ORAU TEAM

Dose Reconstruction

Project for NIOSH

Oak Ridge Associated Universities I Dade Moeller & Associates I MJW Corporation

Page 1 of 27

Document Title:

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory –

Site Description

Document Number: ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2

Revision: 00

Effective Date: 08/05/2005

Type of Document: TBD

Supersedes: None

Subject Expert: William E. Joyce

Document Owner

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 08/02/2005

Edward D. Scalsky, TBD Team Leader

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 08/02/2005

Judson L. Kenoyer, Task 3 Manager

Concurrence: Signature on File Concurrence Date: 08/04/2005

Richard E. Toohey, Project Director

Approval: Signature on File Approval Date: 08/05/2005

James W. Neton, Associate Director for Science

 New Total Rewrite Revision Page Change

DOCUMENTS MARKED AS A TOTAL REWRITE, REVISION, OR PAGE CHANGE REPLACE THE PRIOR REVISION. 

PLEASE DISCARD / DESTROY ALL COPIES OF THE PRIOR REVISION.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 2 of 27

PUBLICATION RECORD

EFFECTIVE 

DATE

REVISION

NUMBER DESCRIPTION

05/06/2005 00-A New document to establish the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 

site description. Initiated by Edward D. Scalsky.

06/06/2005 00-B Incorporates internal review comments. Initiated by Edward D. 

Scalsky.

06/27/2005 00-C Incorporates NIOSH review comments. Initiated by Edward D. 

Scalsky.

08/05/2005 00 First approved issue. Training required: As determined by the Task 

Manager. Initiated by Edward D. Scalsky.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 3 of 27

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section

Publication Record..................................................................................................................................

Page

2

Acronyms and Abbreviations..................................................................................................................5

2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................7

2.2 Site Processes and Activities.......................................................................................................13

2.2.1 Reactors...........................................................................................................................13

2.2.2 Fuel Fabrication Facilities ................................................................................................15

2.2.3 Research, Development, and Testing Facilities...............................................................16

2.2.4 Waste Handling Facilities.................................................................................................24

2.3 Major Incidents ............................................................................................................................25

2.4 Special Programs or Processes...................................................................................................25

2.5 Magnitude of Site Activity ............................................................................................................26

2.6 Radiological Access Controls ......................................................................................................26

References ...........................................................................................................................................27
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 4 of 27

LIST OF TABLES

Table

2-1 Buildings PNNL has owned or for which PNNL has served as landlord ..................................

Page

9

2-2 Radionuclides of concern for all research and test reactors ..................................................13

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure

2-1 Hanford Site 300 Area .............................................................................................................

Page

8
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 5 of 27

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AEC U.S. Atomic Energy Commission

BNWL Battelle Northwest Laboratories

BPNL Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratory

°C degrees Celsius

Ci curie

cm centimeter

cpm counts per minute

dpm disintegrations per minute

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

EDL Engineering Development Laboratory

FERTF Fuel Element Rupture Test Facility

FFTF Fast Flux Test Facility

FRPP Fuel Recycle Pilot Plant

ft foot

g gram

gal gallon

HEDL Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory

HEPA High Efficiency Particulate Air 

hr hour

HTLTR High Temperature Lattice Test Reactor

HTR Hanford Test Reactor

kCi kilocurie

keV kilovolt-electron, 1,000 electron volts

kg kilogram

kVp kilovolt-peak, applied voltage in kilovoltskW kilowatt

L liter

m meter

mCi millicurie

MeV megavolt-electron, 1 million electron volts

mg milligram

mi mile

mR milliroentgen

MW megawatt

n neutron
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 6 of 27

PCTR Physical Constants Test Reactor

PFPP Plutonium Fuels Pilot Plant

PNNL Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

PRCF Plutonium Recycle Critical Facility

PRTR Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor 

PUREX plutonium-–uranium extraction

R roentgen

R&D research and development

s second

SERF Special Environmental Radio-metallurgical Facility

SMF Shielded Materials Facility

TLD thermoluminescent dosimeter

TRIGA Training Research Isotopes, General Atomics Reactor

TTR Thermal Test Reactor 

U.S.C. United States Code

W watt

WSEP Waste Solidification Engineering Project

μCi microcurie
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 7 of 27

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Technical Basis Documents and Site Profile Documents are general working documents that provide 

guidance concerning the preparation of dose reconstructions at particular sites or categories of sites. 

They will be revised in the event additional relevant information is obtained about the affected site(s). 

These documents may be used to assist the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in 

the completion of the individual work required for each dose reconstruction.

In this document the word “facility” is used as a general term for an area, building, or group of 

buildings that served a specific purpose at a site. It does not necessarily connote an “atomic weapons 

employer facility” or a “Department of Energy facility” as defined in the Energy Employees 

Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 [42 U.S.C. Sections 7384l(5) and (12)].

On April 27, 1964, Battelle Memorial Institute submitted a proposal to the U.S. Atomic Energy 

Commission (AEC) to operate the Hanford Laboratories on the Hanford Site. On January 4, 1965,

Battelle took over the Hanford Laboratories operations, which became known as the Pacific Northwest 

Laboratory. In 1995, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) changed the name to Pacific Northwest 

National Laboratory (PNNL), which this document applies for convenience to the Laboratory history 

from January 4, 1965, to the present. 

The primary mission was originally research and development related to nuclear energy and other 

peaceful uses of nuclear materials. One of the significant projects was PNNL's design of the Fast 

Flux Test Facility (FFTF) in the 400 Area. The purpose of FFTF was to test fuels and materials for the 

Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor, the cornerstone of the AEC's commercial nuclear power program. 

PNNL was involved in the early design of the FFTF, but was never involved in the reactor’s operation.

In addition, PNNL managed the Arid Lands Ecology Reserve for the AEC. This large stretch of land 

adjacent to the Hanford Site was a relatively undisturbed area of dry grasslands with rolling hills. 

PNNL was charged with protecting the natural ecosystem from intrusion, conducting research, and 

educating the public about the land.

In 1969 PNNL was chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to analyze lunar 

material collected during the Apollo program. PNNL measured the concentration of primordial and 

both solar and galactic cosmic-ray-produced radionuclides in 75% of the lunar materials.

In the early 1970s the AEC announced that the management of the FFTF would be transferred to the 

Westinghouse Hanford Company and that all of the remaining reactors at Hanford, with the exception 

of N Reactor, would be shut down. As the nuclear program underwent changes, PNNL expanded its 

research programs in energy, environment, health, and national security. During this time, PNNL

developed vitrification, a process to turn hazardous waste and glass-forming materials into glass. 

Vitrification locks dangerous materials into a stable glass form that will last for thousands of years. 

