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FEBRUARY 2021    |   SRNS TODAY   |   3





























         H Canyon
        H Canyon completes waste transfers early




              RNS recently began the last transfer of dissolved Sodium
              Reactor Experiment (SRE) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from
        S H Canyon to the DWPF for processing. This transfer happened        “L Basin is nearing storage capacity,
        early, freed up space in H Canyon tanks and helped reduce the    so freeing up room allows us to process more
        current L Basin inventory in order to accelerate DOE missions at SRS.  material in H Canyon. This helps accelerate
        H Canyon has been storing SRE material since 2012, awaiting      the reduction of the current L Basin inventory.”
        transfer to DWPF, which was originally planned for 2022. The               Jacyln Fitzpatrick
        material could not be processed into low enriched uranium like
        other SNF processed in H Canyon because it contained high levels
        of thorium.
        “The need for H Canyon space for future missions allowed
        H Canyon to work with the SRS liquid waste contractor, Savannah   DWPF converts radioactive liquid waste currently stored at SRS
        River Remediation, to manage an early discard of SRE. An   into a solid glass form suitable for interim storage and eventual
        alternative approach to open a liquid waste receipt window in 2020   off-site disposal.
        was successfully pursued due to the effective working relations
        between SRNS and Savannah River Remediation,” said SRNS H   “We completed 19 transfers of SRE material to the new sludge
        Canyon Project Manager Eloy Saldivar.                    batch in May 2020, removing 47 kilograms (kg) of fissile material
                                                                 from H Canyon. We have since completed an additional 22
                                                                 transfers of material to liquid waste, which disposed of another
                                                                 84 kg of material,” said H Canyon Process Engineer Jaclyn
                                                                 Fitzpatrick. “This creates more storage in the Canyon and allows
                                                                 the SRE storage tanks to be re-purposed.”
                                                                 SNF is received and stored in the L Area Disassembly Basin until
                                                                 H Canyon is ready to process the material. “L Basin is nearing
                                                                 storage capacity, so freeing up room allows us to process more
                                                                 material in H Canyon. This helps accelerate the reduction of the
                                                                 current L Basin inventory,” Fitzpatrick added.
                                                                 SRS is home to many different facilities performing a variety
                                                                 of nuclear material management and environmental cleanup
           Defense Waste Processing Facility                     missions. The integration among these facilities is an important
                                                                 part of how SRS is helping to make the world safer.
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