SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Hanford Site”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8

All sources NASA NTRS DOE OSTI

DOE OSTI2024

2023 Central Hanford Ecological Integrity Assessments Monitoring Report

The Hanford Site is comprised of an expanse of shrub-steppe habitats that provides exceptional ecological value to plants and animals located on the site and in the surrounding greater Columbia Basin. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-managed portion of the Hanford Site, referred to from here on as Central Hanford, has been the focus of various ecological monitoring efforts, including vegetation monitoring. The scope and goals of vegetation surveys have varied greatly since the Hanford Site was established, but previous studies have documented a rapidly changing landscape, making it clear that continued vegetation monitoring is integral to preserving the ecological value of Central Hanford. A new vegetation monitoring effort was initiated in 2023 using methods based on ecological integrity assessments (EIA) (Natural Heritage Report [NHR] 2020-05) developed by the Washington Natural Heritage Program (WNHP), a division of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and NatureServe®. The methods were modified and supplemented to meet monitoring goals at the Hanford Site. The 2023 EIA monitoring effort consisted of field surveys to evaluate vegetation and soil condition across Central Hanford. Surveys were focused on upland habitats, and areas under consideration for upcoming projects were prioritized. Vegetation cover estimates were used to score a variety of metrics for vegetation conditions in each area. In 2023, approximately half of the site was surveyed. Monitoring methods and results for the 2023 field season are summarized in this report, and management recommendations are also provided.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

International Intercomparison for Nuclear Accident Dosimetry Using Godiva-IV

During the week of August 22, 2022, Integral Experiment Request (IER) 538, an international blind intercomparison for nuclear accident dosimetry (NAD) exercise, was completed using the Godiva-IV critical assembly at the National Criticality Experiments Research Center (NCERC) located in the Device Assembly Facility (DAF) at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). This exercise builds upon a series of experiments that include the characterization the radiation fields around Godiva (IER-147) and Flattop (IER-252) and follow up intercomparisons of dosimetry around both Godiva IV and Flattop (IER-148 and IER-253, respectively). The participants consisted of seven Department of Energy laboratories and one laboratory each from the US Navy, United Kingdom, and France. The participants of the exercise were Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL); Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Sandia National Laboratory (SNL); Savannah River Site (SRS); Hanford Site, Missions Support and Test Services (MSTS); Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12); Naval Dosimetry Center (NDC); Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE); and Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN). MSTS dosimeters were included in the irradiations but not reported for evaluation. This report primarily discusses the performance of the 24 hour results submitted by participants, though available final results are briefly discussed. Information for each irradiation performed is provided for participating laboratories to produce their own final report which will be incorporated into the CED-4a report.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2020

Technology Development for Under Tank Inspection of Double-Shell Tanks - 20045

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of River Protection (DOE-ORP) is responsible for management and cleanup of the tank farms located at the Hanford Site. Nuclear waste at Hanford is stored in 149 single-shell tanks (SSTs) and 27 double-shell tanks (DSTs). The vast majority of the liquid radioactive waste is stored in the DSTs. The 27 DSTs, located in six tank farms, were constructed from 1967 to 1986 and, compared to the SSTs, provide greatly improved protection from leakage and better accessibility for inspection. The DSTs and ancillary equipment are expected to exceed their design life before their waste is removed and sent to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. The DST Integrity Project (DSTIP) must ensure that the DST system can meet the River Protection Project mission goals. This paper provides a programmatic overview of the DSTIP with a focus on development of under-tank inspection technologies. Currently, two categories of nondestructive examination (NDE) techniques for DSTs are implemented on the Hanford site: (1) surface (SNDE) and (2) volumetric (VNDE). Further discussion on current inspection techniques is provided in this paper. The technology development approach for advanced VNDE techniques will also be generally discussed as a precursor for another more detailed WM2020 paper and presentation by PNNL. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2020

Panel Session 88: Waste Management from Remediation of Legacy Sites or Unplanned Releases

This panel focused on the progression of cleanup on the Hanford Site, Washington, USA, from establishing the regulatory framework necessary for cleanup, to understanding the risks and addressing near-term hazards, to moving to 24/7 operations as cleanup focuses on tank waste treatment and co-located risk reduction efforts as the active cleanup footprint shrinks. Panelists with presentations: Hanford: Past, Present, Future (Brian Vance); Protecting the River (L. Ty Blackford); Hanford Tank Farms (John Eschenberg Jr.); The Hanford Site (Robert Wilkinson); The Hanford Site (Valerie McCain)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2025

Batch Test Analysis of Potential Treatment Technologies for Cyanide Groundwater Remediation

