IWTU Enters Planned Outage Period
WC Monitor
4/25/2014
The Idaho Integrated Waste Treatment Unit has entered into a planned outage period as the Department of Energy and contractor CH2M-WG Idaho get ready for the next stage of getting the facility ready to begin actual waste treatment. The outage period is expected to last approximately a month, according to DOE and CWI, though the schedule is subject to change if necessary to complete actions. The outage is intended to “complete plant modifications, checks and calibrations that were scheduled to be accomplished after the latest testing of the plant and to support the next phase of startup. For example a modification to a hydrogen sampler must be made prior to introducing steam into the plant,” Danielle Miller, a spokeswoman for the DOE Idaho Operations Office, said in a written response this week.
The IWTU, also known as the Sodium-Bearing Waste Treatment Facility, is intended to treat the approximately 900,000 gallons of remaining liquid waste at the Idaho site through a steam reforming process for disposal and to allow for closure of the site’s remaining waste tanks. The facility is expected to begin full operations later this spring, and DOE has a commitment to the state of Idaho to have the liquid waste processed by the end of this year—a commitment both the Department and CWI have stressed they believe can still be met.
Once the planned outage is completed, the next stage in getting the facility in operation will be to conduct testing using steam and a waste simulant. After that testing is done, depending on the results, the facility is set to enter into a planned cool-down and outage period and DOE will seek permission from Idaho regulators to begin actual waste processing.