In general, PNNL does not handle large volumes of hazardous materials, and most experiments that 

would use such materials occur at other DOE sites. Individual laboratories do have some radioactive 

and chemical hazards, but these materials are present in limited areas. There are currently no 

production-scale facilities at PNNL.

The Hanford Site was originally divided into several distinct numbered areas: 100 Area, 200 Area, 

300 Area, etc. This TBD concentrates on the major facilities in the 300 Area that were the 

responsibility of PNNL (either as landlord or owner). The 300 Area contains facilities involved in the 

majority of PNNL activities dealing with radioactive materials. 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 8 of 27

Figure 2-1. Hanford Site 300 Area.

The Hanford Site 300 Area consists of a 0.52-mi2 industrial complex along the Columbia River about 

1 mi north of Richland, Washington (Figure 2-1), as well as approximately 1 mi2 of additional areas 

surrounding the complex that were used for solid and liquid waste disposal. Several 300 Area 

facilities are part of the PNNL. There are currently 100 active PNNL buildings; DOE owns 40 and 

leases another 6, while Battelle owns 44 and leases 10. Although Table 2-1 lists 165 buildings, many 

of them do not contain radioactive material; they are included for completeness.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 9 of 27

Table 2-1. Buildings PNNL has owned or for which PNNL has served as landlord. Building 

number Building name Location

Referenced ina Year

Acquireda

Possible presence of 

1964 (1) 1984(2) 2000(3) radioactive materials

141-N Animal Sewage Effluent Pump 

House

100 Yes 1965 (1)

185-D Thermal Hydraulics Lab 100 D-DR Yes Yes 1965 (1)

189-D Mechanical Development Laboratory 100 D-DR Yes Yes 1965 (1)

190-D Storage 100 D-DR Yes

190-DA Storage 100 D-DR Yes

108-F Biology Lab and Office Space 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

108-FC Electrical and Glass Shop 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

141-B Feed Storage Barn 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

141-C Chronic Feeding Barn 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

141-F Animal Barn and Exposure 

Laboratory

100-F Yes 1965 (1)

141-G Pig Gestation Barn 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

141-H Isolation Barn 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

141-M Office, Lunchroom & Change House 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

141-P Pig Farrowing Barn 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

141-S Animal Shelter 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

142-F Biology Storage 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

143-F Well Water House 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

144-F Particle Exposure House 100-F Yes 1965 (1) Yes

144-R Kennels 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

145-F Animal Monitoring 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

146-FR Aquatic Biology Lab 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

149-F Biology Storage and Boat House 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

1705-F Pharmacology Lab and Greenhouse 100-F Yes 1965 (1)

146-TC Biology Change House and Storage 100-K Yes 1965 (1)

209-E Critical Mass Laboratory 200-E Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

2101-M Spare Parts Warehouse, 

Miscellaneous offices

200-E Yes

242-B Waste Evaporator, Radioactive 

Particle Research Laboratory

200-E Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

242-BL Cask Loading Building 200-E Yes 1965 (1)

2709-E Fire Protection Headquarters 200-E Yes

2714-EA Critical Mass Storage Building 200-E Yes 1965 (1)

2718-E Critical Mass Storage Building 200-E Yes 1965 (1) Yes

271-CRL Waste Treatment Pilot Plant 200-E Yes 1965 (1)

222-U Geophysics and Geochemistry 200-W Yes 1965 (1) Yes

2707-U 222-U Annex (Soil Sampling 

Building)

200-W Yes 1965 (1)

2715-Z Oil Storage Building 200-W Yes 1965 (1)

2719-W Administration Building 200-W Yes 1965 (1)

292-T Fission Products Release Laboratory 200-W Yes 1965 (1)

305 Hanford Test Reactor, Physical 

Constants Test Reactor, Thermal 

Test Reactor, Engineering 

Development Laboratory Annex, 

300 Yes Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

308 Training Research Isotopes, General 

Atomics Reactor, Fuels 

Development Laboratory, Plutonium 

Fabrication Pilot Plant

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

309 Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor, 

Plutonium Recycle Critical Reactor, 

Equipment Storage

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

312 Pump House 300 Yes 1965 (1)

314 Press Building Metallurgical 

Engineering, Engineering 

Development Laboratory

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

315 Filter Plant 300 Yes 1965 (1)

318 High Temperature Lattice Test 

Reactor, Radiological Calibrations 

Building

300 Yes Yes Yes 1967 (3) Yes

320 Low Level Radiochemistry Building, 

Analysis and Nuclear Research 

Laboratory

300 Yes Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 10 of 27

Table 2- 1 (Continued). Buildings PNNL has owned or for which PNNL has served as landlord.

Building 

number Building name Location

Referenced ina Year

Acquireda

Possible presence of 

1964 (1) 1984(2) 2000(3) radioactive materials

321 Separation Building, Cold Semi 

works

300 Yes 1965 (1)

323 Mechanical Properties Laboratory 300 Yes 1987 (3)

324 Fuels Recycle Pilot Plant, Chemical 

Materials Engineering Laboratory

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

325 Radiochemistry Building, 

Radiochemistry Process Laboratory, 

Applied Chemistry Laboratory

300 Yes Yes Yes 1965 (1), 

1987(3)

Yes

326 Pile Technology Building, Physics 

and Metallurgy, Material Science 

Laboratory

300 Yes 1987 Yes

327 Radio-metallurgy, Post-Irradiation 

Testing Laboratory

300 Yes 1965 (1) Yes

328 Engineering Management & 

Technical Shops Annex

300 Yes 1965 (1)

329 Biophysics Laboratory, Physical 

Science Laboratory, Chemical 

Science Laboratory

300 Yes Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

330 Stress Rupture Test Facility 300 Yes 1965 (1)

332 Hazardous Waste Interim Holding 

Facility

300 Yes

336 High Bay Testing Facility 300 Yes 1986(3)

337 Technical Management Center 300 Yes 1987(3)

338 Prototype Engineering Laboratory 300 Yes 1971(3)

350 Plant Operations and Maintenance 

Facility

300 Yes Yes 1980 (built) (3)

377 Steam Generator Examination 

Facility

300 Yes Yes

3201 Laboratory Offices and 

Administration

300 Yes 1965 (1)

3702 Office Building 300 Yes 1965 (1)

3705 Personnel Meters and Records, 

Photography Building

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

3706 Technical Laboratory, General 

Services Building

300 Yes 1965 (1)

3708 Radiation Measurements Building, 

Radioanalytical Laboratory

300 Yes Yes

3714 Solvent Storage, Organic Chemistry 

Laboratory

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

3718 Laboratories Equipment Pool 300 Yes 1965 (1) Yes

3720 Central Services Laboratory, 

Environmental Sciences Laboratory, 

Materials Science Laboratory

300 Yes Yes 1971(3) Yes

3730 Graphite Shop, Gamma Irradiation 

Facility

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1), 

1987(3)