In addressing groundwater contamination, several remediation technologies are widely employed, including ion exchange (IX) resins and other adsorbents in pump-and-treat (P&T) facilities. However, many sites do not have the complex nature of the Hanford Site – a legacy production site that is part of the U.S. Department of Energy nuclear weapons complex. The Hanford Site covers an area of nearly 1,500 km 2 and has various inorganic and organic contaminants. One contaminant of concern in the Hanford Site’s Central Plateau is cyanide, particularly in the recalcitrant form of ferrocyanide. While ferrocyanide is often considered a stable complex, it can release free cyanide under certain conditions and presents challenges when testing for cyanide as a total cyanide analysis cannot differentiate between complexed and free cyanide.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Application of a Null-Space Monte Carlo Flow Model Set to the Composite Analysis Base Case Fate and Transport Modeling

The Plateau to River Groundwater Model (P2R Model) is a groundwater flow and contaminant fate and transport (F&T) simulation model used to support remedial activities conducted by CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company at the Hanford Site in Washington State. Figure 1-1 illustrates the P2R Model extents, discretization, and boundary conditions. The P2R Model is utilized in the Composite Analysis (CA) for the Hanford Site as the computational engine for computing F&T predictions as described in CP-60406, Hanford Site Composite Analysis Technical Approach Description: Groundwater. The model simulates contaminants of concern within the saturated zone of the uppermost aquifer beneath the Central Plateau and downgradient to the Columbia River. CP-57037, Model Package Report for the Plateau to River Model Version 8.3, documents the current version of the P2R Model including a description of the conceptual site model, model development and calibration, and limitations to the model application. The overall objective of the saturated zone modeling effort is to provide a basis for making informed remedial action decisions based on descriptions of current and expected future contaminant concentrations in groundwater at decision points within and downgradient of the Central Plateau of the Hanford Site. Specifically, the purpose of this environmental calculation is to describe the application of the hydraulic property fields and recharge parameters documented in ECF-HANFORD-20-0027, Null Space Monte Carlo Evaluation of the Plateau to River Model, to the CA flow and fate and transport simulation results to quantify the uncertainty in the simulated results due to input parameter selection. Use of numerical groundwater models is always accompanied with uncertainty in the results produced by a model because models are approximations of reality. Thus, by definition, models lack the detail to fully represent observed behavior. Use of numerical techniques, such as a NSMC analysis, can help in identifying and quantifying the potential uncertainties associated with a numerical model such as the P2R Model. The result of NSCM analysis is a set of F&T simulations that provide an estimate of the range of possible outcomes that are used to quantify the uncertainty in simulated concentrations produced using the base case simulations. The simulated concentrations from all simulations will support calculation of the uncertainty of the total dose calculated in a separate calculation.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2024

Summer Bat Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2023

Bats are mammals belonging to the order Chiroptera, which means “hand-wing.” They use a thin membrane of skin stretched between their fingers to fly. All bat species known in the state of Washington are insectivorous and each bat can consume 600-1,000 insects per hour while feeding. Bats typically give birth once per year to a single pup, making bat populations vulnerable to impacts and slow to recover. Several species of bats have been documented on the Hanford Site, with nine species identified during The Nature Conservancy surveys in 1997 and 1998, and an additional seven species listed as potentially present as documented in Biodiversity Inventory and Analysis of the Hanford Site. Final Report 1994-1999 (Soll et al., 1999). Ongoing U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Richland Operations Office (RL) acoustic surveys, including HNF-53759, Summer Bat Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2012, have also confirmed the presence of the same nine species documented by Soll et al. (1999). An additional species, the spotted bat (Euderma maculatum), was observed roosting on the exterior of a facility by Hanford Site personnel in 2021; the species was confirmed by Hanford Site biologists via photograph (Table 1-1).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Salmon Redd Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2024

The U.S. Department of Energy, Hanford Field Office (HFO) 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 HFO activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitats under HFO stewardship at the Hanford Site required for decision making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. DOE/EIS-0222, Final Hanford Comprehensive Land-Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement, (CLUP) evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with implementing a comprehensive land-use plan for the Hanford Site for at least the next 50 years, and ensures that HFO, its contractors, and other entities conduct activities on the Hanford Site in compliance with NEPA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Salmon Redd Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2023

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Salmon Redd Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2022

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-RL activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitats under DOE-RL stewardship at the Hanford Site required for decision making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. DOE/EIS-0222, Final Hanford Comprehensive Land-Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement, (CLUP) evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with implementing a comprehensive land-use plan for the Hanford Site for at least the next 50 years, and ensures that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conduct activities on the Hanford Site in compliance with NEPA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Salmon Redd Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2021

