in shallow subsurface sediments difficult to emplace by Ca-citrate-PO4 groundwater injections, but further analysis is needed to quantify the relevant areal extent of phosphate deposition (in the 5- to 15-ft distance from injection points) and cause of the high deposition in finer grained sediments.

In situ bioremediation of Hanford groundwater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skeen, R.S.; Roberson, K.R.; Workman, D.J.; Petersen, J.N.; Shouche, M.

1992-04-01

Liquid wastes containing radioactive, hazardous, and regulated chemicals have been generated throughout the 40+ years of operations at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site. Some of these wastes were discharged to the soil column and many of the waste components, including nitrate, carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 ), and several radionuclides, have been detected in the Hanford groundwater. Current DOE policy prohibits the disposal of contaminated liquids directly to the environment, and remediation of existing contaminated groundwaters may be required. In situ bioremediation is one technology currently being developed at Hanford to meet the need for cost effective technologies to clean groundwater contaminated with CCl 4 , nitrate, and other organic and inorganic contaminants. This paper focuses on the latest results of an on going effort to develop effective in situ remediation strategies through the use of predictive simulations

Summary of the Hanford Site environmental report for calendar year 1996

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanf, R.W.; O'Connor, G.P.; Dirkes, R.L.

1997-08-01

This report summarizes the 420-page Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 1996. The Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The summary is designed to briefly: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1996 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe environmental programs at the Hanford Site; discuss estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1996 Hanford Site activities; present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including groundwater protection and monitoring; and discuss activities to ensure quality

Summary of the Hanford Site environmental report for calendar year 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanf, R.W.; O`Connor, G.P.; Dirkes, R.L. [eds.] [comps.

1997-08-01

This report summarizes the 420-page Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 1996. The Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, describe environmental management performance, demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The summary is designed to briefly: describe the Hanford Site and its mission; summarize the status in 1996 of compliance with environmental regulations; describe environmental programs at the Hanford Site; discuss estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1996 Hanford Site activities; present information on effluent monitoring and environmental surveillance, including groundwater protection and monitoring; and discuss activities to ensure quality.

Vitrification technology for Hanford Site tank waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, E.T.; Calmus, R.B.; Wilson, C.N.

1995-04-01

The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site has an inventory of 217,000 m 3 of nuclear waste stored in 177 underground tanks. The DOE, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the Washington State Department of Ecology have agreed that most of the Hanford Site tank waste will be immobilized by vitrification before final disposal. This will be accomplished by separating the tank waste into high- and low-level fractions. Capabilities for high-capacity vitrification are being assessed and developed for each waste fraction. This paper provides an overview of the program for selecting preferred high-level waste melter and feed processing technologies for use in Hanford Site tank waste processing

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 8

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neitzel, D.A. [ed.; Bjornstad, B.N.; Fosmire, C.J.; Fowler, R.A. [and others

1996-08-01

This eighth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Chapters 4 and 6 in Hanford Site-related NEPA documents. Chapter 4 (Affected Environment) includes information on climate and meteorology, geology, hydrology, ecology, historical, archaeological and cultural resources, socioeconomics, and noise. Chapter 6 (Statutory and Regulatory Requirements) provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE directives and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable to the NEPA documents on the Hanford Site. The following sections were updated in this revision: climate and meteorology; ecology (threatened and endangered species section only); historical; archaeological and cultural resources; and all of chapter 6. No conclusions or recommendations are given in this report. Rather, it is a compilation of information on the Hanford Site environment that can be used directly by Site contractors. This information can also be used by any interested individual seeking baseline data on the hanford Site and its past activities by which to evaluate projected activities and their impacts.

Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization. Revision 8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neitzel, D.A.; Bjornstad, B.N.; Fosmire, C.J.; Fowler, R.A.

1996-08-01

This eighth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Chapters 4 and 6 in Hanford Site-related NEPA documents. Chapter 4 (Affected Environment) includes information on climate and meteorology, geology, hydrology, ecology, historical, archaeological and cultural resources, socioeconomics, and noise. Chapter 6 (Statutory and Regulatory Requirements) provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE directives and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable to the NEPA documents on the Hanford Site. The following sections were updated in this revision: climate and meteorology; ecology (threatened and endangered species section only); historical; archaeological and cultural resources; and all of chapter 6. No conclusions or recommendations are given in this report. Rather, it is a compilation of information on the Hanford Site environment that can be used directly by Site contractors. This information can also be used by any interested individual seeking baseline data on the hanford Site and its past activities by which to evaluate projected activities and their impacts

Overview of Hanford Single Shell Tank (SST) Structural Integrity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rast, Richard S.; Washenfelder, Dennis J.; Johnson, Jeremy M.

2013-11-14

To improve the understanding of the single-shell tanks (SSTs) integrity, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS), the USDOE Hanford Site tank contractor, developed an enhanced Single-Shell Tank Integrity Project (SSTIP) in 2009. An expert panel on SST integrity, consisting of various subject matters experts in industry and academia, was created to provide recommendations supporting the development of the project. This panel developed 33 recommendations in four main areas of interest: structural integrity, liner degradation, leak integrity and prevention, and mitigation of contamination migration, Seventeen of these recommendations were used to develop the basis for the M-45-10-1 Change Package for the Hanford Federal Agreement and Compliance Order, which is also known as the Tri-Party Agreement. The structural integrity of the tanks is a key element in completing the cleanup mission at the Hanford Site. There are eight primary recommendations related to the structural integrity of Hanford Single-Shell Tanks. Six recommendations are being implemented through current and planned activities. The structural integrity of the Hanford is being evaluated through analysis, monitoring, inspection, materials testing, and construction document review. Structural evaluation in the form of analysis is performed using modern finite element models generated in ANSYS. The analyses consider in-situ, thermal, operating loads and natural phenomena such as earthquakes. Structural analysis of 108 of 149 Hanford Single-Shell Tanks has concluded that the tanks are structurally sound and meet current industry standards. Analysis of the remaining Hanford Single-Shell Tanks is scheduled for FY2014. Hanford Single-Shell Tanks are monitored through a dome deflection program. The program looks for deflections of the tank dome greater than 1/4 inch. No such deflections have been recorded. The tanks are also subjected to visual inspection. Digital cameras record the interior surface of

Overview of Hanford Single Shell Tank (SST) Structural Integrity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rast, Richard S.; Washenfelder, Dennis J.; Johnson, Jeremy M.