Yes

3731 Graphite Storage Laboratory 

Equipment Central Pool

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

3745 Standards Building, Radiological 

Dev. & Calibration

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

3746 Radiological Physics Building 300 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

3760 Management and Technical 

Information, Technical Library

300 Yes Yes Yes 1965 (1), 1968 

(3)

3762 Laboratory Safety 300 Yes

303 A-J Fresh Metal Storage Building 300 Yes Yes

305B Hazardous Waste Storage Building 300 Yes Yes 1977(3)

306 (306-E, 

306-W)

Metal Fabrication Development, Met 

Semi-Works

300 Yes 1965 (1) Yes

306-J Material Storage Building 300 Yes

314-B Stress Rupture Test Facility 300 Yes

318-A Detector Building 300 Yes Yes

3201-A Service Building 300 Yes 1965 (1)

324-A Stack Gas Sampling Building 300 Yes 1965 (1) Yes

328-A Engineering Management & 

Technical Shops Annex

300 Yes 1965 (1)
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 11 of 27

Table 2-1 (Continued). Buildings PNNL has owned or for which PNNL has served as landlord.

Building 

number Building name Location

Referenced ina Year

Acquireda

Possible presence of 

1964 (1) 1984(2) 2000(3) radioactive materials

331, 331A-J 

and 

HB1-H-12

Life Sciences Laboratory and 

associated buildings

300 Yes Yes 1970 (built)(3) Yes

340, 340-A, 

340-B

Retention and Neutralization 300 Yes 1965 (1) Yes

350-A Paint Shop 300 Yes

350-B Warehouse 300 Yes

350-C Storage Building 300 Yes

3614-A River Monitoring Station 300 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

3701-A West Gate House 300 Yes 1965 (1)

3701-L Badge House 300 Yes 1965 (1)

3701-Z Construction Badge House 300 Yes 1965 (1)

3706-A Ventilation Equipment 300 Yes 1965 (1)

3707-B Change House, Janitor Supply 300 Yes 1965 (1)

3707-C General Services Building Annex 300 Yes 1965 (1)

3717-B Instrument Shop 300 Yes 1965 (1) Yes

3718-A Laboratories Equipment Pool 300 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

3718-B Laboratory Equipment Central Pool 300 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

3718-C PRTR Storage 300 Yes 1965 (1)

3718-D Laboratory Storage 300 Yes 1965 (1)

3718-G Storage Building 300 Yes

3731-A Graphite Machine Shop 300 Yes

3745-A Van deGraaff Electron Accelerator 300 Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

3745-B Van deGraaff Positive Ion 

Accelerator

300 Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

3746-A Radiological Physics Laboratory 300 Yes

3746-D Technical Service Annex 300 Yes

646 Radioecology Field Laboratory 600 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

#2 Mechanical Equipment Development 

Storage

600 Yes 1965 (1)

#3 Chemical Development Storage 600 Yes 1965 (1)

213 J Storage Vault 600 Yes 1983(3) Yes

622-A Office and Tower Control Room 600 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

622-B Pilot Balloon Release 600 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

622-C Storage Building 600 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

622-D Blimp Storage, Storage Building 600 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

622-E Instrument Repair and Storage Hut 600 Yes 1965 (1)

622-F Atmospheric Physics Lab 600 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

622-G Battery Charge Shed, Atmospheric 

Physics Annex

600 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

622-H Field Office (Atmospheric Physics) 600 Yes 1965 (1)

622-R Atmospheric Physics, Hanford 

Meteorology Station

600 Yes Yes 1966 (built) (3)

6652-C Space Science Laboratory 600 Yes

6652-D Pumphouse 600 Yes

6652-E Lysimeter Preparation Building 600 Yes

6652-G ALE Field Storage 600 Yes

6652-H ALE Laboratory I 600 Yes

6652-I ALE Headquarters 600 Yes

6652-J ALE Sample Storage, ALE 

Laboratory II

600 Yes

6652-K Pumphouse 600 Yes

6652-M Fallout Laboratory 600 Yes Yes

6652-O Storage Building 600 Yes

6652-PH Fire Protection Pumphouse 600 Yes

TC-4 Skid Shack 600 Yes 1965 (1)

703 Administration Building 700 Yes Yes 1965 (1)

700 Area Federal Building 700 Yes

717-B Environmental Sampling Station 700 Yes 1965 (1)

747-A Whole Body Counter 700 Yes Yes Yes 1965 (1) Yes

Annex Richland Research Complex RRC Yes Yes 1973 (3)

Auditorium Battelle Auditorium RRC Yes Yes 1967 (3)
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 12 of 27

Table 2-1 (Continued). Buildings PNNL has owned or for which PNNL has served as landlord.

Building 

number Building name Location

Referenced ina Year

Acquireda

Possible presence of 

1964 (1) 1984(2) 2000(3) radioactive materials

BRSW Battelle Receiving and Shipping 

Warehouse

RRC Yes 1970 (built) (3)

CEL Chemical Engineering Laboratory RRC Yes

EDL Engineering Development 

Laboratory

RRC Yes Yes 1973 (3)

EMSL Environmental Molecular Sciences 

Laboratory

RRC Yes 1997 (3)

EPRI 1 & 2 Large Animal Exposure Facility RRC Yes

ESB Engineering Support Building RRC Yes

LSL II, LSL A, 

LSL B

Life Science Laboratory II, Chemical 

Storage and Transfer Facility, and 

Portable Chemical Storage Facility

RRC Yes Yes 1975 (built) (3) Yes

Math Building Math Building RRC Yes Yes 1975 (3)

MDL Mechanical Development Laboratory RRC Yes

MRC Materials Research Center RRC Yes

OSB Operations and Services Building RRC Yes

PGF Plant Growth Facility RRC Yes

PSL Physical Science Laboratory RRC Yes Yes 1967

ROB Research Operations Building RRC Yes Yes 1969 (3)

RTL 510 Chemical and Flammable Storage RRC Yes

RTL 520 Research Technology Laboratory RRC Yes Yes 1966 (3) (built)

RTL 530 Radioactive Storage RRC Yes Yes

RTL 540 Storage Shelter RRC Yes

RTL 550 Technical Services RRC Yes

RTL 560 Utility Building RRC Yes

RTL 570 Autoclave Center RRC Yes

RTL 580 Crafts Shop RRC Yes

RTL 590 Warehouse RRC Yes

2400 Stevens Office Building Yes Yes 1979 (3)

WBF 1 Boat Storage Yes

WBF 2 Storage Yes

a. Sources: (1) AEC (1964a,b), (2) PNL (1984), (3) PNNL (2000).

Information on the buildings under PNNL control comes from three sets of documents: 

• The original property transfer letter and addendum from December 1964 (AEC 1964a and b) 

• Facilities Catalog, 1984 (PNL 1984)

• PNNL Major Buildings Directory, October 2000 (PNNL 2000), which appears to be heavily 

redacted. 