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-RL activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitats under DOE-RL stewardship at the Hanford Site required for decision making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. DOE/EIS-0222, Final Hanford Comprehensive Land-Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement, (CLUP) evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with implementing a comprehensive land-use plan for the Hanford Site for at least the next 50 years, and ensures that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conduct activities on the Hanford Site in compliance with NEPA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2021

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Salmon Redd Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2020

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-RL activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitats under DOE-RL stewardship at the Hanford Site required for decision making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. DOE/EIS-0222, Final Hanford Comprehensive Land Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement, (CLUP) evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with implementing a comprehensive land-use plan for the Hanford Site for at least the next 50 years, and ensures that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conduct activities on the Hanford Site in compliance with NEPA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Salmon Redd Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2019

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-RL activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitats under DOE-RL stewardship at the Hanford Site required for decision making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. DOE/EIS-0222, Final Hanford Comprehensive Land Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement (CLUP) evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with implementing a comprehensive land-use plan for the Hanford Site for at least the next 50 years, and ensures that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conduct activities on the Hanford Site in compliance with NEPA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Redd Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2018

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-RL activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitats under DOE-RL stewardship at the Hanford Site required for decision making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. DOE/EIS-0222, Final Hanford Comprehensive Land Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement (CLUP) evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with implementing a comprehensive land-use plan for the Hanford Site for at least the next 50 years, and ensures that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conduct activities on the Hanford Site in compliance with NEPA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Redd Monitoring Report for Calendar Year 2017

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-RL activities. Ecological monitoring data provide baseline information about the plants, animals, and habitats under DOE-RL stewardship at the Hanford Site required for decision making under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). DOE/EIS-0222, Final Hanford Comprehensive Land Use Plan Environmental Impact Statement (CLUP) evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with implementing a comprehensive land-use plan for the Hanford Site for at least the next 50 years, and ensures that DOE-RL, its contractors, and other entities conduct activities on the Hanford Site in compliance with NEPA.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Vadose Zone Model for B-3A/B Pond for Composite Analysis

The objectives of the vadose modeling for the updated Hanford Site composite analysis (CA) are to simulate the flow and transport of water and radionuclide releases from the surface to the water table and to provide radionuclide transfer rates for the plateau to river (P2R) model, version 8.3 (CP-57037, Model Package Report: Plateau to River Groundwater Model, Version 8.3). Water additions include natural recharge and water discharged to the ground as a result of industrial processes associated with Hanford Site operations. Contaminant sources include radionuclides in water discharged to the ground during operations and radionuclides disposed “dry” in solid waste burial grounds or other means. The following 16 radionuclides were selected for this modeling effort; carbon-14 (C-14), chlorine-36 (Cl-36), tritium (H-3), iodine-129 (I-129), neptunium-237 (Np-237), rhenium-187 (Re-187), strontium-90 (Sr-90), technetium-99 (Tc-99), uranium-232 (U-232), uranium-233 (U-233), uranium-234 (U-234), uranium-235 (U-235), uranium-236 (U-236), uranium-238 (U-238), radium-226 (Ra-226), and thorium-230 (Th-230). The simulation time starts in 1943 and ends at 12070, which is 10,000 years after assumed Hanford Site closure in 2070. The parallel version of the Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases (STOMP) simulator officially named the exascale Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases (eSTOMP), is used to simulate flow and transport for the vadose models. The documentation for the STOMP code is comprehensive. The theoretical and numerical approaches applied in the STOMP code are documented in a published theory guide (PNNL-12030, STOMP Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases Version 2.0 Theory Guide). The code has undergone a rigorous verification procedure against analytical solutions, laboratory-scale experiments, and field-scale demonstrations. The application guide (PNNL-11216, STOMP Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases Application Guide) provides instructive examples in the application of the code to classical groundwater problems. The user’s guide (PNNL-15782, STOMP: Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases Version 4.0: User’s Guide) describes the general use, input file formatting, compilation, and execution of the code. The primary output of the vadose zone modeling is radionuclide transfer rates to the groundwater for input into the P2R model. The rates will be summed over the 100 by 100 m P2R grid cells that fall within the vadose zone model source domain. The Hanford Site Central Plateau was subdivided into 26 individual vadose zone models, with 13 in the 200 East Area and 13 in the 200 West Area. Waste sites that have a completed performance assessment (PA) or past-leak analysis were not included as sources of radionuclides. Instead the vadose zone to groundwater transfer rates of the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility, Integrated Disposal Facility, US Ecology, and Waste Management Area C (WMA C) PAs and the past-leak analysis for WMA C were used as direct input to the P2R model. Each of the vadose zone models is documented in separate environmental calculation files (ECFs). This ECF describes the B-3A/B Ponds model. The scope of this ECF is to document the development and results of the B-3 A/B Ponds vadose zone model. CP-63515, Model Package Report: Central Plateau Vadose Zone Models, describes the approach, assumptions, process of determining the number of models required and domain of each model, input data, and processing common to all the models.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2020