2013-01-01

To improve the understanding of the single-shell tanks (SSTs) integrity, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS), the USDOE Hanford Site tank contractor, developed an enhanced Single-Shell Tank Integrity Project (SSTIP) in 2009. An expert panel on SST integrity, consisting of various subject matters experts in industry and academia, was created to provide recommendations supporting the development of the project. This panel developed 33 recommendations in four main areas of interest: structural integrity, liner degradation, leak integrity and prevention, and mitigation of contamination migration, Seventeen of these recommendations were used to develop the basis for the M-45-10-1 Change Package for the Hanford Federal Agreement and Compliance Order, which is also known as the Tri-Party Agreement. The structural integrity of the tanks is a key element in completing the cleanup mission at the Hanford Site. There are eight primary recommendations related to the structural integrity of Hanford Single-Shell Tanks. Six recommendations are being implemented through current and planned activities. The structural integrity of the Hanford is being evaluated through analysis, monitoring, inspection, materials testing, and construction document review. Structural evaluation in the form of analysis is performed using modern finite element models generated in ANSYS. The analyses consider in-situ, thermal, operating loads and natural phenomena such as earthquakes. Structural analysis of 108 of 149 Hanford Single-Shell Tanks has concluded that the tanks are structurally sound and meet current industry standards. Analysis of the remaining Hanford Single-Shell Tanks is scheduled for FY2014. Hanford Single-Shell Tanks are monitored through a dome deflection program. The program looks for deflections of the tank dome greater than 1/4 inch. No such deflections have been recorded. The tanks are also subjected to visual inspection. Digital cameras record the interior surface of

Radioactive contamination of fish, shellfish, and waterfowl exposed to Hanford effluents: Annual summaries, 1945--1972. Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanf, R.W.; Dirkes, R.L.; Duncan, J.P.

1992-07-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project (HEDR) is to estimate the potential radiation doses received by people living within the sphere of influence of the Hanford Site. A potential critical pathway for human radiation exposure is through the consumption of waterfowl that frequent onsite waste-water ponds or through eating of fish, shellfish, and waterfowl that reside in/on the Columbia River and its tributaries downstream of the reactors. This document summarizes information on fish, shellfish, and waterfowl radiation contamination for samples collected by Hanford monitoring personnel and offsite agencies for the period 1945 to 1972. Specific information includes the types of organisms sampled, the kinds of tissues and organs analyzed, the sampling locations, and the radionuclides reported. Some tissue concentrations are also included. We anticipate that these yearly summaries will be helpful to individuals and organizations interested in evaluating aquatic pathway information for locations impacted by Hanford operations and will be useful for planning the direction of future HEDR studies.

Overview of the spent nuclear fuel project at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daily, J.L.

1995-02-01

The Spent Nuclear Fuel Project's mission at Hanford is to open-quotes Provide safe, economic and environmentally sound management of Hanford spent nuclear fuel in a manner which stages it to final disposition.close quotes The inventory of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at the Hanford Site covers a wide variety of fuel types (production reactor to space reactor) in many facilities (reactor fuel basins to hot cells) at locations all over the Site. The 2,129 metric tons of Hanford SNF represents about 80% of the total US Department of Energy (DOE) inventory. About 98.5% of the Hanford SNF is 2,100 metric tons of metallic uranium production reactor fuel currently stored in the 1950s vintage K Basins in the 100 Area. This fuel has been slowly corroding, generating sludge and contaminating the basin water. This condition, coupled with aging facilities with seismic vulnerabilities, has been identified by several groups, including stakeholders, as being one of the most urgent safety and environmental concerns at the Hanford Site. As a direct result of these concerns, the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project was recently formed to address spent fuel issues at Hanford. The Project has developed the K Basins Path Forward to remove fuel from the basins and place it in dry interim storage. Alternatives that addressed the requirements were developed and analyzed. The result is a two-phased approach allowing the early removal of fuel from the K Basins followed by its stabilization and interim storage consistent with the national program

System-Scale Model of Aquifer, Vadose Zone, and River Interactions for the Hanford 300 Area - Application to Uranium Reactive Transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rockhold, Mark L.; Bacon, Diana H.; Freedman, Vicky L.; Parker, Kyle R.; Waichler, Scott R.; Williams, Mark D.

2013-10-01

This report represents a synthesis and integration of basic and applied research into a system-scale model of the Hanford 300 Area groundwater uranium plume, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Richland Operations (DOE-RL) office. The report integrates research findings and data from DOE Office of Science (DOE-SC), Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM), and DOE-RL projects, and from the site remediation and closure contractor, Washington Closure Hanford, LLC (WCH). The three-dimensional, system-scale model addresses water flow and reactive transport of uranium for the coupled vadose zone, unconfined aquifer, and Columbia River shoreline of the Hanford 300 Area. The system-scale model of the 300 Area was developed to be a decision-support tool to evaluate processes of the total system affecting the groundwater uranium plume. The model can also be used to address “what if” questions regarding different remediation endpoints, and to assist in design and evaluation of field remediation efforts. For example, the proposed cleanup plan for the Hanford 300 Area includes removal, treatment, and disposal of contaminated sediments from known waste sites, enhanced attenuation of uranium hot spots in the vadose and periodically rewetted zone, and continued monitoring of groundwater with institutional controls. Illustrative simulations of polyphosphate infiltration were performed to demonstrate the ability of the system-scale model to address these types of questions. The use of this model in conjunction with continued field monitoring is expected to provide a rigorous basis for developing operational strategies for field remediation and for defining defensible remediation endpoints.

Annual Hanford Site environmental permitting status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sonnichsen, J.C.

1998-01-01

The information contained and/or referenced in this Annual Hanford Site Environmental Permitting Status Report (Status Report) addresses the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) of 1971 and Condition II.W. of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) of 1976 Permit, Dangerous Waste Portion (DW Portion). Condition II.W. of the RCRA Permit specifies the Permittees are responsible for all other applicable federal, state, and local permits for the development and operation of the Hanford Facility. Condition II.W. of the RCRA Permit specifies that the Permittees are to use their best efforts to obtain such permits. For the purposes of permit condition, 'best efforts' means submittal of documentation and/or approval(s) in accordance with schedules specified in applicable regulations, or as determined through negotiations with the applicable regulatory agencies. This Status Report includes information on all existing and anticipated environmental permitting. Environmental permitting required by RCRA, the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of 1984, and non-RCRA permitting (solid waste handling, Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987, Washington State waste discharge, and onsite sewage system) is addressed. Information on RCRA and non-RCRA is current as of July 31, 1998. For the purposes of RCRA and the State of Washington Hazardous Waste Management Act of 1976 [as administered through the Dangerous Waste Regulations, Washington Active Code (WAC) 173-303], the Hanford Facility is considered a single facility. As such, the Hanford Facility has been issued one US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)/State Identification Number (WA7890008967). This EPA/State identification number encompasses over 60 treatment, storage, and/or disposal (TSD) units. The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) has been delegated authority by the EPA to administer the RCRA, including mixed waste authority. The RCRA permitting approach for

Long-Term Stewardship At DOE's Hanford Site - 12575

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moren, R.J.; Grindstaff, K.D.

