Frozen Nuclear Waste Waits For Excavation

Date: April 3, 2003

Source: News Room

A few miles from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee is a rather unique experiment--a pond of nuclear waste that has been frozen for six years. The waste area was artificially frozen in 1997 to stop the leakage of strontium-90 and other radioactive materials into nearby waterways. Arctic Foundations Inc., an Alaskan firm, was hired in the 1990s to set up an experimental system. The company installed thermoprobes at the site, 75 feet by 80 feet, and froze the soil, water and all other contents to a depth of about 30 feet. The probes extend well into the area's bedrock. According to Arctic Foundations, once the soil around the cooling pipes reaches 0 degrees Celsius, frozen water in the area "bonds soil particles together as an impermeable mass." Additional cooling is applied, which expands the frozen zone outward until it reaches the designed shape and size.
Bechtel Jacobs will seek bids later this year on a contract to excavate the 4,200 cubic yards of contaminated material from the site.
For more information: www.bechteljacobs.com.

Sign up to receive our free Weekly News Bulletin