Hanford Evaporator Creates 1 Million Gallons of Tank Space

Issac Coronado, a nuclear chemical operator, monitors a waste-volume reduction campaign from the control room of the Hanford Site’s 242-A Evaporator.

RICHLAND, Wash. — Workers at the Hanford Site have made room for more than 1 million gallons of waste storage, supporting cleanup efforts to transfer waste from older underground tanks to newer, double-shell tanks.

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management (EM) completed five waste-reduction campaigns at the 242-A Evaporator during a six-month period. Together, the campaigns condensed the site’s waste by more than 1.1 million gallons, creating space needed to continue safe waste transfers.

“The evaporator is one of our most effective tools for managing tank space, giving us the capacity to safely transfer and keep cleanup moving forward,” said Will Ruane, 242-A program manager at Hanford Field Office. “Each campaign helps us safely manage liquid waste while preparing for long term treatment though vitrification.”

Steam rises near the 242-A Evaporator during system testing, ahead of a waste-volume reduction campaign this summer. The nonradioactive steam is from the facility’s normal operations.

The evaporator works by boiling radioactive and chemical waste at low pressure using steam heat to remove water. The remaining concentrated waste — known as slurry — is transferred back to a storage tank for future treatment. The evaporated water is filtered and sent to Hanford’s Effluent Treatment Facility for additional processing and disposal.

The facility, operated by EM contractor Hanford Tank Waste Operations & Closure (H2C), restarted in March following a series of upgrades and repairs.

“Reducing more than 1 million gallons of tank waste in a calendar year is a tremendous accomplishment,” said Brandon McFerran, H2C’s Production Operations manager. “It shows that all of the preparation, training and equipment modifications helped set the team up for the successful execution of five campaigns.”

Since beginning operations nearly 50 years ago, the 242-A Evaporator has helped remove more than 82 million gallons of liquid from Hanford’s waste tanks.