2012-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site is located in southeast Washington and consists of 1,518 square kilometers (586 square miles) of land. Established in 1943 as part of the Manhattan Project, Hanford workers produced plutonium for our nation's nuclear defense program until the mid 1980's. Since then, the site has been in cleanup mode that is being accomplished in phases. As we achieve remedial objectives and complete active cleanup, DOE will manage Hanford land under the Long-Term Stewardship (LTS) Program until completion of cleanup and the site becomes ready for transfer to the post cleanup landlord - currently planned for DOE's Office of Legacy Management (LM). We define Hanford's LTS Program in the ''Hanford Long-Term Stewardship Program Plan,'' (DOE/RL-201 0-35)(1), which describes the scope including the relationship between the cleanup projects and the LTS Program. DOE designed the LTS Program to manage and provide surveillance and maintenance (S and M) of institutional controls and associated monitoring of closed waste sites to ensure the protection of human health and the environment. DOE's Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) and Hanford cleanup and operations contractors collaboratively developed this program over several years. The program's scope also includes 15 key activities that are identified in the DOE Program Plan (DOE/RL-2010-35). The LTS Program will transition 14 land segments through 2016. The combined land mass is approximately 570 square kilometers (220 square miles), with over 1,300 active and inactive waste sites and 3,363 wells. Land segments vary from buffer zone property with no known contamination to cocooned reactor buildings, demolished support facilities, and remediated cribs and trenches. DOE-RL will transition land management responsibilities from cleanup contractors to the Mission Support Contract (MSC), who will then administer the LTS Program for DOE-RL. This process requires an environment of cooperation

Hanford whole body counting manual

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, H.E.; Rieksts, G.A.; Lynch, T.P.

1990-06-01

This document describes the Hanford Whole Body Counting Program as it is administered by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in support of the US Department of Energy--Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) and its Hanford contractors. Program services include providing in vivo measurements of internally deposited radioactivity in Hanford employees (or visitors). Specific chapters of this manual deal with the following subjects: program operational charter, authority, administration, and practices, including interpreting applicable DOE Orders, regulations, and guidance into criteria for in vivo measurement frequency, etc., for the plant-wide whole body counting services; state-of-the-art facilities and equipment used to provide the best in vivo measurement results possible for the approximately 11,000 measurements made annually; procedures for performing the various in vivo measurements at the Whole Body Counter (WBC) and related facilities including whole body counts; operation and maintenance of counting equipment, quality assurance provisions of the program, WBC data processing functions, statistical aspects of in vivo measurements, and whole body counting records and associated guidance documents. 16 refs., 48 figs., 22 tabs

High level waste at Hanford: Potential for waste loading maximization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hrma, P.R.; Bailey, A.W.

1995-09-01

The loading of Hanford nuclear waste in borosilicate glass is limited by phase-related phenomena, such as crystallization or formation of immiscible liquids, and by breakdown of the glass structure because of an excessive concentration of modifiers. The phase-related phenomena cause both processing and product quality problems. The deterioration of product durability determines the ultimate waste loading limit if all processing problems are resolved. Concrete examples and mass-balance based calculations show that a substantial potential exists for increasing waste loading of high-level wastes that contain a large fraction of refractory components

A Geophysical Characterization & Monitoring Strategy for Determining Hydrologic Processes in the Hyporheic Corridor at the Hanford 300-Area

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Slater, Lee; Day-Lewis, Frederick; Lane, John; Versteeg, Roelof; Ward, Anderson; Binley, Andrew; Johnson, Timothy; Ntarlagiannis, Dimitrios

2011-08-31

The primary objective of this research was to advance the prediction of solute transport between the Uranium contaminated Hanford aquifer and the Columbia River at the Hanford 300 Area by improving understanding of how fluctuations in river stage, combined with subsurface heterogeneity, impart spatiotemporal complexity to solute exchange along the Columbia River corridor. Our work explored the use of continuous waterborne electrical imaging (CWEI), in conjunction with fiber-optic distributed temperature sensor (FO-DTS) and time-lapse resistivity monitoring, to improve the conceptual model for how groundwater/surface water exchange regulates uranium transport. We also investigated how resistivity and induced polarization can be used to generate spatially rich estimates of the variation in depth to the Hanford-Ringold (H-R) contact between the river and the 300 Area Integrated Field Research Challenge (IFRC) site. Inversion of the CWEI datasets (a data rich survey containing {approx}60,000 measurements) provided predictions of the distributions of electrical resistivity and polarizability, from which the spatial complexity of the primary hydrogeologic units along the river corridor was reconstructed. Variation in the depth to the interface between the overlying coarse-grained, high permeability Hanford Formation and the underlying finer-grained, less permeable Ringold Formation, an important contact that limits vertical migration of contaminants, has been resolved along {approx}3 km of the river corridor centered on the IFRC site in the Hanford 300 Area. Spatial variability in the thickness of the Hanford Formation captured in the CWEI datasets indicates that previous studies based on borehole projections and drive-point and multi-level sampling likely overestimate the contributing area for uranium exchange within the Columbia River at the Hanford 300 Area. Resistivity and induced polarization imaging between the river and the 300 Area IFRC further imaged spatial

Evidence for vivianite formation and its contribution to long-term phosphorus retention in a recent lake sediment: a novel analytical approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Rothe

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Vivianite, Fe3(PO42 · 8 H2O, is a ferrous iron phosphate mineral which forms in waterlogged soils and sediments. The phosphorus (P bound in its crystal lattice is considered to be immobilised because vivianite is stable under anoxic, reducing, sedimentary conditions. Thus, vivianite formation can make a major contribution to P retention during early diagenesis. Much remains unknown about vivianite in sediments, because technical challenges have rendered direct identification and quantification difficult. To identify vivianite and assess its significance for P burial during early diagenesis we studied the consequences of a 1992/1993 in-lake application of FeCl3 and Fe(OH3 aimed at restoring Lake Groß-Glienicke (Berlin, Germany. In a novel approach, we firstly applied a heavy-liquid separation to the iron-rich surface sediments which allowed direct identification of vivianite by X-ray diffraction in the high-density (ρ > 2.3 g cm−3 sediment fraction. Secondly, we assessed the contribution of vivianite to P retention, combining results from chemical digestion with magnetic susceptibility data derived from magnetic hysteresis measurements. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the dark blue spherical vivianite nodules were 40–180 μm in diameter, and formed of platy- and needle-shaped crystal aggregates. Although equilibrium calculations indicated supersaturation of vivianite throughout the upper 30 cm of the sediment, the vivianite deposits were homogeneously distributed within, and restricted to, the upper 23 cm only. Thus, supersaturated pore water alone cannot serve as a reliable predictor for the in situ formation of vivianite. In Lake Groß -Glienicke, vivianite formation continues to be triggered by the artificial iron amendment more than 20 yr ago, significantly contributing to P retention in surface sediments.