Table 2-1 summarizes the information available from these sources on buildings that were considered 

part of PNNL as of the dates of these three documents. Because some information has been

redacted, the absence of a positive indication that a building was part of PNNL as of 2000 does not 

necessarily mean that it was not. Table 2-1 also shows the year the building was turned over to 

PNNL if known. The “Possible Presence of Radioactive Materials” column provides an indication of 

the presence of radioactive materials or activities in that building based on the more detailed 

discussions of radioactive materials and processes in Section 2.2. Many buildings in Table 2-1 do not 

provide an indication of the presence or absence of radioactive material because there is no specific 

information available. However, as can be seen from the building name it is most likely that no 

radioactive material was present. The presence of radioactive materials in the major buildings have 

been identified. Minor buildings such as Environmental Monitoring Stations and Office Trailers have 

not been included in Table 2-1 because either they were very small buildings (Environmental 

Monitoring Stations were typically 40 to 46 ft2

) or they were used only for office space. 
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 13 of 27

2.2 SITE PROCESSES AND ACTIVITIES

The following sections discuss the facilities for which PNNL had responsibility for either maintenance 

or operation. These include reactors; fuel fabrication; research, development, and testing; and waste 

handling facilities. Each section is ordered by building number followed alphabetically by facilities 

without a number.

2.2.1

PNNL operated seven testing, research, and demonstration reactors in the 300 Area. These included

the 305 Hanford Test Reactor (HTR), Physical Constants Test Reactor (PCTR), Thermal Test Reactor 

(TTR), Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor (PRTR), Plutonium Recycle Critical Facility (PRCF), High 

Temperature Lattice Test Reactor (HTLTR), and the Training Research Isotopes, General Atomics 

(TRIGA) reactor. Table 2-2 lists radionuclides for all research and test reactors that dose 

reconstructors should consider as potential sources of internal or external exposure.

Reactors

Table 2-2. Radionuclides of concern 

for all research and test reactors. 3

H 141Ce 238U

35S 144Ce 238Pu

60Co 144

Pr 239Pu

95Zr/Nb 210Po 237Np

103Ru 226Ra 240Pu

106Rh 233U 244Cm

106Ru 234

U 252Cf

140Ba/La 235U

108-A, Training Research Isotopes, General Atomics

A 250-kW TRIGA reactor was installed in the late 1970s in Room 160 in the A-wing to perform 

neutron radiography quality assurance testing of fuel elements and fuel jackets. The TRIGA reactor 

sat in a double containment water tank and operated only at a 250-kW power level. (Gerber 1992). 

305 Hanford Test Reactor

The 305 HTR (also called the Test Pile) in the 305 Building was the first reactor to operate at Hanford 

starting in 1943. It was operated until 1972 at a very low critical level (usually less than 50 W) to test 

fuel elements, fuel configuration, graphite samples, and other materials for the production reactors. It 

was used as a quality assurance tool to house testing of samples of each lot of graphite, uranium, 

aluminum jacketing material, and other materials used in the large production reactors. The reactor 

consisted of a graphite pile and was air cooled. It was removed from the 305 Building in 1976 or 

1977. (Gerber 1992, 1993). 

305-B Physical Constants Test Reactor

The PCTR operated from 1954 until 1970. This 800-W test reactor was in a shielded room in the 

305-B Building. The mission of the PCTR was to measure reactor changes as a result of use of 

different reactor fuels. Some plutonium contamination that occurred in the reactor room as a result of 

an accident in 1961 could have been the source of minor internal exposure during cleanup. External 

exposure was negligible because the reactor was in a shielded underground room and workers 

operated it remotely. (Gerber 1992).
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 14 of 27

305-B Thermal Test Reactor

The TTR operated from 1954 until 1978. This 1-kW reactor was in a shielded underground room in 

the 305-B Building and workers operated it remotely. The mission of the TTR was to measure 

thermal impact on fission cross sections. The reactor functioned as an early and small version of the 

HTLTR. External exposure was minimized because workers operated the reactor remotely. (Gerber 

1992). 

309 Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor

The PRTR in the 309 Building operated from 1960 until 1969. The PRTR was a 40-MW heavy-watercooled and --moderated reactor. It was chosen for a large fuels diversification program known as the 

Plutonium Fuels Utilization Program. Tests were to be performed with various mixed-oxide fuels 

using various methods of manufacture. For example, tests were performed on a variety of powdered 

and pelletized fuels using plutonium oxide blended with uranium oxide and other metallic oxides. The 

fuel was a nominal 96% depleted uranium oxide and 4% plutonium-oxide powder that was vibration 

compacted within the fuel pin. External exposure was minimized due to remote operation and the 

shielding. Maintenance operations resulted in external exposure from activation and fission products. 

A high extremity exposure occurred when a worker picked up an irradiated steel pin. Tritium oxide 

was the principal internal exposure contaminant during normal operation. This whole-body exposure 

was added into the external whole body dose summary (see the internal and external dosimetry

portions of this site profile.)

On September 29, 1965, a major operating accident occurred. During a test to examine the effects of 

temperature increases on fuel growth, distortion, and other factors a portion of the fuel core was 

brought to a molten state and released 705 g of fuel, contaminating the heavy-water moderator. 

Cleanup took 6 months. Measurement of surface contamination on October 4, 1965, gave results 

ranging from 1,000 μCi/ft2 in A-cell down to 0.75 μCi/ft2 throughout the reactor hall. Airborne 

contamination initially produced a radiation field of 20 R/hr in the reactor hall but the airborne 

concentrations declined from 2 × 10-5 μCi/cm3 on September 30 to less than from 1 × 10-10 μCi/cm3 on 

October 10 (primarily 131I, 133Xe). The PRTR did not have charcoal filters to trap the 131I. (Gerber 

1992).

In addition, operation of the PRTR before 1965 resulted in increased primary system radioactivity 

levels that continued into 1965. This consisted of the following:

• Primary system contamination (mainly 60Co), piping radiation levels from 200 to 300 mR/hr;

• Tritium accumulation reached 1.3 Ci/L in the reflector, 1.0 Ci/L in the moderator, and 0.36 Ci/L 

in the primary coolant.

• Tritium exposure was a major consideration. 

The reactor was shut down in 1969 after an accident resulted in high local contamination in the 

reactor. A sample of the contamination showed the major contaminant was 95Zr/Nb. Other 

contaminants included 60Co, 103Ru, 106Ru, 106Rh, 140Ba/La, 141Ce, 144Ce, and 144Pr. (Gerber 1992).

