The Integrated Waste Treatment Unit (IWTU), a first-of-a-kind, 53,000-square-foot facility, will treat 900,000 gallons of liquid radioactive and hazardous waste that has been stored in underground storage tanks. The waste that will be treated – called sodium-bearing waste – was generated from operations at Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC). The liquid is stored in three stainless steel 300,000-gallon storage tanks that are part of a tank farm of 15 tanks. IWTU, located east of INTEC, will use a steam-reforming technology to convert the liquid to a solid, granular material; packaging it in stainless steel canisters; and storing the containers in concrete vaults at the site.
IWTU crews concluded a five-month sodium-bearing waste treatment campaign on September 11, 2023, where more than 68,000 gallons (or about 8 percent of the total tank farm volume) of waste were treated.
For the resulting six months, crews completed maintenance at the IWTU to include replacing filter media inside the Granulated Activated Carbon beds, which remove mercury during the waste treatment process. the evaluation.
During the runup to resume radiological operations in March 2024, IWTU operators initiated a shutdown of the facility because the operating conditions of the plant indicated the potential need for additional maintenance.
Sodium-bearing waste treatment is expected to take three to seven years to complete.
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