USE OF MULTIPLE INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE RETRIEVAL AND HANDLINGOF LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE TANK WASTES AT OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LABORATORY

摘要

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) successfully implemented an integrated tank waste managementrnplan at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) (1), which resulted in the cleanup, removal, orrnstabilization of 37 inactive underground storage tanks (USTs) since 1998, and the reduction of risk tornhuman health and the environment. The integrated plan helped accelerate the development andrndeployment of innovative technologies for the retrieval of radioactive sludge and liquid waste fromrninactive USTs. It also accelerated the pretreatment of the retrieved waste and newly generated wasternfrom ORNL research and development activities to provide for volume and contamination reduction ofrnthe liquid waste. The integrated plan included:rn1. retrieval of radioactive sludge, contaminated material, and other debris from USTs at ORNLrnusing a variety of robotic and remotely operated equipment;rn2. waste conditioning and transfer of retrieved waste to pretreatment facilities and interim, doublecontainedrnstorage tanks;rn3. the development and deployment of technologies for pretreating newly generated and retrievedrnwaste transferred to interim storage tanks;rn4. waste treatment and packaging for final off-site disposal;rn5. stabilization of the inactive USTs that did not meet the regulatory requirements of the FederalrnFacilities Agreement between the DOE, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and thernTennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC); andrn6. the continued monitoring of the active USTs that remain in long-term service.rnThis paper summarizes the successful waste retrieval and tank stabilization operations conducted duringrntwo ORNL tank remediation projects (The Gunite Tanks Remediation Project and the Old Hydrofracture