Preliminary analysis of some waters from the confined aquifers underlying the Hanford site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deju, R.A.

1978-09-01

This report presents results of analyses available at this time from waters from some wells sampled in or near the Hanford Site. The analyses of these wells were done for various purposes and are consolidated to help define the nature of the waters found within the Columbia Plateau basaltic sequence. Results of the analyses show the waters from the unconfined aquifers underlying the Hanford Site are characterized by a high calcium--magnesium content. These waters can be described as calcium--magnesium--bicarbonate-type. Waters from deeper basaltic confined aquifers are primarily of the sodium bicarbonate type. Two waters sampled from the Grande Ronde Formation from Rattlesnake Hills Exploratory Well Number 1 are slightly different and can be described as sodium--calcium--bicarbonate--sulfate--chloride-type. Age-dating results for these water samples lead to the conclusions that waters from the confined aquifers were entrapped 15,000 to 23,000 years ago

Decommissioning of the 105-F and 105-H fuel storage basin in the 100 Area at the Hanford Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griffin, P.W.

1991-09-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) owns the eight surplus production reactors at the Hanford Site north of Richland, Washington. The fuel storage basins at the 105-F and 105-H reactors were filled with equipment, associated with the operation of the basins and clean fill in 1970. This was done to stabilize the residual sediment and a few feet of water in the reactors' fuel storage basins. This project investigates the subject basins to locate and remove overlooked fuel elements left in the basins

Hanford waste tank cone penetrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seda, R.Y.

1995-12-01

A new tool is being developed to characterize tank waste at the Hanford Reservation. This tool, known as the cone penetrometer, is capable of obtaining chemical and physical properties in situ. For the past 50 years, this tool has been used extensively in soil applications and now has been modified for usage in Hanford Underground Storage tanks. These modifications include development of new ''waste'' data models as well as hardware design changes to accommodate the hazardous and radioactive environment of the tanks. The modified cone penetrometer is scheduled to be deployed at Hanford by Fall 1996. At Hanford, the cone penetrometer will be used as an instrumented pipe which measures chemical and physical properties as it pushes through tank waste. Physical data, such as tank waste stratification and mechanical properties, is obtained through three sensors measuring tip pressure, sleeve friction and pore pressure. Chemical data, such as chemical speciation, is measured using a Raman spectroscopy sensor. The sensor package contains other instrumentation as well, including a tip and side temperature sensor, tank bottom detection and an inclinometer. Once the cone penetrometer has reached the bottom of the tank, a moisture probe will be inserted into the pipe. This probe is used to measure waste moisture content, water level, waste surface moisture and tank temperature. This paper discusses the development of this new measurement system. Data from the cone penetrometer will aid in the selection of sampling tools, waste tank retrieval process, and addressing various tank safety issues. This paper will explore various waste models as well as the challenges associated with tank environment

Summary of the Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2009

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duncan, Joanne P.; Poston, Ted M.; Dirkes, Roger L.

2010-09-30

This summary booklet summarizes the "Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2009." The Hanford Site environmental report, published annually since 1958, includes information and summary data that provide an overview of activities at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site. The Hanford Site environmental report provides an overview of activities at the site; demonstrates the status of the site’s compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, executive orders, and DOE policies and directives; and summarizes environmental data that characterize Hanford Site environmental management performance. The report also highlights significant environmental and public protection programs and efforts. Some historical and early 2010 information is included where appropriate.

Summary of the Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duncan, Joanne P.; Poston, Ted M.; Dirkes, Roger L.

2009-01-01

This summary booklet summarizes the 'Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2008'. The Hanford Site environmental report, published annually since 1958, includes information and summary data that provide an overview of activities at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Hanford Site. The Hanford Site environmental report provides an overview of activities at the site; demonstrates the status of the site's compliance with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations, executive orders, and DOE policies and directives; and summarizes environmental data that characterize Hanford Site environmental management performance. The report also highlights significant environmental and public protection programs and efforts. Some historical and early 2009 information is included where appropriate.

TESTING OF A ROTARY MICROFILTER TO SUPPORT HANFORD APPLICATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poirier, M; David Herman, D; David Stefanko, D; Samuel Fink, S

2008-01-01

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) researchers are investigating and developing a rotary microfilter for solid-liquid separation applications at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Because of the success of that work, the Hanford Site is evaluating the use of the rotary microfilter for its Supplemental Pretreatment process. The authors performed rotary filter testing with a full-scale, 25-disk unit with 0.5 (micro) filter media manufactured by Pall Corporation using a Hanford AN-105 simulant at solids loadings of 0.06, 0.29, and 1.29 wt%. The conclusions from this testing are: (1) The filter flux at 0.06 wt% solids reached a near constant value at an average of 0.26 gpm/ft 2 (6.25 gpm total). (2) The filter flux at 0.29 wt% solids reached a near constant value at an average of 0.17 gpm/ft 2 (4 gpm total). (3) The filter flux at 1.29 wt% solids reached a near constant value at an average of 0.10 gpm/ft 2 (2.4 gpm total). (4) Because of differences in solids loadings, a direct comparison between crossflow filter flux and rotary filter flux is not possible. The data show the rotary filter produces a higher flux than the crossflow filter, but the improvement is not as large as seen in previous testing. (5) Filtrate turbidity measured < 4 NTU in all samples collected. (6) During production, the filter should be rinsed with filtrate or dilute caustic and drained prior to an extended shutdown to prevent the formation of a layer of settled solids on top of the filter disks. (7) Inspection of the seal faces after ∼ 140 hours of operation showed an expected amount of initial wear, no passing of process fluid through the seal faces, and very little change in the air channeling grooves on the stationary face. (8) Some polishing was observed at the bottom of the shaft bushing. The authors recommend improving the shaft bushing by holding it in place with a locking ring and incorporated grooves to provide additional cooling. (9) The authors recommend that CH2MHill Hanford

Recommended environmental dose calculation methods and Hanford-specific parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schreckhise, R.G.; Rhoads, K.; Napier, B.A.; Ramsdell, J.V.; Davis, J.S.

