First Vitrification Cell Dismantlement in Nation Underway at West Valley

摘要

The West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP), site of a former nuclear fuel reprocessing facility, was the first project in the nation t o complete a high-level waste (HLW) vitrification program in September 2002. The WVDP solidified more than 2,271,000 liters (600,000) gallons of liquid radioactive waste. The WVDP has now turned its focus to dismantling the Vitrification Cell, the first dismantlement of this type to be conducted in the U.S. The purpose of this project is to remove the Vitrification Cell equipment and ship low-level waste (LLW) off site for disposal. This will assist in facilitating completion of the WVDP as mandated by Congress in 1980. The WVDP is being conducted under the direction of the U.S. Department of Energy by contractor West Valley Nuclear Services Company (WVNSCO), part of Washington Group International. The facility itself is unique in that it rests on land owned by New York State. The cleanup work is being conducted in conceit with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The Vitrification Cell contains eight major vessels weighing from 9 to 47 metric tons (10 to 52 tons), nearly 300,000 curies of radioactivity, contamination levels in the millions of disintegrations per minute, and 708 cubic meters (25,000 cubic feet) of wastes to be removed. The project also is being completed in a very short time frame; approximately 15 months.