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Radioactive wastes resulting from over 40 years of production of
nuclear weapons in the U. S. are currently stored in 273
underground tanks at the U. S. Department of Energy Hanford site,
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Oak Ridge
Reservation, and Savannah River site. Combined, tanks at these
sjtes contain approximately 94,000,000 gallons of waste in a
variety of forms including liquid, concrete-like salt cake, and
various sludges. More than 730,000,000 curies of several
radioactive isotopes are present in the underground tanks.
Certainly, one of the greatest challenges facing the U. S.
Department of Energy is how to characterize, retrieve, treat, and
immobilize the great variety of tank wastes in a safe, timely, and
cost-effective manner. For several years now, the U. S. Department
of Energy has initiated and sponsored scientific and engineering
studies, tests, and demonstrations to develop the myriad of
technologies required to dispose of the radioactive tank wastes. In
recent times, much of the Department of Energy R&D activities
concerning tank wastes have been closely coordinated and organized
through the Tanks Focus Area (IF A); responsibility for technical
operations of the TF A has been assigned to the Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory.
Radioactive wastes resulting from over 40 years of production of
nuclear weapons in the U. S. are currently stored in 273
underground tanks at the U. S. Department of Energy Hanford site,
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Oak Ridge
Reservation, and Savannah River site. Combined, tanks at these
sjtes contain approximately 94,000,000 gallons of waste in a
variety of forms including liquid, concrete-like salt cake, and
various sludges. More than 730,000,000 curies of several
radioactive isotopes are present in the underground tanks.
Certainly, one of the greatest challenges facing the U. S.
Department of Energy is how to characterize, retrieve, treat, and
immobilize the great variety of tank wastes in a safe, timely, and
cost-effective manner. For several years now, the U. S. Department
of Energy has initiated and sponsored scientific and engineering
studies, tests, and demonstrations to develop the myriad of
technologies required to dispose of the radioactive tank wastes. In
recent times, much of the Department of Energy R&D activities
concerning tank wastes have been closely coordinated and organized
through the Tanks Focus Area (IF A); responsibility for technical
operations of the TF A has been assigned to the Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory.
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