Hanford Waste Treatment Plant completes concrete design for largest facility

Richland, Wash. — The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Project, also known as the "Vit Plant," recently issued the final design detailing the structural concrete for the Pretreatment Facility. The final drawing represents the completion of the facility's concrete floors and results from more than 15,000 pages of calculations and 500 other drawings. These calculations and drawings provide the details that …

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Marines accept more than 4,000 toys for Toys for Tots from Hanford Waste Treatment Plant employees

Richland, Wash. — Employees at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," donated more than 4,000 toys and over $10,000 to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves' Toys for Tots campaign at an event this morning. Marines from Bravo Company, 4th Tank Battalion, were on hand to accept the donation.

"I am pleased to be back for …

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REMINDER: Hanford Waste Treatment Plant to host public open house in Richland this Wednesday

Richland, Wash. — The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Project (also known as the "Vit Plant") will host an open house, Wed., Nov. 30, 5-7:30 p.m., at the Red Lion Hotel in Richland, Wash. The purpose of the open house is to promote public awareness and support the project's efforts to be transparent and open. Vit Plant subject matter experts will …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant and Department of Energy to host public open house in Richland

Richland, Wash. — The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Project (also known as the "Vit Plant") and the Department of Energy (DOE) will host an open house, Wed., Nov. 30, 5-7:30 p.m., at the Red Lion Hotel in Richland, Wash. The purpose of the open house is to promote public awareness and support the project’s efforts to be transparent and open. …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant receives and sets key air-filtration equipment

Richland, Wash. — Last week, the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," received and placed a key piece of air-filtration equipment in the Low-Activity Waste Facility. The nearly 100-ton carbon bed adsorber is part of a complex air-filtration system that will ensure the facility’s air emissions meet strict environmental regulations and requirements.

The extensive air-filtration system …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant completes fifth concrete wall elevation for largest facility

Richland, Wash. —Last week, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," finished installing the Pretreatment Facility's fifth elevation of concrete walls. The fifth elevation reaches approximately 97 feet at the top.

To place the final walls, crews used a specialized concrete pumping truck with an extendable arm that reaches approximately 200 feet vertically or …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant receives decontamination vessels for High-Level Waste Facility

Richland, Wash. — Recently, the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," received two decontamination vessels that are essential to safely removing glass-filled canisters from the High-Level Waste Facility. The titanium steel vessels weigh 4,200 pounds and measure 2.5 feet in diameter and 18 feet tall.

When operational, the High-Level Waste Facility will vitrify high-level radioactive waste …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant receives key equipment for air-filtration system

Richland, Wash. — The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," recently received the first of 32 large nuclear quality dampers for the High-Level Waste Facility. The 1,350-pound dampers are part of the facility's extensive filter system and will be essential to maintaining contamination boundaries during plant operations.

Twenty of the 32 stainless steel dampers will isolate …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant receives and sets key bridge crane in High-Level Waste Facility

Richland, Wash. — Crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," recently received and set a bridge crane that is key to progressing construction of the High-Level Waste Facility. The three-ton-capacity crane needed to be in place before essential piping and hangers could be installed above and around it.

"It took an incredible amount of …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant welcomes review by leading nuclear safety experts

Richland, Wash. — A team of executive-level nuclear safety experts is now conducting an independent and comprehensive review of the nuclear safety and quality culture at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP).

Members of the independent panel bring many decades of high-level experience working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy (DOE), and Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant completes important mechanical installation in Pretreatment Facility

Richland, Wash. — Crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," recently assembled and placed a more than eight-ton decontamination booth in the Pretreatment Facility. The booth will be used to decontaminate large pieces of equipment that must be removed from radioactive areas when they require maintenance.

"The decontamination booth is the first significant piece …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant places first complex piping module in Pretreatment Facility

Richland, Wash. — Last weekend, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," placed a 19-ton piping module inside the Pretreatment Facility. The module was lifted over 98-foot-tall walls and lowered into a space that provided less than two inches of clearance on each side and just a few feet on each end. It was …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant reaches design milestone for largest facility

Richland, Wash. — The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Project, also known as the "Vit Plant," recently issued the final design for the concrete walls of the Pretreatment Facility — and celebrated reaching 60 percent complete.

"This additional design milestone — for the largest Vit Plant facility — further demonstrates that transition and our commitment to completing Vit Plant design in …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant welding manager elected as Bechtel Fellow

Richland, Wash. — Richard Campbell, the welding manager at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, has been elected as a Bechtel Fellow. He joins more than 20 Bechtel Fellows from varying professional fields and organizations within the global corporation. Campbell is the first person from Bechtel's Construction organization to be named a Fellow.

