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April 24, 2015

Workers use remote-controlled crane to remove 52 'pencil' tanks at Hanford

Photo from the Department of Energy [enlarge]

CH2M crews recently removed the last of 52 “pencil” tanks at Hanford's Plutonium Finishing Plant.

The long and narrow tanks held reclaimed plutonium from scrap metal during Hanford's production days. Removing them is a critical step toward demolition of the plant.

CH2M began removing the tanks in 2008 under a contract from the Department of Energy. The tanks ranged in size from 3 feet to 22 feet long and were pointed at the end to prevent the buildup of plutonium. They were arranged vertically on walls inside a concrete canyon in the Plutonium Reclamation Facility, adjacent to the Plutonium Finishing Plant.

Crews used a remotely operated crane to move the tanks inside the highly contaminated canyon. That eliminated exposing workers to high levels of radiation and minimized the need for manned entries in the canyon.

The tanks were moved to a glove box in a maintenance cell of the facility, where workers in protective equipment manually cut the tanks into 196 sections for disposal. The pieces were then transferred through a specially designed port, pictured, into sealed waste containers for transportation and disposal at an approved site.

Workers are now cleaning out the canyon and removing sections of contaminated ventilation ducts and pipes to prepare the Plutonium Finishing Plant for demolition.

CH2M faces an October 2016 deadline for cleaning out and demolishing all of the buildings at the plant.

Watch a video of workers removing the pencil tanks below.




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