Vadose Zone Model for SALDS for Composite Analysis

The objectives of the vadose modeling for the updated Hanford Site composite analysis (CA) are to simulate the flow and transport of water and radionuclide releases from the surface to the water table and to provide radionuclide transfer rates for the plateau to river (P2R) model, version 8.3 (CP-57037, Model Package Report: Plateau to River Groundwater Model, Version 8.3). Water additions include natural recharge and water discharged to the ground as a result of industrial processes associated with Hanford Site operations. Contaminant sources include radionuclides in water discharged to the ground during operations and radionuclides disposed “dry” in solid waste burial grounds or other means. The following 16 radionuclides were selected for this modeling effort: carbon-14 (C-14), chlorine-36 (Cl-36), tritium (H-3), iodine-129 (I-129), neptunium-237 (Np-237), rhenium-187 (Re-187), strontium-90 (Sr-90), technetium-99 (Tc-99), uranium-232 (U-232), uranium-233 (U-233), uranium-234 (U-234), uranium-235 (U-235), uranium-236 (U-236), uranium-238 (U-238), radium-226 (Ra-226), and thorium-230 (Th-230). The simulation time starts in 1943 and ends at 12070, which is 10,000 years after assumed Hanford Site closure in 2070. The parallel version of the Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases (STOMP1) simulator, officially named the exascale Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases (eSTOMP) is used to simulate flow and transport for the vadose models. The documentation for the STOMP code is comprehensive. The theoretical and numerical approaches applied in the STOMP code are documented in a published theory guide (PNNL-12030, STOMP Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases Version 2.0 Theory Guide). The code has undergone a rigorous verification procedure against analytical solutions, laboratory-scale experiments, and field-scale demonstrations. The application guide (PNNL-11216, STOMP Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases Application Guide) provides instructive examples in the application of the code to classical groundwater problems. The user’s guide (PNNL-15782, STOMP: Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases Version 4.0: User’s Guide) describes the general use, input file formatting, compilation, and execution of the code. The primary output of the vadose zone modeling is radionuclide transfer rates to the groundwater for input into the P2R model. The rates will be summed over the 100 by 100 m P2R grid cells that fall within the vadose zone model source domain. The Hanford Site Central Plateau was subdivided into 26 individual vadose zone models, with 13 in the 200 East Area and 13 in the 200 West Area. Waste sites that have a completed performance assessment (PA) or past-leak analysis were not included as sources of radionuclides. Instead the vadose zone to groundwater transfer rates of the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility, Integrated Disposal Facility, US Ecology, and Waste Management Area C (WMA C) PAs and the past-leak analysis for WMA C were used as direct input to the P2R model. Each of the vadose zone models is documented in separate environmental calculation files (ECFs). This ECF describes the State-Approved Land Disposal Site (SALDS) model. The scope of this ECF is to document the development and results of the SALDS vadose zone model. CP-63515, Model Package Report: Central Plateau Vadose Zone Models, describes the approach, assumptions, process of determining the number of models required and domain of each model, input data, and processing common to all the models.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

DOE OSTI2023

The evaluation of aluminum and iron metal oxide settling behaviors for Hanford insoluble solids waste preprocessing

The Hanford site is currently one of the largest and most expensive cleanup sites for hazardous, radioactive waste. Over 20% of the waste found at the Hanford site is in the form of a high activity sludge. The insoluble solids in the sludge will need to be concentrated prior to vitrification in the high-level waste (HLW) melter. This will minimize the amount of liquid that will be evaporated during the melting process and expedite the melter processing rate. One proposed option for concentrating the insoluble solids is gravity settling in the storage tanks. Metal oxide compounds containing aluminum and iron make up the majority of the insoluble solids in the sludge, therefore understanding the behavior of these compounds in various tank waste matrices can facilitate sludge pretreatment options. A study of non-radioactive slurry solutions containing Al(OH) 3 (gibbsite), AlO(OH) (boehmite), and Fe 2 O 3 (iron (III) oxide) was conducted to determine the time dependent interface behavior and settling rates of these compounds. Variations in solids loading and sodium concentration were evaluated to represent waste processing conditions and the results of these settling studies were compared with prior tank waste settling tests. Information gathered from these studies can be used to inform future decisions on sludge treatment processes of the insoluble solids processed at the Hanford site.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