NEW SALTSTONE DISPOSAL UNITS COMPLETED
WC Monitor
1/24/2014
The construction of two new Saltstone Disposal Units at the Savannah River site has been completed ahead of schedule and under budget, the Department of Energy and liquid waste contractor Savannah River Remediation announced this week. Saltstone units 3 and 5 have a new circular design, and were recently completed seven months ahead of schedule and $8 million below the $76.5 million budget. “The new circular technology for Saltstone Disposal Units have proven successful in the dispositioning of low-level radioactive salt waste and to construct the next series of SDUs under budget and ahead of schedule is significant for the SRS liquid waste mission,” Terrel Spears, Acting Deputy Manager for DOE’s Savannah River Operations Office, said in a statement.
The Saltstone Facilities are part of Savannah River’s system to empty and close its high level waste tanks. After the waste in the tanks is processed, high level waste is vitrified at the Defense Waste Processing Facility, while low-level waste is sent to Saltstone. There is mixed with a cement to form grout, which is poured into the vaults for permanent disposal on site. Recently completed units 3 and 5 have four 2.9 million gallon cells, and follow the completion of unit 2, the first circular vault.
In 2012, Savannah River announced that is transitioning to larger “mega” disposal units that have 10 times the capacity of the previous units, a measure that is expected to lead to cost savings—Only seven will need to be constructed, rather than 40 pairs of smaller saltstone cells. Construction is now underway on the first of those units, SDU 6, which is designed to hold 30 million gallons and cover nearly 2.5 acres. “The use of larger tanks, like SDU 6, proves SRS’s commitment as a good steward of taxpayers’ money in that we always pursue the latest, most cost-efficient technologies to assist us in safely performing our mission,” Spears said. Design of the new unit was undertaken by SRR and CH2M Hill.