Bechtel Fellows are selected for their …

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Construction continues to advance at Pretreatment Facility

Richland, Wash. — Recently, Hanford Waste Treatment Plant crews lifted and placed a nearly 9-ton rebar curtain above the 77-foot elevation at the Pretreatment Facility. The curtain measures 36 feet long, 22 feet high and is the last curtain to compose the facility's fifth concrete elevation. Rebar curtains are used to reinforce the strength of the concrete.

When complete, the …

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Complex crane installations completed in Low-Activity Waste Facility

Richland, Wash. — Recently, crews working at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," completed four complex jib crane installations in the Low- Activity Waste (LAW) Facility. The 3-ton-capacity cranes will be used to place lids on filled LAW containers at the end of the vitrification process. This lidding procedure will take place in the …

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Bechtel donates $30,000 to CBC welding

Issued by Columbia Basin College

Pasco, Wash. — Bechtel National, Inc., which is designing and constructing the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also know as the Vit Plant, has donated $30,000 to the Columbia Basin College Welding department for the purchase of needed equipment. Bechtel National has been a major partner with CBC with over $500,000 in donations for …

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Construction completed on water treatment building for Hanford Waste Treatment Plant

Richland, Wash. — Recently, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," completed construction of an essential support building. The building houses equipment that will filter and treat water that will be used throughout Vit Plant facilities during operations.

"The Vit Plant will require an estimated 400 gallons of water per minute during …

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Vit Plant crews finish complex cooling panel installations for Low-Activity Waste Facility

Richland, Wash. — Recently, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," finished installing a series of cooling panels that are essential to maintaining a safe temperature in the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility. The panels were installed in the area of the facility where the 2,100-degree-Fahrenheit waste-glass mixture, the final product of the vitrification …

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Vit Plant engineers complete civil design of High-Level Waste Facility

Richland, Wash. — Engineers at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," recently completed the civil, structural and architectural design for the High-Level Waste Facility. When complete, the building will consist of more than 87,000 cubic yards of concrete and more than 10,000 tons of structural steel.

"The High-Level Waste Facility is the most structurally complex …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant office employees exceed 16 million hours with no lost time

Richland, Wash. — Recently, employees and subcontractors who work in the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant project offices reached more than 16 million hours — over 5 years — without an injury resulting in a lost workday.

"This is a tremendous accomplishment for our office employees and demonstrates their continued commitment to working safely and going home injury free," …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant receives key vessel for decontamination system

Richland, Wash. — This week, the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," received an enormous nuclear-quality vessel that will be essential to the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility's container decontamination system. The 65-footlong and 10-foot-diameter vessel will store carbon dioxide that will be used to clean the outside of filled low-activity waste containers before they leave …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant sets crucial air-filtration duct in High-Level Waste Facility

Richland, Wash. — Recently, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," set a giant heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) duct in the High-Level Waste Facility. The nuclear-quality duct is part of the facility's extensive filter system and will be essential to maintaining contamination boundaries during Vit Plant operations.

The stainless steel duct measures 5 …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant sets massive protective shield door in Pretreatment Facility

Richland, Wash. — Earlier this week, an enormous protective shield door was set in the Pretreatment Facility at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant." The 102-ton door was lowered through the roof and placed on top of an adjoining 85-ton door that was installed at the end of December.

"This installation was particularly …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant installs 85-ton shield door

Richland, Wash. — Today, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant lifted an 85-ton shield door into the largest of its four major nuclear facilities -- the Pretreatment Facility. The carbon steel door measures 15 feet wide, 27 feet tall and 10 inches thick; it was lowered through the roof into the canyon-center of the facility. A 102-ton door …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant receives last pieces of equipment for quality control system

Richland, Wash. — The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," recently received the last and most significant pieces of its autosampling system for the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility. The system will ensure the glass produced by the Vit Plant meets all regulatory standards and requirements.

It was designed by EnergySolutions and fabricated by Mid-Columbia Engineering, both …

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Essential overhead maintenance crane installed in Hanford Waste Treatment Plant

Richland, Wash. — Today, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," installed major components of an overhead crane that will be essential to plant operations. The components were lowered through the roof into the canyon-like center that runs the length of the Vit Plantâ��s largest facility — the Pretreatment Facility. When the plant …

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Marines accept more than 3,500 toys for Toys for Tots from Hanford Waste Treatment Plant employees

Richland, Wash. — Employees at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," heard the plea of the local Toys for Tots organization, which announced over the weekend that area demand was exceeding donations this year. At an event this morning, Vit Plant employees, Bechtel and URS presented the Toys for Tots organization and U.S. Marines …

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Final Low-Activity Waste Vitrification Facility melter assembly arrives at Waste Treatment Plant

Richland, Wash. — Today, the second and final 125-ton melter assembly that will be staged in the Low-Activity Waste Vitrification (LAW) Facility arrived at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the Vit Plant, construction site. The assembly, carried on a 190-foot-long transporter, completed its nearly 800-mile trek from Ogden, Utah, in just four days.

