The Hanford waste feed delivery operational research model

The Hanford cleanup mission is to vitrify 56 million gallons of nuclear waste, currently stored in 177 underground tanks, at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The WTP operations begin in 2019. Waste transfers from the Tank Farms to the WTP utilize an intricate and complicated Waste Feed Delivery system. This equipment is used infrequently, hard to access, and difficult to maintain. Over the next nine years it must be prepared to safely and reliably transfer waste to the WTP. The Hanford Waste Feed Delivery Operational Research (WFDOR) model simulates actual Hanford operations and uses historical reliability data from Hanford, the Savannah River Site, and appropriate generic databases. The results of the study will enable key decision makers to focus on the necessary upgrades to the Hanford WFD system. This paper will discuss the modeling approach and methodology used to develop the WFD OR model.