nuclear-news

It depends on calling back into service the 47-year-old, oversized hot cell where the spill occurred to protect workers from the radioactive cesium and strontium that leaked through the hot cell to the soil below.

Radioactivity in the contaminated soil, which is about 1,000 feet from the Columbia River, has been measured at 8,900 rad per hour. Direct exposure for a few minutes would be fatal, according to Washington Closure.

Washington Closure Hanford has issued a notice telling companies that it plans to request bids in April for a major project that will call for an intensive design effort. While many of Washington Closure’s bid awards go to small companies, this bid request will have no restrictions as the Hanford contractor looks for a company with the experience to handle a complex assignment.

The winning subcontractor will be required to design remotely operated equipment to be installed inside the hot cell. Using the equipment, it must take out the hot cell’s floor, dig up the contaminated soil beneath it and transfer the contaminated soil to nearby hot cells to be grouted in place.

“DOE and their contractors developed this plan using both out-of-the-box creative thinking as well as the methodical, object evaluation of the alternatives,” said Larry Gadbois, a scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency, a regulator on the project. “It provides a safe process for workers at the site and safe handling of the packaged waste.”

The spill is beneath the 324 Building, which already was a complicated and hazardous demolition project because of its large hot cells contaminated from research with high levels of radioactive material. The building, used from about 1965 to 1996 and measuring 102,000 square feet, is just north of Richland….. http://www.thenewstribune.com//2012/02/06/2014439/plan-developed-to-clean-up-highly.html?storylink=fb