nuclear-news

7 leaks found in Hanford’s oldest double-walled tank

 http://q13fox.com/2017/11/09/7-leaks-found-in-hanfords-oldest-double-walled-tank/ NOVEMBER 9, 2017, BY ASSOCIATED PRESS,   RICHLAND, Wash. — Inspectors at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation have found seven leaks in the site’s oldest double-walled radioactive waste storage tank.

Tank AY-102 was known since 2012 to have a slow leak from its inner shell into the space between its inner and outer walls.

The Tri-City Herald reports that the tank, which once held 744,000 gallons of waste, had been emptied of all but 19,000 gallons by February.

Then an inspection was done with video cameras.

A manager for the U.S. Department of Energy told the Hanford Advisory Board on Wednesday that a total of seven leaks were found.

The Energy Department says no waste is believed to have breached the outer shell to contaminate the environment.

Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons and the wastes are left over.

November 9, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA