LOS ALAMOS, N.M. – EM’s Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) is gearing up in fiscal year 2017 to treat remediated nitrate salt (RNS) drums at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to make them suitable for storage and disposal. 

   Sixty RNS drums containing nitrate salt waste incorrectly mixed with an organic absorbent currently are stored at LANL’s Technical Area-54. EM-LA expects to begin the required re-treatment in spring 2017.

   To prepare, EM and LANL have conducted tests to determine the equipment and processes needed for the treatment process, which will involve mixing the RNS waste with water and an inert material to render the waste non-reactive. The RNS waste will then be repackaged in drums. Work is underway to further refine the planned treatment process in conditions similar to the treatment process. 

   LANL is making necessary modifications to the Waste Characterization, Reduction and Repackaging Facility (WCRRF), where the treatment process will be conducted. These changes include the addition of cameras for remote observation of treatment processes, a refrigerator for cooling the waste, water supply to support RNS treatment and a trailer for crew briefings. 

   “We are continually monitoring these drums to ensure safe storage while we evaluate and test treatment methods to render them safe for long-term storage and disposal,” EM-LA Manager Doug Hintze said. “We are now looking forward to beginning the treatment process later this fiscal year and we are confident in our ability to execute these operations in a safe and efficient manner.”

   An RNS drum from LANL was found to be the cause of the 2014 radiological release at EM’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). EM’s investigations into the WIPP radiological event determined that the mixture within the RNS drum created an exothermic chemical reaction, resulting in a temperature and pressure buildup that caused the drum to breach. These findings have helped EM and LANL develop measures for safe storage of the RNS drums prior to their treatment, including the installation of a supplemental cooling system where the drums are stored and the addition of high-capacity, high-efficiency particulate air filters and high-quality burst discs to ensure the drums do not over-pressurize. 

   Before the RNS drums are shipped offsite, LANL’s TRU waste program must be recertified to ensure it meets the revised Waste Acceptance Criteria for the safe disposal of waste at WIPP. All generator sites across the EM complex must complete recertification satisfactorily before waste can be shipped to WIPP.