The assembly started in …

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Second melter assembly begins journey to Hanford Waste Treatment Plant

Richland, Wash. — Today, the second and final 125-ton melter assembly that will be installed in the Low-Activity Waste Vitrification (LAW) Facility began its nearly 800-mile route to the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the Vit Plant. The first melter assembly arrived at the Vit Plant on November 5 and is currently staged in the LAW Facility.

First giant melter assembly arrives at Hanford Waste Treatment Plant

Richland, Wash. — Today, the first 125-ton melter assembly that will be staged in the Low-Activity Waste Vitrification (LAW) Facility completed its nearly 800-mile journey from Ogden, Utah. The assembly was carried on a specially configured heavy-haul transporter that was restricted to driving no more than 45 miles per hour. In just four days, it traveled through four states …

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First massive melter assembly begins nearly 800-mile route to Hanford Waste Treatment Plant

Richland, Wash. — Yesterday, the first 125-ton melter assembly that will be installed in the Low-Activity Waste Vitrification (LAW) Facility began its nearly 800-mile route to the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the Vit Plant. The assembly, which is the first of two, measures 30 feet long, 21 feet wide and 13 feet tall.

Because of …

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30-ton melter lids arrive at Hanford Waste Treatment Plant

Richland, Wash. — Today, the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) construction site received the giant shield lids that will top off two 300-ton melters for the Low-Activity Waste Vitrification (LAW) Facility. Each lid, made primarily of carbon steel, weighs about 30 tons and measures 26 feet long, 15 feet wide and 3 feet tall. The lids were transported via …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant setting the tracks for large crane in Pretreatment Facility

Richland, Wash. — Crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the "Vit Plant," have begun installing two crane rails in the Pretreatment Facility, totaling more than 900 feet in length. Once installed, the rails will be used to hold and move a 30-ton capacity overhead crane the length of the facility's 400-foot hot cell, as well …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant receives key equipment for quality control system

Richland, Wash. — Recently, the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant, also known as the “Vit Plant,” received key equipment for its autosampling system. When operational, the system will be critical to ensuring a high-quality glass product that meets all regulatory requirements and standards.

"The autosampling system is a complicated and highly specialized system that is vital to successful Vit Plant operations," …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant reaching new heights on largest facility

Richland, Wash. — Last week, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) finished installing the Pretreatment (PT) Facility’s fourth elevation of concrete walls. Completing the fourth elevation, which reaches 77 feet at the top, is a significant step towards completing civil construction activities for the facility.

Once we finish concrete and steel construction, we can fully transition …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant completes critical system design for High-Level Waste Facility

Richland, Wash. — Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) engineers recently completed the design for the High-Level Waste (HLW) Vitrification Facility’s heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. Critical to facility operations, the HVAC system will ensure contamination boundaries are maintained by directing the flow of contaminated air through the appropriate channels. It will also regulate the temperature of the facility, which will …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Project’s Analytical Laboratory mechanical systems design completed

Richland, Wash. — Engineers working on the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant (WTP), also known as the "Vit Plant," recently completed the mechanical systems design for the Analytical Laboratory (Lab), one of the four major nuclear facilities that compose the Vit Plant, bringing the facility another step closer to startup activities in 2013.

When operational, the Lab will be a …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Project finishes setting series of massive shield doors

Richland, Wash. — Last week, the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Project, the “Vit Plant,” finished setting the last of four massive shield doors in its High-Level Waste (HLW) Vitrification Facility. The first was set this spring. These four doors are located in a key area of the facility and are crucial to advancing construction.

“By successfully completing these …

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Hanford Vitrification Plant Project begins complicated cooling panel installations

Richland, Wash. — Earlier this month, crews at the Hanford Vitrification Plant began a series of complicated cooling panel installations in the Low-Activity Waste Vitrification (LAW) Facility. The panels are being installed in the area of the facility where the 2,100-degree-Fahrenheit waste-glass mixture, the final product of the vitrification process, will be poured into stainless steel containers for permanent …

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Massive shield door installed at the Vit Plant

Richland, Wash. — Construction crews with Bechtel National, Inc. have successfully completed the precision installation of a massive 50-ton shield door at Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) in southeastern Washington State. Bechtel is designing and building the WTP for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection.

The shield door is in a key area of the …

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Hanford Vit Plant begins key interior installation in Analytical Laboratory

Richland, Wash. — This week, crews at the Hanford Vitrification Plant began installing key equipment essential for safely transporting analyzed waste within its Analytical Laboratory (Lab). The equipment is part of a waste-transfer system that, when the Vit Plant is operational, will move waste that has already been tested through the Lab.

