Recent results from characterization of ferrocyanide wastes at the Hanford Site

Public Law 101-510, Section 3137, ''Safety Measures for Waste Tanks at Hanford Nuclear Reservation,'' (1) requires that Westinghouse Hanford Company develop plans to resolve safety issues for tanks that could experience excessive temperature changes or pressure increases, resulting in a release of radioactive material from any high-level waste tank at the Hanford Site. Fifty-three tanks have been identified and categorized by tank contents. These include tanks that (a) contain ferrocyanide compounds, (b) have the potential for flammable gas generation, (c) contain organics, or (d) have high-heat loads. The ferrocyanide and hydrogen gas safety issues have been declared unreviewed safety questions (USQs) because postulated accident scenarios may fall outside safety envelopes defined by existing safety analysis documentation (2). Both USQ issues were reported at Waste Management '92 (3, 4). Detailed research has been conducted to provide insight into the severity of the ferrocyanide tank safety issue. Work included waste characterization and investigation of the energetic behavior of ferrocyanide waste material. The data presented will focus on ''In-Farm'' simulant studies and information from tank 241-C-112, core samples 34 and 36