RICHLAND, Wash. - EM’s Office of River Protection (ORP) and contractor Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI) recognized the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) team this month for completing assembly of the first of two Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility vitrification melters.
ORP Federal Project Director Bill Hamel and BNI Project Manager Kim Irwin congratulated the team members and presented them with certificates of appreciation during an employee event.
“Not only did you do a safe and quality job, you made sure safety and quality were constructed into the product," Hamel said.
The 300-ton nuclear waste melter is one of two inside the LAW facility, and is the largest vitrification equipment of its kind in the U.S. The melters represent the “heart" of the WTP low-activity waste vitrification process, and completing the assembly marks another step towards completing LAW facility construction. Completion of the second melter assembly is expected in September.
The LAW facility, an Analytical Laboratory, and 20 support facilities are part of EM’s Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste approach to treat low-activity tank waste ahead of full WTP commissioning, taking advantage of facilities close to completion. When operational, the melters will heat Hanford’s low-activity tank waste and glass-forming materials to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit - which is the vitrification process - before the mixture is poured into stainless steel containers for permanent storage. The melters will produce 30 tons of glass daily.
Members of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant team pictured above: front row, left to right: Alan Dobson, Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI); Ron Bates, BNI; Kim Irwin, BNI; Jeff Bruggeman, Office of River Protection (ORP); Zach Peterson, ORP; Rich Peters, BNI; Scott Ferrell, Waste Treatment Completion Company (WTCC); Dolly Daniels, BNI; Scott Neubauer, BNI; and Bill Hamel, ORP. Back row, left to right: Scott Miller, WTCC; Jeremy Wilkins, BNI; Bill Clarno, ORP; Pat Landon, ORP; Josh Abrahamson, ORP; Dick McGrew, BNI; Chris Cowan, WTCC; Jake Feaster, WTCC; Clell Olney, WTCC; and Joe Smith, BNI. Not pictured: Bill Riker, ORP and Kris Thomas, ORP.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Environmental Management