“These components are critical to safely …

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Bechtel announces Frank Russo as new Vit Plant project director

Richland, Wash. — Effective January 18, the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Project announces Frank Russo as the new project director. In this position, Russo is responsible for oversight of the $12.2 billion nuclear waste cleanup project in Richland, Wash.

Russo brings 37 years of experience in engineering, procurement, construction, startup, commissioning and business management to …

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Hanford Vit Plant finishes 2009 with major accomplishments

Richland, Wash. — The Hanford Vitrification Plant finished 2009 with major accomplishments in three of its primary nuclear facilities—the High-Level Waste (HLW) Vitrification Facility, Pretreatment (PT) Facility and the Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Vitrification Facility. These accomplishments included fabricating keyequipment, placing a 36-ton rebar curtain and completing a support building, respectively.

“The Vit Plant reached 50 percent complete this …

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Vit Plant’s Pretreatment Facility expands interior installations

Richland, Wash. — The Pretreatment (PT) Facility at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (Vit Plant) now reaches an impressive 77 feet in places and continues to rise steadily as concrete and steel are installed. Recently, the facility marked additional achievements when crews began installing a massive HVAC duct inside the facility’s hot cell. The duct is part …

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Vit Plant celebrates surpassing 50 percent complete

Richland, Wash. — This month, the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Project celebrated surpassing the 50-percent-complete mark.

“Over the years, nearly 10,000 people have touched this historic project,” WTP Project Director Ted Feigenbaum said. “Each of these people, whether a skilled craft, engineer or other professional, has contributed to the project meeting this milestone. It is …

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Hanford Vitrification Plant continues to meet milestones at Pretreatment Facility

Richland, Wash. — Crews working on the Pretreatment (PT) Facility recently reached a significant milestone when they finished installing the structural steel that raises the facility’s elevation from 28 feet to 56 feet.

“By completing this milestone, we are demonstrating the increasing momentum and mounting accomplishments for the PT Facility and the project as a whole,” Gary Brunson, …

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Energy Secretary Chu visits the Vit Plant

Richland, Wash. — With the ongoing construction of the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) in the background at the Hanford Site, Energy Secretary Steven Chu joined Washington Governor Chris Gregoire, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna, U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, acting U.S. Assistant Attorney General John Cruden and other officials today to announce a …

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Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant installs key vitrification process equipment

Richland, Wash. — Last week, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) installed two large mixing vessels, which are key to the vitrification process, in the Low-Activity Waste Vitrification (LAW) Facility.

Fabricated by Dynamic Air in St. Paul, Minn., each vessel is approximately 15 feet long, 11 feet wide and 8 feet tall and weighs …

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Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant completes complex door liner installation

Richland, Wash. — Today, crews at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) lifted a massive door liner into place in the High-Level Waste (HLW) Vitrification Facility, demonstrating continued progress at the Vit Plant.

This is a significant accomplishment for the HLW Facility and the Vit Plant as a whole,” Ty Troutman, area project manager for the …

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Hanford Waste Treatment Plant piping protection system put into service

Richland, Wash. — The Hanford Waste Treatment Plant (WTP), also known as the vit plant, reached a major milestone when most of its cathodic protection system was placed into service last month. The cathodic protection system, which protects miles of underground piping from corrosion, is the last of three such WTP systems selected for early turnover from construction to …

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Tests completed at Hanford’s Pretreatment Engineering Platform

Richland, Wash. — Installed and fully operational, the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Pretreatment Engineering Platform (PEP) is fulfilling its intended function – confirming the effectiveness and throughput of essential waste pretreatment processes for Hanford’s vitrification plant, also known as the vit plant. Advanced testing, known as phase one testing, began January 31, 2009, following completion of startup testing.

The …

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Pretreatment Facility shield doors installed at Hanford Waste Treatment Plant

Richland, Wash. — Two massive shield doors were recently installed in the Pretreatment (PT) Facility at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), or vit plant, demonstrating steady construction progress. The 22-ton steel doors are each 10 feet high, 11 feet wide and approximately eight inches thick. Installed late last week and early this week, they are the …

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Construction progresses on Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Pretreatment Facility

Richland, Wash. — The third elevation of concrete walls was recently completed on the Pretreatment (PT) Facility at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), demonstrating the continued progress on the WTP since full construction resumed in 2007. Construction was curtailed on the PT Facility and the High-Level Waste Facility in 2005 to address and finalize seismic design …

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Melter assembly completed for the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant

Richland, Wash. — The Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Project reached a major milestone when the first melter assembly was recently completed by Petersen Inc., a custom-steel fabricator, in Ogden, Utah. The melters are at the heart of the vitrification process, which turns radioactive and chemical wastes into a sturdy glass form that is impervious to the environment. …

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