An artist's rendering of the Low Activity Waste Pretreatment System.

RICHLAND, Wash.EM’s Office of River Protection (ORP) is making progress on a planned phased approach to beginning treatment of Hanford’s tank waste as soon as 2022, with a key component set to reach a milestone this spring. 

   ORP expects to conduct a 60-percent design review for the Low Activity Waste Pretreatment System (LAWPS) in February 2017. This important step allows independent review of design choices to determine the final design path and guide future system testing plans. A 30-percent design review for this system was done earlier this year. 

   LAWPS is intended to separate the low-activity portion of the waste before feeding it to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant’s (WTP) Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility for vitrification, which means immobilizing the waste in a stable glass form for long-term disposal. Using proven technology to separate the waste streams, LAWPS can also provide a backup for the WTP Pretreatment Facility.

   EM’s phased approach to treat Hanford’s tank waste, known as Direct Feed LAW (DFLAW), is intended to use the portions of WTP closest to completion — the LAW Facility, Analytical Laboratory and balance of support facilities — while working to resolve technical issues at the High Level Waste and Pretreatment facilities. 

   “Using mature technologies and performing integrated system testing give the project a solid foundation to most quickly deliver this treatment capability,” said Steve Pfaff, federal project director for the LAWPS project. “We will also gain valuable operating experience that will help with the future completion of the larger WTP Pretreatment Facility.”

   This summer, two of the three last major pieces of equipment for the LAW Facility were delivered and installed — the ammonia skid and thermal catalytic oxidizer. Later in 2016, the final piece — the caustic scrubber — will be received and installed. These pieces are part of the off-gas treatment system, designed to capture contaminants from the melter ventilation system so plant emissions meet regulatory requirements.

   EM has committed significant resources to advancing the construction and design of the DFLAW components. Because of this program’s complex assortment of project activities, ORP has updated the One System organization.

   Led by a board of ORP senior management, Hanford tank farms contractor Washington River Protection Solutions and WTP contractor Bechtel National, Inc., the One System organization includes other EM, laboratory and contractor teams to integrate schedules and resolve issues to prioritize DFLAW activities.   

   “LAWPS connects the tank farms and WTP, and we are using the One System program to ensure that interface is seamless,” ORP Manager Kevin Smith said. “Once completed, DFLAW will allow us to start immobilizing tank waste permanently in glass.”