1993-03-01

This document was developed to support the Hanford Environmental Dose overview Panel (HEDOP). The Panel is responsible for reviewing all assessments of potential doses received by humans and other biota resulting from the actual or possible environmental releases of radioactive and other hazardous materials from facilities and/or operations belonging to the US Department of Energy on the Hanford Site in south-central Washington. This document serves as a guide to be used for developing estimates of potential radiation doses, or other measures of risk or health impacts, to people and other biota in the environs on and around the Hanford Site. It provides information to develop technically sound estimates of exposure (i.e., potential or actual) to humans or other biotic receptors that could result from the environmental transport of potentially harmful materials that have been, or could be, released from Hanford operations or facilities. Parameter values and information that are specific to the Hanford environs as well as other supporting material are included in this document

Designation of facility usage categories for Hanford Site facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wodrich, D.; Ellingson, D.; Scott, M.; Schade, A.

1991-01-01

This report summarizes the Hanford Site methodology used to ensure facility compliance with the natural phenomena design criteria set forth in the US Department of Energy orders and guidance. In particular, the Hanford Site approach to designating a suitable facility open-quotes Usage Category,close quotes is presented. The current Hanford Site methodology for Usage Category designation is based on an engineered feature's safety function and on the feature's assigned Safety Class. At the Hanford Site, Safety Class assignments are deterministic in nature and are based on the consequences of failure, without regard to the likelihood of occurrence. The report also proposes a risk-based approach to Usage Category designation, which is being considered for future application at the Hanford Site. To establish a proper Usage Category designation, the safety analysis and engineering design processes must be coupled. This union produces a common understanding of the safety function(s) to be accomplished by the design feature(s) and a sound basis for the assignment of Usage Categories to the appropriate systems, structures, and components

Recommended environmental dose calculation methods and Hanford-specific parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schreckhise, R.G.; Rhoads, K.; Napier, B.A.; Ramsdell, J.V. (Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)); Davis, J.S. (Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States))

1993-03-01

This document was developed to support the Hanford Environmental Dose overview Panel (HEDOP). The Panel is responsible for reviewing all assessments of potential doses received by humans and other biota resulting from the actual or possible environmental releases of radioactive and other hazardous materials from facilities and/or operations belonging to the US Department of Energy on the Hanford Site in south-central Washington. This document serves as a guide to be used for developing estimates of potential radiation doses, or other measures of risk or health impacts, to people and other biota in the environs on and around the Hanford Site. It provides information to develop technically sound estimates of exposure (i.e., potential or actual) to humans or other biotic receptors that could result from the environmental transport of potentially harmful materials that have been, or could be, released from Hanford operations or facilities. Parameter values and information that are specific to the Hanford environs as well as other supporting material are included in this document.

Assessment of groundwater management at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deju, R.A.

1975-01-01

A comprehensive review of the groundwater management and environmental monitoring programs at the Hanford reservation was initiated in 1973. A large number of recommendations made as a result of this review are summarized. The purpose of the Hanford Hydrology Program is to maintain a groundwater surveillance network to assess contamination of the natural water system. Potential groundwater contamination is primarily a function of waste management decisions. The review revealed that although the hydrology program would greatly benefit from additional improvements, it is adequate to predict levels of contaminants present in the groundwater system. Studies are presently underway to refine advanced mathematical models to use results of the hydrologic investigation in forecasting the response of the system to different long-term management decisions. No information was found which indicates that a hazard through the groundwater pathway presently exists as a result of waste operations at Hanford. (CH)

Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Finch, S.M.; McMakin, A.H.

1992-06-01

The objective of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project is to estimate the radiation doses that individuals and populations could have received from nuclear operations at Hanford since 1944. The project is being managed and conducted by the Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories under contract with the Centers for Disease Control. The independent Technical Steering Panel (TSP) provides technical direction. The project is divided into the following technical tasks. These tasks correspond to the path radionuclides followed, from release to impact on humans (dose estimates): source terms; environmental transport; environmental monitoring data; demography, food consumption, and agriculture; environmental pathways and dose estimates

Hanford Site ground-water monitoring for 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, J.C.; Bryce, R.W.; Bates, D.J.

1992-06-01

The Pacific Northwest Laboratory monitors ground-water quality across the Hanford Site for the US Department of Energy (DOE) to assess the impact of Site operations on the environment. Monitoring activities were conducted to determine the distribution of mobile radionuclides and identify chemicals present in ground water as a result of Site operations and whenever possible, relate the distribution of these constituents to Site operations. To comply with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, additional monitoring was conducted at individual waste sites by the Site Operating Contractor, Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC), to assess the impact that specific facilities have had on ground-water quality. Six hundred and twenty-nine wells were sampled during 1990 by all Hanford ground-water monitoring activities

Summary of the Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2004

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanf, Robert W.; Morasch, Launa F.; Poston, Ted M.; Dirkes, Roger L.

2005-09-26

This booklet summarizes the information contained in ''Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 2004.'' The Hanford Site environmental report, published annually since 1958, includes information and summary data that provide an overview of the activities at DOE's Hanford Site.

Sediment as a Problem in Fame Storage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Głąb Jadwiga

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This article characterizes circumstances associated with the formation of sediment in FAME and factors intensifying this process. It describes the formation of sediment due to oxidation of FAME and the precipitation of sediment in low temperatures of storage which relates to the raw material nature and incomplete production process of FAME. It indicates more causes of sediment’s formation originating from the incompatibility of construction materials used in logistics and microbiological contamination.

Disposal of Radioactive Waste at Hanford Creates Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Chemical and Engineering News, 1978

1978-01-01

Radioactive storage tanks at the Hanford facility have developed leaks. The situation is presently considered safe, but serious. A report from the National Academy of Science has recommended that the wastes be converted to stable solids and stored at another site on the Hanford Reservation. (Author/MA)

Innovative human health and ecological risk assessment techniques at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clarke, S.; Jones, K.; Goller, E.

1993-01-01

The open-quotes Hanford Site Baseline Risk Assessment Methodologyclose quotes (HSBRAM) was developed to enhance the preparation of risk assessments supporting the Hanford site cleanup mission. This methodology satisfies a Hanford federal facility agreement and consent order (tri-party agreement) milestone and is used to evaluate the risk to human health and the environment under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The methodology was prepared by the Hanford Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) consisting of tri-party representatives: the U.S. Department of Energy, the State of Washington Department of Ecology, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with associated contractors. The risk assessment guidance provided by EPA is sufficiently general to permit tailoring of specific parameters to meet the risk assessment needs of individual sites. The RAC utilized EPA's Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund, (RAGS) as the cornerstone of the HSBRAM. The RAC added necessary Hanford-specific elements to construct a complete risk assessment guidance for utilization as an independent document. The HSBRAM is a living document because the RAC charter emphasizes the importance of continued methodology reevaluation. The HSBRAM also provides guidelines for the application of EPA's open-quotes Framework for Ecological Risk Assessmentclose quotes to Hanford-specific environmental baseline risk assessments by including endangered and threatened species in addition to sensitive habitats potentially associated with the Hanford site and guidance for selection of ecotoxicological data. Separate negotiations for the selection of risk parameters for each operable unit were avoided by defining parameters in the HSBRAM. There are 78 past-practice operable units at Hanford requiring risk assessments

Low temperature hydrothermal processing of organic contaminants in Hanford tank waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, E.O.; Pederson, L.R.; Freeman, H.D.; Schmidt, A.J.; Babad, H.

