Laboratory Upgrading Equipment to Support 24/7 Operations at Hanford

The new mechanical manipulators will support tank waste analysis and the Hanford Site's Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste Program.

RICHLAND, Wash. - The Hanford Site's 222-S Laboratory, operated by contractor Navarro-ATL, is upgrading the specialized equipment personnel use to safely handle and analyze samples to support cleanup operations across the site.

Cleanup operations include the safe storage, retrieval and treatment of millions of gallons of radioactive and chemical waste from large underground tanks. The entire site continues to prepare for treating tank waste continuously under the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program.

"Sampling tank waste plays an important role in the Hanford Site's strategic cleanup mission," Hanford Tank Waste Operations Assistant Manager Delmar Noyes said. "Upgrading equipment is critical to the 222-S Laboratory's ability to process more samples to assist DFLAW efforts and support 24/7 operations."

Crews will upgrade the lab's mechanical manipulators that workers use to remotely handle radioactive samples while looking through shielded glass. The upgrade will improve efficiency and reduce maintenance costs.

"Our older equipment is not as functional as it used to be and takes more and more effort for lab personnel to move the manipulators," said Rob Schroeder, Navarro-ATL Analytical Operations director. "These new manipulators will improve reliability in the lab and will be more cost-effective moving forward."

The laboratory began operating in 1951 and supported Hanford's plutonium production operations through the end of the 1980s. After the Cold War, lab functions evolved to analyzing the physical and chemical characteristics of samples to support cleanup work.