Want To See Inside A Sealed Hanford Nuclear Reactor? Now You Can!

The Hanford Nuclear Reservation holds a significant place in Unites States history, with much of it well documented.  The nuclear reactors produced the plutonium that went into "Fat Man", the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan that effectively ended World War II.  Roughly 25 years later, the driving force behind Hanford's continued operation began to wind down.

The decommissioning of the B Reactor began in the mid to late 1960s with the last operating nuclear reactor (the N Reactor), shut down in 1987.  The cleanup of the 586 square mile reservation began in 1989 after the Tri-Party Agreement was signed by Washington State, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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The ensuing 36 years has seen ebbs and flows in the cleanup process.  The most significant achievement may be when the Vitrification Plant is ready to fully fire up. and begin turning nuclear waste into glass, by the end of this year.  With cleanup of the Superfund site expected to last at least until 2086 (and cost nearly $600 billion) with a Federal presence on site into the next century and beyond.

When You Weren't Looking Something Really Cool Emerged From The Site

Technology is a wonderful thing, especially when it can give us a look inside something we would otherwise NEVER see.  Recently, crews with Hanford contractor Hanford Mission Integration Solutions (HMIS) finished their 10 year routine inspections of the cocooned nuclear reactors.  This time around, they used a specific technology to focus on the inside of the safe storage enclosures of the cocooned reactors instead of just the outside.

LiDAR imaging created 3D models of the storage enclosures, providing specific details of conditions inside the reactor enclosures to help identify any potential issues from that side or the safety equation.

Project manager Deanna Breckton with HMIS said this about the use of LiDAR:

LiDAR technology has been a game-changer in how we assess these structures.  It allows us to see things we couldn't before and ensures we are taking the right steps to maintain safety.

The added ability to make sure what has already been cleaned up remains safe and secure is incredibly important.  The ability to see inside those cocooned nuclear reactors 40, 50, 60 years later (and beyond) is a true technological achievement and benefit.

Any added element that helps assure the community that the cleanup process not only continues safely, but maintains the safety of what's been completed is always welcome and appreciated.