Hanford Workers Topple 200-Foot-Tall Ventilation Stack at Plutonium Finishing Plant

RICHLAND, Wash. – Workers used explosives to safely demolish the Plutonium Finishing Plant’s (PFP) 200-foot-tall ventilation stack on July 15, reducing a Hanford Site landmark to rubble.

   Watch video of the demolition here.

   Controlled Demolition Inc., a subcontractor to EM contractor CH2HM HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M), used a small amount of explosives to weaken the stack, allowing gravity to bring it down. This technique was applied to safely demolish other similar structures at Hanford. It’s safer and more efficient than having workers use cranes and other equipment at elevated levels to tear down the structure.

   Crews used fogging with water for dust suppression and fixatives, a paint-like substance used to trap contamination, before, during, and after demolition. They set up air monitors near the demolition zone and around PFP, and laid fresh dirt where the stack fell to reduce the risk of debris and contamination spreading.

   Removing the stack allowed demolition to proceed on the PFP’s main processing facility annex, which has begun.