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Conference Spotlight
2026 Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
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DNFSB spots possible bottleneck in Hanford’s waste vitrification
Workers change out spent 27,000-pound TSCR filter columns and place them on a nearby storage pad during a planned outage in 2023. (Photo: DOE)
While the Department of Energy recently celebrated the beginning of hot commissioning of the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), which has begun immobilizing the site’s radioactive tank waste in glass through vitrification, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board has reported a possible bottleneck in waste processing. According to the DNFSB, unless current systems run efficiently, the issue could result in the interruption of operations at the WTP’s Low-Activity Waste Facility, where waste vitrification takes place.
During operations, the LAW Facility will process an average of 5,300 gallons of tank waste per day, according to Bechtel, the contractor leading design, construction, and commissioning of the WTP. That waste is piped to the facility after being treated by Hanford’s Tanks Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) system, which filters undissolved solid material and removes cesium from liquid waste.
According to a November 7 activity report by the DNFSB, the TSCR system may not be able to produce waste feed fast enough to keep up with the LAW Facility’s vitrification rate.
Educational Session|Sponsored by Nuclear Supply Chain
Tuesday, August 11, 2020|2:00–3:30PM EDT
Session Organizer:
Bill Fry (Duke Energy)
Knowledge Manager:
Lee Causey (Duke Energy)
The industry many times makes it difficult for suppliers to meet our requirements in the most cost effective way for both the utility and the supplier. When different utilities (and sometimes different plants within that utility) request items, they have widely varying descriptions of what they desire. This goes beyond the technical requirements being imposed and includes our terms of conditions, invoicing instructions, and procurement levels. It also will include effective interfacing between the appropriate levels in each organization, minimizing late night call-outs, things utilities can do to reduce cost, and things utilities do that hurt the process. This session will be a workshop where various suppliers can brainstorm with their utility counterparts on ways in which changes can be made that will assist both sides in reducing costs and decreasing number of non-conformances. Goal will be recommendations for the industry in a number of areas that will help alleviate these impediments.
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