309 Plutonium Recycle Critical Facility

The PRCF in the 309 Building operated from 1969 until 1976 (Gerber 1992). PRCF’s major mission 

was to house experimental lattice testing for the design of various light-water-cooled reactors. PRCF 

examined burnable poisons for reactors, flux distributions, and many other variables in reactor 

operations. In 1988 and 1989, PRCF hardware and equipment were removed. (Gerber 1992).
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 15 of 27

318 High Temperature Lattice Test Reactor

The HTLTR was a 2-MW test reactor in the 318 Building that operated from 1968 until 1971 (Gerber 

1992). The reactor consisted of a graphite cube in a large shielded room and operated at 

temperatures up to 1,0000 C. The mission was to advance reactor physics technology. It was shut 

down in 1971 after 3 years of operation spanning 4 actual years, during which time it operated with six 

different cores (three 233U, one 235U, one 238U, and one 239Pu). Because the reactor was heavily 

shielded and was operated remotely, external exposure was at background levels. There were no 

contamination incidents, so internal exposure was negligible. The building and the shielded room 

were modified in the early 1980s and used as the new Hanford Radiological Calibration and 

Development Laboratory.

The building now houses an X-ray unit, photon facility, and several radiation source wells containing 1 

kCi 60Co, 100 Ci 137Cs, and a 109 n/s 252Cf source.

2.2.2

The Hanford Fuel Fabrication facilities were operated in the 300 Area from 1944 until 1988. These 

include three fuel fabrication facilities involving PNNL: 314 Uranium Metal Extrusion, 303 Fresh Metal 

Storage Facility, and 306 Reactor Fuel Manufacturing Pilot Plant. Each is described below.

Fuel Fabrication Facilities

314 Uranium Metal Extrusion Facility 

The 314 Building was known as the Press Building, the Metallurgical Engineering Laboratory, and 

later as the Uranium Metal Extrusion Facility. Operation of the 314 Press Building began in July 1944 

with a mission to process raw uranium billets into extruded rods suitable for fabrication into fuel 

elements. By 1971 all fuel element preparation activities for the single-pass reactors ceased.

Removal of two doors in 1979 resulted in local contamination readings up to 60,000 cpm. (Gerber 

1992).

303 Fresh Metal Storage Facilities

Ten buildings (303-A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, K, and M) were built from 1944 to 1983 to store fresh 

uranium, chemicals, uranium scraps, and plutonium. Uranium was shipped to Hanford in the form of 

metal billets. These were moved to the 303 Fresh Metal Storage buildings where they were 

inspected, entered into accountability records, and held for processing. Many spontaneous fires 

occurred in the uranium scrap barrels and in concreted uranium scrap billets. These autoignition 

events, along with oxide conversion activities, produced much particulate contamination that settled in 

soils. (Gerber 1992). 

In 1970 the 303-C Building was used by PNNL to store plutonium and americium. On March 13, 

1979, pressurization of one of the sealed metal storage cans resulted in the spread of plutonium 

dioxide (PuO2) contamination (1.2 to 1.3 mCi released to the atmosphere) and the subsequent 

shutdown of the building until cleanup. (Gerber 1992). It currently is being used for other purposes.

306, 306-J, 306-W Reactor Fuel Manufacturing Pilot Plant

The 306 Building began operation in May 1957 as a pilot plant for reactor fuel production. Throughout 

its history, its missions have centered on various alloy and fabrication testing and development work. 

The building had a complete fuel element canning line with the exception of autoclaving. This process 

was developed in the 306-E Building in the early 1960s in support of the N Reactor fuel needs. The 

306 Building was built in two phases. The original was completed in 1956 as the Fuel Element Pilot 

Plant or the Fuel Fabrication Pilot Plant. In 1960 that facility was expanded to contain the extrusion 

fabrication process for N Reactor fuel elements. In 1972 use of the 306 Building was divided between 
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PNNL and the Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL). At that time, the newer portion 

building was designated as 306-E and allocated to HEDL, and the older portion designated as 306-W 

and allocated to PNNL. (Gerber 1992).

Airborne dust and particulate contamination in and near this facility included uranium and thorium. 

Poor ventilation was a continual problem throughout the first 15 years of operation. In addition, 

multiple fires and leaks occurred over the years in and around the 306 Building in barrels and waste 

“load luggers" containing uranium, thorium, and heavy metals. Tools and fabrication work areas in 

the building often displayed contamination levels of 20,000 to 80,000 cpm during the 1950s and 

1960s. The highest radiation levels generally were found in the specialty shop for uranium machining 

in the west end, also called the Regulated Shop or the Hot Shop. One furnace pot read 40 R/hr when 

surveyed in 1971. As recently as 1987, contaminated equipment entered the building from off the 

Hanford Site and spread spotty contamination up to 100,000 dpm. (Gerber, 1992).

In 1977 a radiological safety survey found significant accumulated uranium contamination in a tailings 

pile just west of the 306 Building. As recently as November 1990, a PNNL survey performed after a 

windstorm found hot particles in the soil surrounding the 306-W Building. The report stated the cause 

of this residual contamination as "prior year’s practices in handling and storage of machine shop chip 

wastes.” (Gerber 1992).

2.2.3

Research, development, and testing facilities were built at Hanford beginning in 1944 to support the 

development and testing of new processes, materials, and equipment. In some instances the facilities 

were used for several different purposes throughout their operating lives. Many of the buildings were 

turned over to PNNL at the beginning of 1965.

Research, Development, and Testing Facilities

305-B Experimental Test Reactor, Engineering Development Laboratory Annex, Hazardous 

Waste Storage Building

The 305-B Building was built in 1954 as a pile physics laboratory to develop improvements in reactor 

lattice (i.e., configuration) designs to produce more plutonium in the production reactors. The original 

portion of 305-B Building was the basement area, which contained two small test reactors, the PCTR,

and the TTR. All of the reactor equipment was decommissioned and removed after tests were 

discontinued in both facilities in 1978. The building now provides space for the Mechanical 

Metallurgical Laboratory and is currently used to store and prepare shipments of dangerous waste 

and radioactive mixed waste. (Gerber 1992).

308 Plutonium Fuels Pilot Plant

The Plutonium Fuels Pilot Plant (PFPP) was constructed in the 308 Building in 1960 to perform 

research and development on fuel elements used in the PRTR. In the mid-1960s the PRTR fuel work 

was terminated. In the late 1960s neptunium–aluminum alloy fuel target elements were produced for 

use in the N Reactor for a 238Pu production run. A high bay area was added to the building in 1971. A 

147Pm contamination incident occurred in the 308 Building in 1971. From 1977 to 1991 the facility was 

used for the production of FFTF fuel elements. The 308-A Annex was added to the PFPP in 1979 to 

accommodate additional plutonium fuels work. A 250-kW TRIGA reactor was installed in the annex in 

the late 1970s to perform neutron radiography, a feature of the quality assurance testing program. 