1993-02-01

Batch and continuous flow reactor tests at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) have shown that organics similar to those present in the single-shell and double-shell underground storage tanks at Hanford can be decomposed in the liquid phase at relatively mild temperatures of 150 degree C to 350 degree C in an aqueous process known as hydrothermal processing (HTP). The organics will react with the abundant oxidants such s nitrite already present in the Hanford tank waste to form hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia. No air or oxygen needs to be added to the system. Ferrocyanides and free cyanide will hydrolyze at similar temperatures to produce formate and ammonia and may also react with nitrates or other oxides. During testing, the organic carbon was transformed first to oxalate at∼310 degree C and completely oxidized to carbonate at ∼350 degree C accompanied by hydroxide consumption. Solids were formed at higher temperatures, causing a small-diameter outlet tube to plug. The propensity for plugging was reduced by diluting the feed with concentrated hydroxide

Reinventing government: Reinventing Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayeda, J.T.

1994-05-01

The Hanford Site was established in 1943 as one of the three original Manhattan Project locations involved in the development of atomic weapons. It continued as a defense production center until 1988, when its mission changed to environmental restoration and remediation. The Hanford Site is changing its business strategy and in doing so, is reinventing government. This new development has been significantly influenced by a number of external sources. These include: the change in mission, reduced security requirements, new found partnerships, fiscal budgets, the Tri-Party agreement and stakeholder involvement. Tight budgets and the high cost of cleanup require that the site develop and implement innovative cost saving approaches to its mission. Costeffective progress is necessary to help assure continued funding by Congress

Antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation of some bacteria isolated from sediment, water and fish farms in Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Faja, Orooba Meteab; Usup, Gires; Ahmad, Asmat

2018-04-01

A total of 90 isolates of bacteria were isolated, from sediment (10) samples, water (10) samples and fish (12) samples (Sea bass, Snapper, Grouper and Tilapia). These include 22 isolates of bacteria from sediment, 28 isolates from water and 40 isolates from fish. All the isolates were tested for sensitivity to 13 antibiotics using disc diffusion method. The isolates showed high resistance to some antibiotics based on samples source. Isolates from sediment showed highest resistance toward novobiocin, kanamycin, ampicillin and streptomycin while isolates from water showed highest resistance against vancomycin, penicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline, in contrast, in fish sample showed highest resistance toward vancomycin, ampicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline. Most of the isolates showed biofilm formation ability with different degrees. Out of 22 bacteria isolates from water, two isolates were weak biofilm formers, six isolates moderate biofilm formers and fourteen isolates strong biofilm formers. While, out of 28 bacteria isolates from water one isolate was weak biofilm former, five isolates moderate biofilm formers and 22 strong biofilm formers Fish isolate showed three isolates (8%) moderate biofilm formers and 27 isolates strong biofilm formers. Biofilm formation was one of the factors that lead to antibiotic resistance of the bacterial isolates from these samples.

Hanford Site National Evnironmental Policy Act (NEPA) characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cushing, C.E. (ed.)

1991-12-01

This fourth revision of the Hanford Site National Environmental Policy (NEPA) Characterization presents current environmental data regarding the Hanford Site and its immediate environs. This information is intended for use in preparing Site-related NEPA documentation. In Chapter 4.0 are presented summations of up-to-date information about climate and meteorology, geology and hydrology, ecology, history and archaeology, socioeconomics, land use, and noise levels. Chapter 5.0 describes models, including their principal assumptions, that are to be used in simulating realized or potential impacts from nuclear materials at the Hanford Site. Included are models of radionuclides transport in groundwater and atmospheric pathways, and of radiation dose to populations via all known pathways from known initial conditions. Chapter 6.0 provides the preparer with the federal and state regulations, DOE orders and permits, and environmental standards directly applicable for environmental impact statements for the Hanford Site, following the structure Chapter 4.0. NO conclusions or recommendations are given in this report.

Hanford Site Environmental Report for Calendar Year 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dirkes, Roger L.; Hanf, Robert W.; Poston, Ted M.

1999-01-01

This Hanford Site environmental report is prepared annually to summarize environmental data and information, to describe environmental management performance, to demonstrate the status of compliance with environmental regulations, and to highlight major environmental programs and efforts. The report is written to meet requirements and guidelines of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and to meet the needs of the public. This summary has been written with a minimum of technical terminology. Individual sections of the report are designed to: (1) describe the Hanford Site and its mission; (2) summarize the status of compliance with environmental regulations; (3) describe the environmental programs at the Hanford Site; (4) discuss the estimated radionuclide exposure to the public from 1998 Hanford Site activities; (5) present the effluent monitoring, environmental surveillance, and groundwater protection and monitoring information; (6) discuss the activities to ensure quality. More detailed information can be found in the body of the report, the cited references, and the appendixes.

Drilling history core hole DC-6 Hanford, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-06-01

Core hole DC-6 was completed in May 1978 by Boyles Brothers Drilling Company, Spokane, Washington, under subcontract to Fenix and Scisson, Inc. The hole was cored for the US Department of Energy and the Rockwell Hanford Operations' Basalt Waste Isolation Program. Fenix and Scisson, Inc. furnished the engineering, daily supervision of the core drilling activities, and geologic core logging for hole DC-6. Core hole DC-6 is located within the boundary of the Hanford Site at the old Hanford town site. The Hanford Site coordinates for DC-6 are North 54,127.17 feet and West 17,721.00 feet. The surface elevation is approximately 402 feet above sea level. The purpose of core hole DC-6 was to core drill vertically through the basalt and interbed units for stratigraphic depth determination and core collection and to provide a borehole for hydrologic testing. The total depth of core hole DC-6 was 4336 feet. Core recovery was 98.4% of the total footage cored

Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report (HSWMUR) was originated to provide information responsive to Section 3004(u) of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of the 1984 United States Code (USC). The report provides a comprehensive inventory of all types of waste management units at the Hanford Site and consists of waste disposal units, including (1) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) disposal units, (2) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) disposal units, (3) unplanned releases, (4) inactive contaminated structure, (5) RCRA treatment and storage units, and (6) other storage areas. Because of the comprehensive nature of this report, the listing of sites is more extensive than required by Section 3004(u) of HSWA. In support of the Hanford RCRA permit, a field was added to designate whether the waste management unit is a solid waste management unit (SWMU). As SWMUs are identified, they will added to the Hanford Waste Information Data System (WIDS), which is the database supporting this report, and added to the report at its next annual update. A quality review of the WIDS was conducted this past year. The review included checking all data against their reference and making appropriate changes, updating the data elements using the most recent references, marking duplicate units for deletion, and addition additional information. 6 refs

Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

This Hanford Site Waste Management Units Report (HSWMUR) was originated to provide information responsive to Section 3004(u) of the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of the 1984 United States Code (USC). The report provides a comprehensive inventory of all types of waste management units at the Hanford Site and consists of waste disposal units, including (1) Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) disposal units, (2) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA) disposal units, (3) unplanned releases, (4) inactive contaminated structures, (5) RCRA treatment and storage units, and (6) other storage areas. Because of the comprehensive nature of this report, the listing of sites is more extensive than required by Section 3004(u) of HSWA. In support of the Hanford RCRA permit, a field was added to designate whether the waste management unit is a solid waste management unit (SWMU). As SWMUs are identified, they will added to the Hanford Waste Information Data System (WIDS), which is the database supporting this report, and added to the report at its next annual update. A quality review of the WIDS was conducted this past year. The review included checking all data against their reference and making appropriate changes, updating the data elements using the most recent references, marking duplicate units for deletion, and adding additional information. 6 refs

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Redd Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindsey, Cole T. [Mission Support Alliance, Richland, WA (United States); Nugent, John J. [Mission Support Alliance, Richland, WA (United States)

2014-02-10

The U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) conducts ecological monitoring on the Hanford Site to collect and track data needed to ensure compliance with an array of environmental laws, regulations, and policies governing DOE activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitat under DOE-RL stewardship at Hanford required for decision-making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The Hanford Site Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP, DOE/EIS-0222-F) which is the Environmental Impact Statement for Hanford Site activities, helps ensure that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conducting activities on the Hanford Site are in compliance with NEPA.

Hanford Site Black-Tailed Jackrabbit Monitoring Report for Fiscal Year 2013

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindsey, Cole T. [Mission Support Alliance (MSA), Richland, WA (United States); Nugent, John J. [Mission Support Alliance (MSA), Richland, WA (United States); Wilde, Justin W. [Mission Support Alliance (MSA), Richland, WA (United States); Johnson, Scott J. [Mission Support Alliance (MSA), Richland, WA (United States)

2014-02-13

The U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (DOE-RL) conducts ecological monitoring on the Hanford Site to collect and track data needed to ensure compliance with an array of environmental laws, regulations, and policies governing DOE activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitat under DOE-RL stewardship at Hanford required for decision-making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The Hanford Site Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP, DOE/EIS-0222-F) which is the Environmental Impact Statement for Hanford Site activities, helps ensure that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conducting activities on the Hanford Site are in compliance with NEPA.

Hazardous chemical and radioactive wastes at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keller, J.F.; Stewart, T.L.

1991-07-01

The Hanford Site was established in 1944 to produce plutonium for defense. During the past four decades, a number of reactors, processing facilities, and waste management facilities have been built at Hanford for plutonium production. Generally, Hanford's 100 Area was dedicated to reactor operation; the 200 Area to fuel reprocessing, plutonium recovery, and waste management; and the 300 Area to fuel fabrication and research and development. Wastes generated from these operations included highly radioactive liquid wastes, which were discharged to single- and double-shell tanks; solid wastes, including both transuranic (TRU) and low-level wastes, which were buried or discharged to caissons; and waste water containing low- to intermediate-level radioactivity, which was discharged to the soil column via near-surface liquid disposal units such as cribs, ponds, and retention basins. Virtually all of the wastes contained hazardous chemical as well as radioactive constituents. This paper will focus on the hazardous chemical components of the radioactive mixed waste generated by plutonium production at Hanford. The processes, chemicals used, methods of disposition, fate in the environment, and actions being taken to clean up this legacy are described by location

Hazardous chemical and radioactive wastes at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keller, J.F.; Stewart, T.L.

1993-01-01

The Hanford Site was established in 1944 to produce plutonium for defense. During the past four decades, a number of reactors, processing facilities, and waste management facilities were built at Hanford for plutonium production. Generally, Hanford's 100 Area was dedicated to reactor operation; the 200 Areas to fuel reprocessing, plutonium recovery, and waste management; and the 300 Area to fuel fabrication and research and development. Wastes generated from these operations included highly radioactive liquid wastes, which were discharged to single- and double-shell tanks; solid wastes, including both transuranic and low-level wastes, which were buried or discharged to caissons; and waste water containing low- to intermediate-level radioactivity, which was discharged to the soil column via near-surface liquid disposal units such as cribs, ponds, and retention basins. Virtually all of the wastes contained hazardous chemicals as well as radioactive constituents. This paper focuses on the hazardous chemical components of the radioactive mixed waste generated by plutonium production at Hanford. The processes, chemicals used, methods of disposition, fate in the environment, and actions being taken to clean up this legacy are described by location

Update on worker mortality data at Hanford

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, E.S.

1979-01-01

The subject of this paper is a study of the effects on mortality of occupational exposure to ionizing radiation at the Hanford plant. The Hanford plant, which is located in southeastern Washington State, was established in the early forties as an installation for plutonium production. Many workers employed by the various contractors hold jobs involving some exposure to radiation. Yearly records of this exposure, obtained from dosimeter readings, as well as occupational data, are maintained for all employees. Mortality data are obtained by having the Social Security Administration periodically search their records for deaths of persons identified in the personnel rosters of Hanford contractors. Published analyses of worker mortality at Hanford have included workers initially employed before 1965 and mortality up to April 1, 1974. In this paper, the mortality data are updated to include deaths up to May 1, 1977, workers employed 1965 and later, and the most recent exposure data. In addition to updating results of earlier analyses, this paper provides a discussion of the problems involved in analyzing and interpreting occupational exposure and mortality data. For a more detailed discussion of these problems the reader is referred to the papers noted above

Hanford environmental dose reconstruction project - an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shipler, D.B.; Napier, B.A.; Farris, W.T.

