The first scientific instruments have arrived at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant’s (WTP) Analytical Laboratory. Workers are collaborating with chemists to install the instruments throughout the fall.
During the upcoming Commissioning phase, chemists and laboratory staff will use the instruments to confirm that glass produced by the Low-Activity Waste Vitrification Facility meets regulatory requirements and standards. The Low-Activity Waste Facility is an integral component of EM’s Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) approach to begin tank waste treatment by 2023.
During DFLAW operations, the Laboratory will analyze approximately 3,000 process samples each year to confirm a high-quality glass product and good process controls. Analyses will also confirm the correct glass-former “recipe” needed to produce a consistent glass form. Laboratory construction is finished, and work is now focused on systems startup testing activities and instrument installations.
Major instruments being installed include carbon analyzers, ion chromatographs, atomic absorption spectrometers, inductively coupled plasma spectrometers and radioanalytical counting systems. The Laboratory team will use the devices to conduct metals analysis, isotopic elemental analysis, and anion analysis as well as determining physical and chemical properties.