During its operation, the building experienced many incidents involving the loss of control of 

radioactive materials, primarily plutonium. Most of these were usually contained within one laboratory 

and the adjacent corridors. Glovebox fires, explosions, and ruptures were the most frequent causes

of contamination. The most serious contamination event in the building’s history took place in August 

1965 when a spark ignited acetone vapors in a glovebox in Room 113. The resultant explosion and 
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fire spread nearly 10 g of plutonium throughout Rooms 113 and 101 and the adjacent hallways. 

Improperly sealed irradiated sample containers were another common cause. These incidents 

occasionally resulted in internal exposures. The 308 facilities were deactivated in 1990. (Gerber 

1992).

309 Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor, PRTR Equipment Storage

The PRTR was located in Building 309 and began operations in 1960. It was designed to be the 

operating test reactor in the Hanford Works Plutonium Fuels Utilization Program, the purpose of which 

was to research and develop nuclear fuel technology for using plutonium as a fuel in nuclear reactors.

In 1962 the PRCF was added to support PRTR operations as the location where reactivity values of 

fuel assemblies before and after irradiation was checked. In 1969 the reactor was placed in layaway 

condition. In 1986 and 1987, a new space technology development program known as SP-100 was 

assigned to 309 Building, which led to an extensive cleaning out of the original PRTR features.

(Gerber 1992). 

314 Press Building Metallurgical Engineering, Engineering Development Laboratory

The 314 Building provides high-bay, heavy capacity space for mockups and test equipment. Fuel 

elements were initially fabricated and jacketed in this building. By 1971 all fuel element preparation 

activities for the single-pass reactors ceased. (Gerber 1992).

318 Radiological Calibration and Development Laboratory

The 318 Building was built in 1967 to house the HTLTR, which operated from 1968 to 1972 and 

provided reactor physics data. In the early 1980s, the reactor was removed and the heavily shielded

10-m cube reactor cell was converted to a free-in-air calibration facility that contains a large 252Cf 

neutron source (1 × 109 n/s) and a large 137Cs photon source (about 100 Ci) used for dosimeter 

calibration. A shielded facility was built in the basement to house a high-level 60Co source (about 

1 kCi) to create accident dose rate levels and three 300-kVp X-ray machines. The calibration 

laboratory commenced operation in 1983. Three major additions were constructed in 1985, 1987, and 

1989. The first contained four source wells that held two 137Cs, one 60Co, and one 252Cf sources used 

for instrument calibration. The second addition housed instrument testing and repair laboratories, and 

the last addition provided office facilities for the staff. As a result of the shielding, isolation, remote 

operations, and operating procedures, external exposures were minimized. Internal exposures were 

negligible. 

The facility is still in operation. The wells contain radioactive sources strong enough to project a field 

or shine area straight above the wells and beyond the roof. This creates concern for personnel who 

work on the roof area over the wells. (PNNL 2000). 

318-A Detector Building

The 318-A Building contains a low-level radiochemistry building in which very sensitive radiochemical 

analyses, sample preparation, and method development can be performed. It was originally part of 

the HTLTR but is now used as storage area. Half of the building is used as a laboratory for 

thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) work.

320 Low-Level Radiochemistry Building

The 320 Low-Level Radiochemistry Building was built in 1966 to house analytical chemistry services 

and plant support. The current missions include radiochemical environmental analyses, sample 

preparation, methods development, and classified programs using analytical procedures. Throughout 

its history, the 320 Building has processed only very small amounts and very low levels of wastes. It 

was not connected to the Radioactive Liquid Waste System because radioactive wastes (liquid as well 

as solid) were of such small volume that they were removed in containers and casks. On occasion 
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through the years, small spills of radioactive material have occurred in the facility. In all known cases 

the contamination was contained within the building, and there have been no known instances 

involving airborne radioactive releases. (Gerber 1992).

321 Separation Facility

The 321 Building was constructed during World War II as a pilot-scale plant to test chemical process 

improvements using unirradiated or low-activity substances. Beginning in the late 1950s, chemists 

embarked on the development of several pioneering methods of extracting high-heat isotopes from 

high-level nuclear waste. Among the most prominent isotope extracts were 90Sr, 137Cs, 144Ce, 147Pm

and 237Np. In addition, several different attempts were made to produce 233U from thorium. Known as

the THOREX (thorium extraction) program, these processes involved the chemical separation of 

various forms of thorium target fuel elements after irradiation.

In 1988 an exterior contamination survey of the 321 Building found several areas of fixed 

contamination including flaking exterior paint chips reading 150,000 dpm beta/gamma and 

25,000 dpm alpha attributed to, “plutonium–uranium extraction (PUREX) research and development 

(R&D) radiological chemical separation operations." Loose smearable contamination was found in a 

routine survey of the building’s interior in 1991, which was attributed to residual remains of past 

operations. At present, all entries to the structure are controlled by the Health Physics Department.

The 321 Building was deactivated in 1988 and was emptied and sealed as of 1992.

323 Mechanical Properties Laboratory (Metals Creep Laboratory)

The 323 Building (originally the 321-A Building) served as a support building for waste vitrification 

techniques in the 321 Building. In 1968 the mission changed to metallurgical research initiatives. The 

building was transferred to PNNL in 1987. There are no known significant radiological concerns in

this building.

324 Chemical and Materials Engineering Laboratory

The 324 Building was constructed during 1964 to 1966 as a Fuel Recycle Pilot Plant (FRPP). It was 

designed partially to support PRTR operations by housing chemical reprocessing and metallurgical 

examination on the PRTR fuel elements. It was also designed to house the Waste Solidification 

Engineering Project (WSEP), one of the first high-level waste vitrification demonstration programs in 

the world. The radiochemical portion contains four hot cells. The southeast section of the 324 

Building contains the Radiometallurgy and Materials Testing Laboratories, including three large hot 

cells known as the Shielded Materials Facility (SMF). The 324 Building also contains many other 

laboratory facilities including two Engineering Development Laboratories (EDLs) designed for hot 

work (EDL-146 and -147). EDL-146 is a multipurpose laboratory that performed experiments with 

radioactive sodium in the 1970s and 1980s. EDL-147 is known as the Regulated Shop because it 

performed decontamination and repair of manipulators having high radiation levels. 

A large basement area in the 324 Building contains four laboratories, three facilities connected with 

shipping and packaging, various tanks, and the Fissile Materials Storage Vault. The 324 Building

basement contains three additional chemistry laboratories. The largest, 3G, contains a shielded 

glovebox that handles various fission products, sodium, and up to 15 g of irradiated plutonium-oxide 

fuel. Laboratory 3G previously held an inert atmosphere glovebox used to study 137Cs in molten 

sodium. Laboratory 3F contains two vented hoods and functioned as a low-level metallography

laboratory involved in tritium work. Many radioactive substances were handled throughout the many 

laboratories and areas in Building 324 including plutonium, normal and depleted uranium and thorium, 

90Sr, 137Cs, 144Ce, and 252Cf. In 1991 to 1992 cesium-chloride capsules were manufactured for 
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Nordion for medical use. These capsules contained activity ranging from 500 to 3,000 Ci each. 

