Popis: |
Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) is conducting this study for Westinghouse Hanford Company (Westinghouse Hanford), a contractor for the US Department of Energy (DOE). The purpose of the work is to study possible mechanisms and fluid dynamics contributing to the periodic release of gases from the double-shell waste storage tanks at the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington. The waste inside the tank is generating and periodically releasing potentially flammable gases into the tank`s vent system according to observations. Questions scientists are trying to answer are: (1) How are these gases generated? (2) How did these gases become trapped? (3) What causes the periodic gas releases? (4) And, what is the mechanism of the gas releases? To develop a safe mitigation strategy, possible physical mechanisms for the periodic release of flammable gases need to be understood. During initial work, PNL has obtained, correlated, analyzed, and compared data with expected physical properties, defined mechanisms; and prepared initial models of gas formation and retention. This is the second interim report summarizing the status of the work done to data. |