1996-01-01

The Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project was initiated because of public interest in the historical releases of radioactive materials from the Hanford Site, located in southcentral Washington State. By 1986, over 38,000 pages of environmental monitoring documentation from the early years of Hanford operations had been released. Special committees reviewing the documents recommended initiation of the Hanford Environmental Dose Reconstruction Project, which began in October 1987, and is conducted by Battelle, Pacific Northwest Laboratories. The technical approach taken was to reconstruct releases of radioactive materials based on facility operating information; develop and/or adapt transport, pathway, and dose models and computer codes; reconstruct environmental, meterological, and hydrological monitoring information; reconstruct demographic, agricultural, and lifestyle characteristics; apply statistical methods to all forms of uncertainty in the information, parameters, and models; and perform scientific investigation that were technically defensible. The geographic area for the study includes ∼2 x 10 5 km 2 (75,000 mi 2 ) in eastern Washington, western Idaho, and northeastern Oregon (essentially the Mid-columbia Basin of the Pacific Northwest). Three exposure pathways were considered: the atmosphere, the Columbia River, and ground water

Raptors of the Hanford Site and nearby areas of southcentral Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fitzner, R.E.; Rickard, W.H.; Cadwell, L.L.; Rogers, L.E.

1981-05-01

This report is concerned with the birds of prey which use the Hanford Site not only during the nesting season but throughout the year. An ecological treatment of five nesting owls (great horned, long-eared, short-eared, barn and burrowing) and five nesting hawks (marsh hawk, red-tailed hawk, Swainson's hawk, prairie falcon and American kestrel) is provided and supportive information on non-nesting species is presented. Factors which control raptor densities and population dynamics throughout all seasons of the year are discussed. Information is also provided for raptors from other areas of southcentral Washington in order to yield a comprehensive picture of how the Hanford Site fits in with regional bird of prey populations. The following were the objectives of this study: (1) to determine the numbers of birds of prey nesting on the Hanford Site, (2) to document the reproductive chronology of each nesting raptor species, (3) to provide analyses of food habits of birds of prey on the Hanford Site coupled with prey abundance data, (4) to determine the productivity of the dominant large birds of prey on the Hanford Site, (5) to determine the distribution and land use patterns of all raptors on the Hanford Site, (6) to determine the kinds and relative abundance of non-nesting raptors on the Hanford Site and adjacent areas of southcentral Washington (7) to document present land use practices on the Hanford Site and their effects on raptors, (8) to document radionuclide levels in birds of prey on the Hanford Site, and (9) to determine the role of birds of prey in radioecological monitoring

Raptors of the Hanford Site and nearby areas of southcentral Washington

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fitzner, R.E.; Rickard, W.H.; Cadwell, L.L.; Rogers, L.E.

1981-05-01

This report is concerned with the birds of prey which use the Hanford Site not only during the nesting season but throughout the year. An ecological treatment of five nesting owls (great horned, long-eared, short-eared, barn and burrowing) and five nesting hawks (marsh hawk, red-tailed hawk, Swainson's hawk, prairie falcon and American kestrel) is provided and supportive information on non-nesting species is presented. Factors which control raptor densities and population dynamics throughout all seasons of the year are discussed. Information is also provided for raptors from other areas of southcentral Washington in order to yield a comprehensive picture of how the Hanford Site fits in with regional bird of prey populations. The following were the objectives of this study: (1) to determine the numbers of birds of prey nesting on the Hanford Site, (2) to document the reproductive chronology of each nesting raptor species, (3) to provide analyses of food habits of birds of prey on the Hanford Site coupled with prey abundance data, (4) to determine the productivity of the dominant large birds of prey on the Hanford Site, (5) to determine the distribution and land use patterns of all raptors on the Hanford Site, (6) to determine the kinds and relative abundance of non-nesting raptors on the Hanford Site and adjacent areas of southcentral Washington (7) to document present land use practices on the Hanford Site and their effects on raptors, (8) to document radionuclide levels in birds of prey on the Hanford Site, and (9) to determine the role of birds of prey in radioecological monitoring.

Technetium Inventory, Distribution, and Speciation in Hanford Tanks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Serne, R. Jeffrey; Rapko, Brian M.

2014-05-02

The purpose of this report is three fold: 1) assemble the available information regarding technetium (Tc) inventory, distribution between phases, and speciation in Hanford’s 177 storage tanks into a single, detailed, comprehensive assessment; 2) discuss the fate (distribution/speciation) of Tc once retrieved from the storage tanks and processed into a final waste form; and 3) discuss/document in less detail the available data on the inventory of Tc in other "pools" such as the vadose zone below inactive cribs and trenches, below single-shell tanks (SSTs) that have leaked, and in the groundwater below the Hanford Site. A thorough understanding of the inventory for mobile contaminants is key to any performance or risk assessment for Hanford Site facilities because potential groundwater and river contamination levels are proportional to the amount of contaminants disposed at the Hanford Site. Because the majority of the total 99Tc produced at Hanford (~32,600 Ci) is currently stored in Hanford’s 177 tanks (~26,500 Ci), there is a critical need for knowledge of the fate of this 99Tc as it is removed from the tanks and processed into a final solid waste form. Current flow sheets for the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant process show most of the 99Tc will be immobilized as low-activity waste glass that will remain on the Hanford Site and disposed at the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF); only a small fraction will be shipped to a geologic repository with the immobilized high-level waste. Past performance assessment studies, which focused on groundwater protection, have shown that 99Tc would be the primary dose contributor to the IDF performance.

MICROSCALE METABOLIC, REDOX AND ABIOTIC REACTIONS IN HANFORD 300 AREA SUBSURFACE SEDIMENTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Beyenal, Haluk [WSU; McLEan, Jeff [JCVI; Majors, Paul [PNNL; Fredrickson, Jim [PNNL

2013-11-14

The Hanford 300 Area is a unique site due to periodic hydrologic influence of river water resulting in changes in groundwater elevation and flow direction. This area is also highly subject to uranium remobilization, the source of which is currently believed to be the region at the base of the vadose zone that is subject to period saturation due to the changes in the water levels in the Columbia River. We found that microbial processes and redox and abiotic reactions which operate at the microscale were critical to understanding factors controlling the macroscopic fate and transport of contaminants in the subsurface. The combined laboratory and field research showed how microscale conditions control uranium mobility and how biotic, abiotic and redox reactions relate to each other. Our findings extended the current knowledge to examine U(VI) reduction and immobilization using natural 300 Area communities as well as selected model organisms on redox-sensitive and redox-insensitive minerals. Using innovative techniques developed specifically to probe biogeochemical processes at the microscale, our research expanded our current understanding of the roles played by mineral surfaces, bacterial competition, and local biotic, abiotic and redox reaction rates on the reduction and immobilization of uranium.

GENII [Generation II]: The Hanford Environmental Radiation Dosimetry Software System: Volume 3, Code maintenance manual: Hanford Environmental Dosimetry Upgrade Project