(Gerber 1992).

A number of significant contamination events have occurred (Gerber 1992): 

• In November 1968 a load-out stall floor became contaminated with liquid 144Ce. 

Contamination on the floor read up to 100 R/hr and the steam manifold valve read 500 R/hr. 

• In January 1969 contamination spread to the floor, piping, and tools outside of the B-Cell.

Radiation readings were up to 159 R/hr. 

• In October 1971, an event involving 144Ce spread contamination through a large portion of the 

building. There was also airborne 144Ce contamination.

• The rupture of storage casks containing 137Cs and 252Ca [

252Cf] led to localized contamination 

spreads in 1972 and 1973. [There is no such thing as 252Ca, and the half-lives of the calcium 

radioisotopes are generally very short. This appears to be a typographical error in the source 

document and is treated here as 252Cf.] In the case of the 137Cs, a leaking lead pig discharged 

visible particles and produced radiation readings up to 500 R/hr in the basement.

• In 1986 137Cs contamination was spread in the truck lock when a highly contaminated filter 

from B-Cell was dropped during a removal procedure. 

• In October 1990, cesium-chloride contamination was spread in the SMF gallery.

325 Radiochemistry Laboratory

The 325 Building was constructed in 1953 to safely house and manipulate multi curie-level radioactive 

chemical development work. During 1959 and 1960, a large addition known as the High-Level 

Radiochemistry wing was constructed. The 325 Building was transferred to PNNL in 1965. In 1970, 

the operations were split between PNNL (who had the large hot cells in the newer addition) and 

Westinghouse Hanford. The entire building was then transferred to PNNL in 1987.

In its years of prime use in the 1960s, the building contained over 50 laboratories and 11 hot cells. 

Standard laboratories were bays of 10 by 12 ft. The building also contained over 20 laboratory hoods 

and many gloveboxes. The primary mission of the 325 Building was as an analytical radiochemistry 

laboratory that provided verification and research support of complex environmental and industrial 

issues requiring chemical or radiochemical analysis. A number of techniques were developed that 

separated or fractionized specific isotopes from high-level waste by ion exchange, carrier 

precipitation, and solvent extraction. Other radiochemical work conducted in the hot cells has 

included characterization of double-shell tank slurry, tests of fuel iodine control and fuel uranium 

dissolution methods for the N Reactor, and experiments in the recovery of strontium using antimonic 

acid. The building houses processing equipment for preparation of radioactive waste. It also provides 

specially shielded ventilated laboratory space for studies with chemical and mechanical processes 

that have radiation levels of up to 1 million R/hr. Several legacy wastes such as unused gloveboxes 

and tank wastes remain in some of the laboratories and hot cells. (Gerber 1992).

The entire ventilation system was engineered in a reverse flow. All air pressure was below 

atmospheric. The air first passed through the offices then corridors, then through the cold and 

low-level laboratories, then through the hot cells. High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters were 

installed in the early 1960s, and a second bank was emplaced in 1970. Major stack decontamination 

efforts and repairs were undertaken in late 1967 and in 1970, and the main stack was replaced in 
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1978. Air in the cell and laboratory sections was completely changed and recirculated every two 

minutes. In 1959 and 1960 three large hot cells were added. All of these cells were surrounded by 

4-ft-thick high-density concrete walls with stainless-steel liners. Each of the 11 hot cells was equipped 

with remote manipulators, periscopes, and leaded glass windows. (Gerber 1992).

The High-Level Radiochemistry addition was completed in time to house the “isotope campaigns”. 

High-level waste was the prime source to supply these isotopes. The feed material was generally 

PUREX IWW (first cycle waste) or waste from the commercial nuclear power plant at Shippingport, 

Pennsylvania. The isotopes in highest demand included 90Sr, 137Cs, 244Cm, 241Am, and 147Pm. During 

the first years of operation, 14 million Ci of 147Pm, 1 kg of 90Sr, 3 kg of 241Am, and 65 g of 244Cm were 

purified in A-Cell. B-Cell developed a flow sheet for the large-scale recovery mission of 90Sr/

137Cs for

use in Hanford Works B Plant from 1968 to 1978. Strontium fluoride and cesium chloride 

encapsulation chemistry for the B plant was also studied in B-Cell. C-Cell was used for compatibility 

studies for strontium fluoride capsule development and experiments in the recovery of 238Pu. (Gerber 

1992).

Studies that were part of the large DOE Nuclear Waste Vitrification Project took place in A-, B-, and 

C-Cells from 1977 to 1980. Experiments in high-level waste behavior during thermal concentration 

and high water reactor fuel dissolution tests for waste partitioning took place in B-Cell. During the 

same period, demonstrations of the molten salt electrodeposition of uranium oxide (UO2) and 

plutonium oxide (PuO2) occurred in C-Cell. The large mission was placed in standby by DOE in 1980, 

and much of the contaminated material was left in A-, B-, and C-Cells. (Gerber 1992).

Over the years, there have been numerous liquid and airborne contamination events inside the 325 

Building. UO2 crushing operations in the basement ceramic fuels laboratory in March 1966 spread 

uranium dusts and fines. A leak of solution containing 239Pu from B-Cell in August 1972 produced 

readings from 40 to 100 rads/hour in the 325 Building basement. In October, 1977 alpha 

contamination consisting of 238Pu, 239Pu and 241Am to the level of 120,000 dpm was spread in the 

outside of a glovebox and other surfaces in Laboratory 400. In August 1981, a vacuum pump was 

wired in the reverse direction, which resulted in a spread of contamination to two main floor rooms 

and in basement Room 50. Contamination readings in the incident reached 1 million dpm. A 

contaminated water leak from B-Cell in April 1988 produced dose rates of 15 to 200 mR/hr in the 

affected area. (Gerber 1992). 

326 Pile Physics Technology and Metallurgy Facility

The 326 Building opened in 1953. It was transferred to PNNL in 1987 and was called the Material 

Sciences Laboratory. The primary mission of the 326 Building is analysis of metallurgical samples of 

post-irradiated materials. The facility sinks, drains, and trenches have contamination from previous 

years. Soil samples near the former Radioactive Liquid Waste System diverter show contamination. 

Hoods and ductwork date back many years and are also potential sources of contamination. In some 

areas, high radiation fields exist due to inadequate shielding. During the 1970 and 1980s, several 

laboratories were converted to chemical work involving unirradiated or low-level radioactive materials, 

though the central mission continued to support research of reactor components and fuel elements.

(Gerber 1992).

