Salamanca Press, June 4, 2024 —
WEST VALLEY — Another massive component has been safely removed and packaged for disposal from the Main Plant Process Building as part of the facility’s ongoing demolition at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP).
The vent washer weighed approximately 15,000 pounds and was approximately 7 feet wide, 20 feet long and more than 7 feet high. Its removal comes after crews successfully cleared the “Green Giant” from the facility.
Painted green decades ago, the “Green Giant” was a system that held samples from various vessels used in former spent fuel reprocessing operations at West Valley. It weighed 1,100 pounds, with 75,000 pounds of steel and lead shield plates on the outside of it.
“The West Valley Demonstration Project team continues to make great progress in the demolition of the Main Plant as part of our cleanup efforts,” said Stephen Bousquet, assistant director of Project Management for CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley (CHBWV), the prime contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy.
The vent washer filtered airborne particulates from ventilated air before they passed through HEPA filters and were exhausted through the Main Stack during spent fuel reprocessing operations. The airborne particles originated from the sawing and shearing of fuel rods and the ventilation flow from other cells and reprocessing equipment, including ventilation hoods in the Main Plant.
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