Demonstration of volumetric analysis using the topographical mapping system at Hanford

During the spring of 1997, the Topographical Mapping System (TMS) for hazardous and radiological environments was used to perform volumetric measurements of simulated waste in the cold test cell in the Fuel Materials and Examination Facility at the Hanford site. The TMS was used to measure the volume of five simulated waste mounds. Custom software designed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory was used to calculate the volume of waste from the surface maps supplied by the TMS. The results of the measurements were analyzed using the Interactive Computer-Enhanced Remote-Viewing System (ICERVS) and were documented. Development of the TMS and ICERVS was initiated by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the purpose of characterization and remediation of underground storage tanks (USTs) at DOE sites across the country. DOE required a three-dimensional TMS suitable for use in hazardous and radiological environments. The intended application is the mapping of the interior of USTs as part of DOE's waste characterization and remediation efforts to obtain baseline data on the content of storage tank interiors as well as on changes in the tank contents and levels brought about by waste remediation steps. Initially targeted for deployment at the Hanford site, the TMS was designed to be a self-contained, compact, and reconfigurable system that is capable of providing rapid, variable-resolution mapping information in poorly characterized workspaces with a minimum of operator intervention. An appendix contains the source code for calculating the volume from two surface maps