About the
222-S Laboratory
The 222-S Laboratory complex is the primary onsite lab for analysis of highly radioactive samples in support of Hanford projects. This facility includes the 70,000 square foot Laboratory, plus several administrative support buildings.
The 222-S Laboratory began operations in 1951 as the process control laboratory for the REDOX plutonium separations plant. The facility has undergone a series of upgrades and expansions. It is now the primary site lab for process control and regulatory analyses of intermediate to high-level radioactive samples.
222-S Laboratory Operations Support of Vapors in the following ways:
- Characterizing stack and tank headspace samples, and
- Analyzing area and personal samples collected to monitor potential employee exposure and to verify the effectiveness of the controls utilized in the tank farms.
222-S Laboratory Operations
Hanford Laboratory Management and Integration, (bda as Navarro-ATL), under the direction of the Department of Energy Office of River Protection, operates the 222-S Laboratory. Navarro-ATL provides laboratory support, maintenance, waste service, engineering, and process development technology, the laboratory analytical services, and testing. This includes the operation of the Standards Lab, 11A Hot Cells, as well as performing organic, inorganic, and radiochemical analyses.
The many roles of the 222-S Laboratory
The 222-S Laboratory complex contains over 100 pieces of analytical equipment, 156 fume hoods, and 46 manipulators to perform work. The laboratory plays many roles, which include testing of waste compatibility and physical characteristics to support tank-to-tank waste transfers, performing corrosion rate studies and chemical testing to support tank corrosion inhibition, and providing input to the engineering specifications for each of the 242-A Evaporator waste volume reduction campaigns. The laboratory also studies the physical and chemical characteristics of waste necessary to enable waste retrievals and provides data to support tank closure requirements.
How 222-S Laboratory Operations Workers are kept Safe
Workers at 222-S Laboratory are kept safe from harmful vapor exposures when working with waste samples by strictly adhering to administrative and technical procedures. The procedures establish steps for a broad range of laboratory activities, including analytical processes, the handling of waste samples, and proper equipment care. Compliance to the procedures includes the use of personal protective equipment when necessary.
