Interested in a career in engineering? Check out the ABET-accredited and nationally recognized 黑料社 Tri-Cities engineering programs at聽tricities.wsu.edu/engineering.

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� A team of Washington State University Tri-Cities student mechanical engineers partnered with Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) to design a prototype of an instrument that could one day be implemented to assess the exact location, amount and arrangement of solid radioactive waste in Hanford tanks.

The device could solve a significant challenge out at the site, providing engineers and scientists at Hanford with a three-dimensional and much more reliable picture of the layout of solid waste. The device would allow them to better assess and prepare for situations at the site in the future, as compared with their current methods.

Currently, WRPS use devices that measure only one location in the tanks. They use either a sludge weight or other device that must sink down to the bottom of the liquid level of the waste in the tanks to determine the level of the solid waste. The current devices, however, do not provide information about the solids level at other locations in the tanks, the students said.

For their senior design capstone project, the student group, comprised of Bryan Chronister, Tanner Reyff, Rayce Barnes and Tomokazu Hager, designed a deploying system known as SLIM, or Solid Liquid Interface Monitor, that resists radioactive contamination and decay, and can be telescoped to different depths of the tank that uses a sonar device to get an accurate picture of the tank. The device could be left in the tanks and serve as a long-term solution in creating a reliable picture of the placement of the waste in the tanks, Reyff said.

鈥淐urrently, we have a 35-foot design from grade level, which is ground level, where it is submerged into the liquid level of the waste, and takes about five minutes to do a full scan of the tank with the sonar device,鈥� Hager said. 鈥淓ssentially, it creates a topographical scan of the full tank, which can be used for a range of future uses out at the Hanford Site.鈥�

Developing the design

The student group spent their first semester developing four different designs, which they consolidated into one seamless design.

The team鈥檚 final design uses a winch to lower a telescoping tube into the supernatant, or liquid waste, that contains an existing sonar device that has been proven to withstand radioactive exposure. The tubing is encapsulated in a chamber that protects the outside environment from radioactive contamination. When the device is removed, it has a high-impact spray system that washes the tubing as it is being removed and also further reduces potential for contamination.

鈥淲e created a rigid design that provides control to the depth that is required and a stable insertion that would produce an accurate image of the solid waste within the tanks,鈥� Reyff said. 鈥淭he goal was to minimize the amount of radiation exposure that is also remotely operated.鈥�

Supporting students to invest in the future

WRPS鈥� primary goal is to reduce the environmental risk posed by 56 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste stored in 177 underground tanks at the Hanford Site that dates back to as early as World War II. The organization partners with 黑料社 to develop technology to support that mission, as most technology must be specifically tailored to their needs due to the unique origins of the site as the home of the first large-scale nuclear reactor in the world.

Kayle Boomer, manager of the Technology Management and Field Solution group with WRPS鈥� Chief Technology Office, said he is impressed with the student鈥檚 design and that is has potential for out at Hanford.

鈥淭he team worked well together,鈥� Boomer said. 鈥淭hey were very diligent and tried to ensure that the design addressed as many design requirements as possible. The other Hanford engineers working with them thought they were developing a workable design for the tank farm.鈥�

WRPS provided the student group, as well as one additional student engineering group, with a total of $10,000 to develop prototypes that could one day be applied out at the Hanford Site. The other student group, which is comprised of students Anthony Jenkins, Melissa Rivas, Oleg, Tyshchuk and Michelle Wheeler, developed a device to sample any interface within the Hanford tanks.

鈥淚t was a great experience working with the 黑料社 senior engineering students on their senior design project,鈥� said Jon Barnes, design services engineer for WRPS.聽 鈥淭heir energy and creativity was infectious. I鈥檓 hoping I鈥檒l see them again in the engineering work world, and perhaps get a change to work together as peers.鈥�

Jason Vitali, chief technology officer for WRPS, said the solutions identified by the students during their capstone project are extremely creative, thorough, and have the potential for resolving some of the challenges they encounter in the high-hazard environment.

鈥淚t is important that the students continue to tackle real-world challenges during their education so they are able to transition after school and make contributions early in their professional careers,鈥� he said.

 

Interested in a career in engineering? Check out the ABET-accredited and nationally recognized 黑料社 Tri-Cities engineering programs at聽tricities.wsu.edu/engineering.

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� The authors of a new book focusing on the beginnings of the Hanford Site will hold a public presentation from 5 p.m. 鈥� 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, in the East Auditorium at Washington State University Tri-Cities.

Authors Robert Bauman, Robert Franklin, David W. Harvey and Laura Arata recently released the book, 鈥淣owhere to Remember: Hanford, White Bluffs and Richland to 1943,鈥� which chronicles the early days of pre- and post-Hanford towns and the people that were removed to make way for the Hanford Site.

