Development and testing of single-shell tank waste retrieval technologies: Milestone M-45-01 summary report

Abstract

This report summarizes the activities undertaken to develop single-shell tank (SST) waste retrieval technology and complete scale-model testing. Completion of these activities fulfills the commitment of Milestone M-45-01 of the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (the Tri-Party Agreement). Initial activities included engineering studies that compiled and evaluated data on all known retrieval technologies. Based on selection criteria incorporating regulatory, safety, and operational issues, several technologies were selected for further evaluation and testing. The testing ranged from small-scale, bench-top evaluations of individual technologies to full-scale integrated tests of multiple subsystems operating concurrently as a system using simulated wastes. The current baseline retrieval method for SSTs is hydraulic sluicing. This method has been used successfully in the past to recover waste from SSTs. Variations of this hydraulic or ``past practice`` sluicing may be used to retrieve the waste from the majority of the SSTs. To minimize the potential for releases to the soil, arm-based retrieval systems may be used to recover waste from tanks that are known or suspected to have leaked. Both hydraulic sluicing and arm-based retrieval will be demonstrated in the first SST. Hydraulic sluicing is expected to retrieve most of the waste, and arm-based retrieval will retrieve wastes that remain after sluicing. Subsequent tanks will be retrieved by either hydraulic sluicing or arm-based methods, but not both. The method will be determined by waste characterization, tank integrity (leak status), and presence of in-tank hardware. Currently, it is assumed that approximately 75% of all SSTs will be retrieved by hydraulic sluicing and the remaining tanks by arm-based methods.