Idaho Cleanup Project personnel were so impressed with an inventive robotic technology during its demonstration recently that they immediately put it to work confirming the integrity of thousands of legacy waste drums, enabling their safe shipment to WIPP
Office of Environmental Management
April 15, 2025
minute read time
Michael Miller with Integrity Assessment Group supervises an evaluation of ultrasonic testing technology recently at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project at the Idaho National Laboratory Site.
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — Idaho Cleanup Project personnel were so impressed with an inventive robotic technology during its demonstration recently that they immediately put it to work confirming the integrity of thousands of legacy waste drums, enabling their safe and compliant shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant for disposal and saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars.
During the demonstration at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project, a crew evaluated ultrasonic testing equipment, which included a robotic arm with an affixed scanner and high-tech software, to validate the thickness of a 100-gallon transuranic waste drum in storage for more than four years.
The technology will ensure more than 4,000 stored drums meet U.S. Department of Transportation minimum thickness requirements — comparable to the width of automotive sheet metal.
The technology provides real-time data on the integrity of each waste drum. The equipment scans more than 95% of the impact area of the drum bottom followed by the lower one-third of the drum. Just as gel is used for ultrasound scanners, water is used to displace the air during ultrasonic testing, providing a more effective scan. During the first full day using the equipment, personnel scanned 24 drums.
If drums meet the Transportation Department thickness requirements, they can be loaded directly into shipping casks without overpacking, leading to a minimum cost savings of $26 million. An overpack is a container designed to provide additional protection.
David Martin, Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project Operations director for Idaho Environmental Coalition, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management cleanup contractor at the site, said he is impressed with the technology.
“Based on what we’ve seen, our goal is complete the scanning of thousands of drums by the end of the year,” he said.
The need for this technology stems from two 2022 incidents where super-compacted waste packaged in 100-gallon drums developed pinholes and leaked while in transit to the underground waste repository in New Mexico. Both shipments were returned to the Idaho National Laboratory Site for removal of contents and decontamination of the shipping casks.
Engineering studies indicated that drums more than five years old have the potential to develop pinholes and breach during their transport. As a conservative measure, Idaho Environmental Coalition halted shipments of waste drums older than four years old, resulting in thousands of drums remaining in storage as costly overpacks are manufactured.
Work at the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project is being performed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and in support of the 1995 Idaho Settlement Agreement, which requires stored legacy transuranic waste be shipped out of Idaho.
-Contributor: Erik Simpson
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