鈥淭he Hanford Site has a very interesting and sometimes even unsettling history, but it is important to tell all aspects of that story,鈥� Franklin said. 鈥淭his book focuses on the origin of that story and the people who were involved in those early towns. It鈥檚 a fascinating look into an early story that many people may not know.鈥�

The Hanford Site is home to the world鈥檚 first full-scale plutonium production reactor, which was built over the span of a one-year period during World War II in secret. Plutonium produced at the site was used in the first nuclear bomb, which was tested at the Trinity Site in New Mexico, as well as in the Fat Man bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. During the Cold War, the site expanded to include nine nuclear reactors and five large plutonium processing facilities, which produced plutonium for the U.S. nuclear arsenal. The facility is now being decommissioned and resides as one of the largest nuclear clean-up projects in the world. It is also the home of a commercial nuclear power plant known as the Columbia Generating Station.

In the early stages of the Hanford Site, families were relocated or were required to leave their place of residence in the Hanford area.

鈥淎ll residents of the towns of White Bluffs and Hanford, and many of the residents of Richland, were required to move,鈥� Bauman said.

The book is the first in a series known as the Hanford Histories that will be published by 黑料社 Press, in association with 黑料社 Tri-Cities鈥� Hanford History Project. Other volumes are currently in the works, of which some of the topics will focus on science and the environment, race and diversity, constructing Hanford, the Manhattan Project and its legacies and an illustrated history of Hanford.

Copies of 鈥淣owhere to Remember: Hanford, White Bluffs and Richland to 1943鈥� may be purchased at the event with cash or check for $25. Or, they may be purchased online at the website. Authors will also be available both before and after the presentation to sign copies.

RICHLAND, Wash. – Washington State University Tri-Cities continues its partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to offer the next Hanford lecture focusing on the impact of and preparation for natural phenomena hazards on the Hanford Site at 3:30 p.m. April 18 in the East Auditorium at 黑料社 Tri-Cities.

Students, faculty and the community are welcome to attend the presentation.

Stephen McDuffie, seismic engineer for the Chief of Nuclear Safety at DOE, will speak about how they prepare for natural phenomena such as earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, high winds and mitigation for DOE nuclear facilities and how they determine the requirements for its facilities to withstand those hazards.

Both existing and new nuclear facilities must be designed to withstand natural phenomena to ensure the facilities continue to serve their safety functions during such events.

McDuffie has more than 25 years of nuclear safety experience. He has served as a seismic engineer for the Chief of Nuclear Safety at DOE since September 2008. In this position, he oversees natural phenomena hazard characterization and design activities at DOE facilities and maintains operational awareness at several of DOE鈥檚 high-hazard nuclear facilities. McDuffie holds a bachelor鈥檚 in geology from Whitman College and master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in earth and planetary sciences from Johns Hopkins University. He also holds a master鈥檚 of business administration degree from 黑料社 Tri-Cities with a focus on decision sciences and revenue management.

The lecture on April 18 will be broadcast live at 黑料社 Pullman, 黑料社 Vancouver, 黑料社 Everett and 黑料社 Spokane via the campus AMS video streaming service.

For more information, contact Akram Hossain, 黑料社 Tri-Cities vice chancellor for research, graduate studies and external programs, at 509-372-7314 or ahossain@tricity.wsu.edu.

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Two teams at Washington State University Tri-Cities have partnered with Washington River Protection Solutions to procure and program an autonomous vehicle and develop a form of ultra high-performance concrete to help protect workers in radioactive areas at the Hanford Site and safely immobilize solid secondary wastes.

WRPS is the U.S. Department of Energy鈥檚 Tank Operations contractor responsible for managing Hanford鈥檚 56 million gallons of highly radioactive waste and preparing it for delivery to the Waste Treatment Plant on the site. The partnership for the projects will provide WRPS with customized technology to fit their needs, in addition to further improving the safety capabilities of its employees and environmental impact stemming from the tank farms at the Hanford Site.

Robotics to analyze radioactive vapors

WRPS provided a 黑料社 team with an initial contract to procure and program an autonomous vehicle that would be used for measuring vapors, or chemical gases, within the tank farms.

The 黑料社 team consists of Akram Hossain, vice chancellor for research, graduate studies and external programs; Scott Hudson, professor of electrical engineering; John Miller, associate professor of computer science; and Changki Mo, associate professor of mechanical engineering.

The team plans to purchase a pre-fabricated, compact and programmable vehicle, which has the capacity to hold 40-50 pounds of equipment. The team will then eventually outfit, customize and program the vehicle for its desired purpose within the tank farms. The vehicle must be able to follow a defined path, dock itself to charge its battery, withstand long-term use, be able to run autonomously, as well as allow manual override operations.

鈥淭his vehicle will be going into areas, minimizing personnel entries, so we need to assure that it can operate reliably and it won鈥檛 break down,鈥� Miller said 鈥淲e have to make certain that the quality is of impeccable standards and that the system can demonstrate operational longevity in these areas.鈥�

The design of the autonomous vehicle marks the first phase of what will potentially turn into a multi-phase project. WRPS has also expressed interest in having the robot detect obstacles in a changing environment, change filters at the site and monitor radiation. Miller said those challenges will most-likely be addressed in future phases of the project.

