DOE Hanford Site - 100 N Area

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www.hanford.gov/information/sitetours/?tour=100N

N Reactor had two purposes--generating electric power, and producing plutonium for nuclear weapons. It was the only dual-purpose reactor in the US.

N Reactor operated from 1963 to January 1987 when it was shut down for maintenance, refueling, and safety upgrades. In April 1986 the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the Soviet Union drew public attention to N Reactor. After the Energy Department ordered safety enhancements, restart was planned. However, in early 1988 DOE decided to place N Reactor on standby. With the end of the Cold War, there was no longer a need for plutonium production and thus, N Reactor was never restarted. Under Bechtel Hanford, Inc.'s management, the N Reactor Area has been deactivated. This area contains slightly more than 100 buildings of which 10 have been demolished and 83 have been cleaned out and closed. The remaining open buildings will hold tools and equipment for other projects.

A major task was cleaning out N Reactor's two basins that held about 1 million gallons of contaminated water. The basins are 7.3 meters (24 feet) deep and held about 159 kilograms (350 pounds) of spent nuclear fuel fragments scattered around the bottom along with other equipment. The bottom also was covered with contaminated sediment ranging from a thin layer to a few feet deep. The work was complicated because of the basin's bottom design and murky water that made it difficult to see what was underwater. Filters were installed in May 1997, which solved the problem. The contaminated water was sent to Hanford's liquid-treatment facility. The spent fuel was put into canisters and will eventually be added to spent fuel from the K Basins, which will be processed for storage. The sediment and debris went to the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility.