New TRU processing line will reduce legacy waste

August 5, 2011—A new waste-processing capability allows Los Alamos National Laboratory to repackage oversized transuranic (TRU) waste containers and accelerate inventory reduction of TRU waste at TA-54, Area G.

As part of the TRU Waste Program, the new process repackages TRU waste originally packed in fiberglass reinforced plywood boxes called FRPs. The waste consists of debris from the demolition of the Lab’s first plutonium facility in the mid-1970s and process waste from the Chemistry and Metallurgy facility in the 1980s. About 90 percent of the waste is packaged in FRPs, ranging in size from 4’x4’x7’ to 30’x12’x12’.

About 200 FRPs are stored aboveground in domes, and an additional 200 are buried and will be retrieved as part of the project.

"A huge capability"

"This new operation opens up a huge capability for us," said Program Director Kathy Johns-Hughes. "FRPs account for roughly half of our radioactive inventory, so we’ll be able to repackage this waste for eventual shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and make real progress toward removing our legacy TRU waste."

The new process began on July 21 with a phased startup approach of low-complexity boxes with lower levels of radioactivity. Project Manager Mike Romero estimates that one small box per day and one large box per week will be repackaged.

By reducing the amount of TRU waste, the process helps the Lab comply with the Consent Order, an agreement signed with the State of New Mexico to remediate legacy waste. TRU waste must be removed before Consent Order remediation can take place at TA-54. Repackaging the waste into metal containers also reduces the risk that the waste could be impacted by fire.

Plans are also in the works for a similar waste-processing program that will repackage larger, more complex waste, such as glovebox trains, duct work, and machining equipment.