Home / Environment / Hanford's Historic Stack Crumbles in Demolition
Hanford's Historic Stack Crumbles in Demolition
24 Feb
Summary
- A 175-foot concrete exhaust stack at Hanford's former K West Reactor was demolished.
- Explosives were used to bring down the historic structure in a controlled implosion.
- The demolition is a key step in decommissioning the K West Reactor and clearing the site.
A significant demolition occurred at Washington's decommissioned Hanford nuclear production site. A 175-foot-tall concrete exhaust stack, formerly part of the K West Reactor, was successfully brought down using explosives. This controlled implosion, executed by the U.S. Department of Energy and Central Plateau Cleanup Company, took approximately seven seconds.
The demolition represents a crucial phase in the ongoing cleanup efforts at the Hanford site. It facilitates the eventual decommissioning of the K West Reactor and its connected fuel storage basin. Site Manager Ray Geimer highlighted the use of careful planning and expert technology to expedite these legacy cleanup actions.
Originally built in the mid-1950s to support Hanford's plutonium production, the K West Reactor played a role in the Manhattan Project. The fuel storage basins within the facility were used for temporary irradiated fuel storage. Cleanup of the Hanford site began in 1989 following an agreement between Washington State, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
