Doe approach to removal of radioactively contaminated tank inventory

摘要

An innovative, cost-effective approach to removing radioactively contaminated sludge from underground storage tanks has been developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The approach combines a time-saving administrative approach to site cleanup with the demonstration of a technology proven in the mining industry and currently being developed for sludge retrieval. The "Borehole Miner" extendible nozzle system, developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, will be used to sluice the contents of five inactive underground tanks at the ORNL Old Hydrofracture Facility (OHF), an inactive waste disposal test site. The tank contents will then be pumped to the active on-site waste management system. The work is processding as a non-time-critical removal action under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).