Post on 18-Jan-2016
description
Ari MargolinNovember 21, 2013
HUEN 2130
Hanford ProjectPart of Manhattan Project
Hanford (plutonium).Oak Ridge (uranium).
Commissioned by U.S.Gen. Leslie GrovesHanford Engineer Works (Army Corps)
Expanded during Cold WarPlutonium ~60,000 nuclear weapons.
Manhattan Project Location
Hanford Site
B Reactor (1944) World’s 2nd Nuclear
Reactor.
Designed by E. Fermi
Built by DuPont Corporation.
How B Reactor Worked
Nuclear Fission
U-238 + n ⇒ U-239 (β) Np-239 (β) Pu-239
The Slot Machine
Fat Man - Nagasaki
GE Company: 1945-1977 Processing plutonium for
U.S. nuclear arms.
In addition to B Reactor: 221-T Plant (1944) D Reactor (1944) F Reactor (1945) H Reactor (1949) C Reactor (1952) N Reactor (1963) + 4
others …
Nuclear Power and WPPSS
Power GeneratorsReactor Start-Up
DateShutdown Initial
Power(MW)
Final Power (MW)
B 1944 1968 250 2210
D 1944 1967 250 2165
F 1945 1965 250 2050
H 1949 1965 400 2140
C 1952 1969 650 2500
N 1963 1987 4000 4000
Hanford Tank Farm, c. 1965
Inside Tanks
DOE (since 1977)Reactor lifespan ~22 years.
DOE (since 1977)Reactor lifespan ~22 years.
22 Years??????
1000 MW = 30 tonnes/yrReactor Start-Up
DateShutdown Initial
Power(MW)
Final Power (MW)
B 1944 1968 250 2210
D 1944 1967 250 2165
F 1945 1965 250 2050
H 1949 1965 400 2140
C 1952 1969 650 2500
N 1963 1987 4000 4000
Sludge
Environmental Hazards55 million gal of radioactive waste from fuel
rods.
1 million gallons in groundwater.
Unknown amount in Columbia River.
Concerns Increased radioactivity in
Columbia.
Asthma in Tri-Cities area.
Different types of cancer.
Nuclear Glass SolutionCertain isotopes are mobile in water.
Need solidified process.
Amorphous borosilicates (glass).
How to Make GlassObtain silica (sand)
Add sodium carbonate and calcium oxide
Add lead and sulfur (to color the glass)
Put in crucible and heat to liquid (2,300 F)
Remove bubbles
Shape and cool
Nuclear Glass-MakingVitrification :
Combine waste with soil (silicon-base) Heat to 2,100 F. Cool in steel canisters and store underground.
Not In My Back YardBurial at Yucca
Mountain has been cancelled.
YM could only hold 77,000 tonnes.
Safety concerns.
A Difficult Problem Not cost-effective.
No one wants the storage near them.
Radioactive material does not decay quickly.
No single company wants responsibility.