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Ari Margolin November 21, 2013 HUEN 2130

Ari Margolin November 21, 2013 HUEN 2130. Hanford Project. Part of Manhattan Project Hanford (plutonium). Oak Ridge (uranium). Commissioned by U.S. Gen. Leslie Groves Hanford Engineer Works (Army Corps) Expanded during Cold War Plutonium ~60,000 nuclear weapons.

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Ari Margolin November 21, 2013 HUEN 2130

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  1. Ari Margolin November 21, 2013 HUEN 2130

  2. Hanford Project • Part of Manhattan Project • Hanford (plutonium). • Oak Ridge (uranium). • Commissioned by U.S. • Gen. Leslie Groves • Hanford Engineer Works (Army Corps) • Expanded during Cold War • Plutonium ~60,000 nuclear weapons.

  3. Manhattan Project Location

  4. Hanford Site

  5. B Reactor (1944) • World’s 2nd Nuclear Reactor. • Designed by E. Fermi • Built by DuPont Corporation.

  6. How B Reactor Worked

  7. Nuclear Fission U-238 + n ⇒ U-239  (β) Np-239  (β) Pu-239

  8. The Slot Machine

  9. Fat Man - Nagasaki

  10. GE Company: 1945-1977 • Processing plutonium for U.S. nuclear arms. • In addition to B Reactor: • 221-T Plant (1944) • D Reactor (1944) • F Reactor (1945) • H Reactor (1949) • C Reactor (1952) • N Reactor (1963) + 4 others …

  11. Nuclear Power and WPPSS

  12. Power Generators

  13. Hanford Tank Farm, c. 1965

  14. Inside Tanks

  15. DOE (since 1977) • Reactor lifespan ~22 years.

  16. DOE (since 1977) • Reactor lifespan ~22 years. • 22 Years??????

  17. 1000 MW = 30 tonnes/yr

  18. Sludge

  19. Environmental Hazards • 55 million gal of radioactive waste from fuel rods. • 1 million gallons in groundwater. • Unknown amount in Columbia River.

  20. Concerns • Increased radioactivity in Columbia. • Asthma in Tri-Cities area. • Different types of cancer.

  21. Nuclear Glass Solution • Certain isotopes are mobile in water. • Need solidified process. • Amorphous borosilicates (glass).

  22. How to Make Glass • Obtain silica (sand) • Add sodium carbonate and calcium oxide • Add lead and sulfur (to color the glass) • Put in crucible and heat to liquid (2,300 F) • Remove bubbles • Shape and cool

  23. Nuclear Glass-Making • Vitrification : • Combine waste with soil (silicon-base) • Heat to 2,100 F. • Cool in steel canisters and store underground.

  24. Not In My Back Yard • Burial at Yucca Mountain has been cancelled. • YM could only hold 77,000 tonnes. • Safety concerns.

  25. A Difficult Problem • Not cost-effective. • No one wants the storage near them. • Radioactive material does not decay quickly. • No single company wants responsibility.

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