Workers recently installed thousands of feet of electrical cables to a powerhouse at the Effluent Management Facility (EMF), which supports the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) program to begin treating tank waste by 2023.
The cables connect the powerhouse to the Low-Activity Waste vitrification facility’s already-operational electrical and network systems.
The work involved installing nearly 5,800 feet of assorted electrical cables and 11,900 feet of fiber optic cable to the EMF powerhouse. The EMF contains three structures: a main processing building, an electrical powerhouse, and a utility systems building.
Workers are now focused on pulling cable from the powerhouse to the adjacent main processing building. The powerhouse contains transformers, motor control centers, and electrical cable to provide electricity to EMF systems and processing equipment.
During low-activity waste vitrification, secondary liquid, called effluent, is generated from the melter off-gas system and when transfer pipes are flushed. These liquids go to the EMF processing building, where excess water is evaporated and transferred to Hanford’s nearby Liquid Effluent Retention Facility, and the remaining concentrate is sent back into the vitrification process. EMF is the final major construction effort to support DFLAW.