EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White, fourth from right, got a firsthand look at facilities and systems that make up the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) system at Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant during a visit on Oct. 28.
EM Senior Advisor William “Ike” White, fourth from right, got a firsthand look at facilities and systems that make up the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) system at Hanford’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant during a visit on Oct. 28.

RICHLAND, Wash. ― EM recently declared major design work complete for Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) facilities at the Hanford Site’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP).

In 2015, EM expanded its contract with EM Office of River Protection (ORP) contractor Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) to design and build the Effluent Management Facility (EMF) and make plant-wide utilities modifications to support the low-activity waste vitrification, or immobilization in glass, program. This work involved teams of engineers, nuclear safety staff, procurement specialists, and field crews working closely to integrate the design, purchasing, and construction changes.

“Completing major design work is an important step closer to treating low-activity tank waste,” said Mat Irwin, ORP deputy assistant manager for WTP.

BNI holds the contract to design, build, start up, and commission the massive waste treatment plant. This achievement represents the final DFLAW design completion contract milestone for the Bechtel-led team.

“It’s a tremendous accomplishment for our team as we completed more than 5,000 design drawings, calculations, and documents to support the modifications needed to support direct-feed tank waste treatment,” said Felice Presti, deputy project director for BNI. “We are now driving to construction completion and our engineering focus is shifting toward plant startup and commissioning work.”

The EMF design includes a nearly 19,000-square-foot building containing more than 9,500 cubic yards of concrete, nearly 800 tons of structural steel and heating, ventilation and air conditioning ductwork, more than 395,000 feet of piping and electrical cable, and 11 large processing vessels. The facility is the final major construction effort ongoing to complete DFLAW facilities.

During vitrification, secondary liquids will be generated by the off-gas system of the melters in WTP’s Low-Activity Waste Facility and flushing of transfer pipes. The effluent facility will evaporate excess water and process these liquids for disposal. The remaining concentrate will be sent back into the vitrification process.

Workers recently completed construction of six more systems in the effluent facility, and approximately 65% of facility systems have been completed and turned over to startup testing.

After the startup phase is complete, a commissioning phase ensures the utilities and process systems are integrated and ready to support future plant operations.

The plant’s Low-Activity Waste Facility and a collection of 14 utility support buildings are undergoing startup testing and commissioning. The plant’s Analytical Laboratory is in the commissioning phase.