Demolition and removal of plutonium-contaminated facilities at Hanford

The successful demolition and cleanup of a plutonium-contaminated facility at the U. S. Energy Research and Development Administration Hanford Plant in Washington State are described. Several new materials, along with special techniques and equipment, were utilized for the containment and control of plutonium contamination during the course of the demolition work. The use of light-capacity fiberglassed plywood boxes for long-term (20-year, minimum) storage of the contaminated materials in underground transuranic waste trenches has led to the development, design and use of larger capacity modular fiberglassed plywood boxes that are replacing standard carbon steel boxes at less than one-third the cost, and without the potential for early failure from normal soil or atmospheric corrosion. (U.S.)