Year
1989
Abstract
The West Valley Project is currently performing a spectrum of operations which are demonstrating that nuclear waste can be safely stabilized. The significance of the accomplishments derives from the following special attributes of the operational systems: (1) The individual systems are integral to one another, that is, one system cannot operate for an extended period without the other being available. Thus, when performance figures are cited, they must be viewed in the context of multiple systems, all functioning reliably. (2) Each system has had unique challenges to overcome which included such aspects as retrofit installation in previously used tall vertical cells; process adaptation to allow remote installation in a contaminated underground high-level waste tank; and convertibility to enable future Environmental Impact Study (EIS) decisions to be accommodated. (3) The systems each have performance characteristics setting the standards in the nuclear industry. These include high throughput yields; NRC endorsed product quality levels; outstanding decontamination factors on a remote, production scale system; and automated storage and retrieval. (4) The systems have all functioned consistently well from startup thereby enabling all processing objectives to be met. (5) The safety incidents and radiation exposure doses have been well below our budget and superior to industry averages.