鈥淭his is a great opportunity, both for 黑料社, as well as for our students,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淚t creates opportunities for undergraduate research, as well as providing funding for graduate research. It is the perfect opportunity for us.鈥�

The team plans to have the first phase of the autonomous vehicle completed and demonstrated to WRPS in the next few months. The team will conduct demonstrations and additional phases of development over the course of the year. When fully developed, the autonomous vehicle would be deployed in tank farms to support construction and operations.

Ultra high-performance concrete to encapsulate nuclear waste

Srinivas Allena, 黑料社 Tri-Cities associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, received a contract to develop an ultra-high performance cementitious

material to potentially be used as a grout to encapsulate solid secondary waste from the Hanford tank farms.

鈥淲RPS is currently using a grout that they obtain from a local concrete supplier, which uses a regular cement mix with sand and some other chemical additives,鈥� Allena said. 鈥淏ut the goal with our research is to use locally available materials to create a composite with low permeability, superior durability and greater stability that would perform at the same level as the commercially available pre-packaged ultra high-performance concrete.鈥�

Allena said there is currently limited types of ultra high-performance concrete available on the market with high operational costs associated with use of the material. He said by using locally available materials and by optimizing mixture constituents with those that are more environmentally friendly with his team鈥檚 composite, however, they would be able to keep the costs low, while maintaining the same quality in the concrete and reducing the impact to the environment.

鈥淲e will be able to compare our grout materials with properties that WRPS is currently using and show the improved properties,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he goal is to provide a cheaper, more environmentally friendly option that will compete with the best product on the market.鈥�

The team plans to have initial mixtures ready with their mechanical and durability properties evaluated by September.

The projects are a part of solving some of the world鈥檚 . They pertain particularly to developing and by harnessing technology to improve quality of life. The projects are also in line with 黑料社鈥檚

By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Hanford Site groundwater monitoring and remediation will be the focus of a presentation by the U.S. Department of Energy and Washington State University Tri-Cities, 3-4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25, in the East Auditorium at 黑料社 Tri-Cities.

The lecture is the fifth presentation in a series on the Hanford Site, presented by 黑料社 Tri-Cities and DOE. Attendance at former lectures is not necessary to appreciate information in the upcoming lecture. The presentation is open to the public.

Mike Cline, director of the Soil and Groundwater Division at DOE in Richland, will deliver the lecture focusing on the current sampling and monitoring program on the Hanford Site and the groundwater remediation that is being performed. Additionally, he will discuss the process for selecting current and future remedies at the site.

The Hanford Site, part of the DOE nuclear weapons complex, encompasses approximately 580 square miles along the Columbia River in southeastern Washington state. During World War II and the Cold War period, the government built and operated nine nuclear reactors for the production of plutonium and other nuclear materials.

During reactor operations, chemical and radioactive wastes were released into the environment and contaminated the soil and groundwater beneath portions of the Hanford Site. Since 1989, DOE has worked to remediate the contamination.

A live AMS broadcast has been scheduled on the 黑料社 Pullman, Vancouver, Everett and Spokane campuses. To 铿乶d the locations, visit the 黑料社 AMS calendar at: ams.wsu.edu/RequestForm/EventsCalendar.aspx.

For more information, contact Tish Christman at tish.christman@wsu.edu.

RICHLAND, Wash. – The progress and future of cleanup efforts at the Hanford Site will be the focus of a presentation by Tom Fletcher, deputy manager of the Department of Energy鈥檚 Richland Operations Office, 3-4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, in the 黑料社 Tri-Cities East Auditorium.

This is the fourth in a series of lectures focusing on the Hanford Site and is cohosted by Washington State University Tri-Cities and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Fletcher, a 黑料社 alumnus, will focus on the Richland Operation Office鈥檚 priorities for continuing the Hanford Site cleanup while strictly adhering to safe, environmentally-acceptable and responsible management practices.

The Richland Operations Office has an annual budget of approximately $1 billion. It oversees multiple contractors working on the cleanup project that stretches over the 580-square-mile site.

鈥淲e are pleased to welcome Mr. Fletcher and his expertise鈥� on the Hanford cleanup project, said Akram Hossain, vice chancellor for research, graduate studies and external programs at 黑料社 Tri-Cities. 鈥淭his is an exceptional opportunity for our students, faculty and all of the community to learn what is currently happening at the Hanford Site, as well as how this is accomplished from an operations perspective.鈥�

Fletcher became deputy manager of the Richland Operations Office in December 2016. He oversees daily operations, program planning, project execution, budgeting and compliance with the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order. He has more than 20 years of experience managing nuclear operations, construction, deactivation, demolition and environmental remediation projects.

Fletcher holds bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in civil engineering from 黑料社.

 

Contacts:

Tish Christman, 黑料社 Tri-Cities administrative assistant, 509-372-7683,聽tish.christman@wsu.edu

Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities public relations specialist, 509-372-7333,聽maegan.murray@wsu.edu