A High Energy Electron Microscope was installed in the basement in 1971 to perform materials 

studies. During microscope operations, there was a major spread of plutonium and irradiated steel 

(i.e., iron) contamination. This and other contamination incidents resulted in some internal exposure. 

In 1983 the 326 Building became the Chemical Science Building. (Gerber 1992).
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Contamination found in and around the 326 Building include 235/238U, 231/234Th, 223/226Ra, 231Pr, 134/137Cs, 144Ce/144Pr, 155Eu, 241Am, 228

Ac (Gerber 1992).

327 Post Irradiation Testing Laboratory (Radiometallurgy Building)

The 327 Building opened in 1953. The main laboratory area was an east-west ”canyon" that held 

eight small hot cells, two water basins for holding irradiated fuel rods, two lead brick cells, a burst test 

facility, and a decontamination chamber. In 1970, the decontamination chamber was torn out and 

replaced with the Special Environmental Radio-metallurgical Facility (SERF), a large hot cell with a 

controlled atmosphere of inert nitrogen. In 1978, the 327 Building also received extensive office 

modifications. The building passed from General Electric to PNNL in 1965, then to Westinghouse 

Hanford in 1970 and back to PNNL in 1987 (Gerber 1992). 

As part of the Hanford waste vitrification projects of the 1960s and 1970s, performance evaluations of 

both components and glassified products were conducted in the 327 Building. Both destructive and 

nondestructive examination for the PRTR and FFTF were conducted at PNNL; the General Electric 

Test Reactor (a fast flux test reactor) in Vallecitos, California, that used enriched UO2 fuel); and from 

the Experimental Breeder Reactor II and Materials Test Reactor at Idaho National Engineering 

Laboratory. (Gerber 1992).

The nature of the work performed in the 327 Building involved extremely high-activity wastes. 

Irradiated materials, including ruptured or failed fuel rods containing plutonium and fresh fission 

products, were examined while they were "green” (i.e., when they had experienced little decay or 

stabilization time).

Intense waste and contamination problems developed in the 327 Building. Some of the most severe

instances of contamination spreads within the 327 Building occurred as the result of the transfer of

radioactive materials and wastes in and out of the hot cells and radioactive materials storage basins. 

Such transfers produced numerous floor and other surface contamination events throughout the 

1950s to 1970s, some of which were termed "gross" in Health Instruments Division monitoring 

reports. Contamination spreads that resulted from sample transfer problems in and around the 

building occurred in 1963, 1965, 1972, 1973 (two events), 1974 (two events), 1979, and 1990. In the 

1965 incident, a criticality alarm sounded in the building when it was subjected to a radiation flash 

exposure as an N Reactor fuel element was being pulled out of a cask. In 1990, 137Cs waste from

transfer operations out of D-Cell spread contamination in the 327 Canyon. The most serious 

explosion took place in February 1986 in the SERF cell, which spread plutonium and fission products 

around the canyon. Cleanup took 7 months. (Gerber 1992).

328 Engineering Management and Technical Shops Annex

The 328 Building was constructed in 1952 to house the craft, equipment, and fabrication services to 

the 300 Area laboratories. Over the years the 328 Building functions changed very little. There are 

virtually no known instances of radioactive contamination. On a few occasions, contaminated pieces 

of equipment found their way into the facility. (Gerber 1992).

329 Biophysics Laboratory (Chemical Science Building)

The 329 Biophysics Laboratory was built in 1952 and 1953 to support the environmental and bioassay 

programs. In 1974 Section D of the building, a pit known as the Neutron Multiplier Facility, was added

but it did not receive nuclear material until 1977 when a 100-mg 252Cf neutron source fueled by 93% 

enriched 235U for sample irradiation was emplaced. In 1975 Room 14-C was designated as an 

Isolated Facility for work with plutonium and enriched uranium. The building was transferred to PNNL 

in 1965. In 1970 it was split between Westinghouse and PNNL, and the Westinghouse portion was 

transferred back to PNNL in 1987. (Gerber 1992).
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The primary original mission of the 329 Building was to house preparation and counting of

radioactivity levels in samples of air, vegetation, soil, wildlife, river and well water, and various types of 

bioassay samples. Other building missions over the years have included counting and spectrometry 

studies of activation products found in film buildup on the inside of reactor process tubes and of 

fission products found in Hanford underground waste storage tanks. (Gerber 1992).

Radioactive contamination was introduced to the 329 Building early in its history. Samples in casks 

leaked unexpected amounts of radioactivity into the building. Events of this type occurred in 1967 

(

170Tm), twice in 1974 (31Si and mixed contaminated from irradiated sea salts), in 1987 (60Co and 

134/137Cs), and in 1989 (mixed alpha-emitting contaminants). (Gerber 1992).

331, 331A-J, and HB1 Life Sciences Laboratory and Associated Buildings

The 331 Life Sciences Building was constructed in 1970. The functions of the 331 Building and its 

many ancillary facilities have always involved biological and botanical research. The facility was used 

to perform radiation effects studies on plants, animals, and fish. Studies involved many radionuclides 

including 90Sr, 131I, 147Pm, 148mPm 238U, and 239Pu. The 331 complex conducted plutonium inhalation 

studies on dogs and plutonium injection studies on rats. Experiments with the effects of radiation 

exposure on hair and skin were conducted on swine. Artificial heart research with swine involved the 

use of 238Pu. A hot cell that originally contained a 15-kCi 60Co source was used for special irradiation 

studies. External and internal exposures were minimal. In 1977 there were several instances of 238Pu 

contamination in Building 331. In 1981 the small 60Co irradiation source in the 331 Building was shut 

down due to numerous safety violations. (Gerber 1992).

331-H Plant Exposure Facility

331-H building provides space to accommodate the exposure equipment required for performing 

advanced stages of research on plants. Plants are exposed to various aerosols and actinide 

elements in the test chamber. (Gerber 1992).

338 Prototype Engineering Laboratory

In 1971 the 338 Building was moved from the 100-F Area to provide space to receive, mock up, test,

and store components and certified materials for use in the High Temperature Sodium Facility. By 

1981 FFTF development work had diminished greatly. The building was converted that year to house 

the Secured Automated Fabrication Cold Test Facility, a nonradioactive demonstration project of 

oxide fuel processing operations for operations in the 427 Building. In 1988 the facility was converted 

to a chemical and hazardous materials storage area. (Gerber 1992). There are no radioactive 

materials used in the building.

377 Steam Generator Examination Facility

The 377 Building was designed and constructed to provide a facility to conduct nondestructive testing, 

inspection, and examination of a retired nuclear steam generator. Other programs include chemical 

cleaning and decontamination experiments and vibration. (PNL 1984).

3705 Personnel Meters and Records Building

The 3705 Building was constructed in 1963 to provide laboratory space for processing film badges 

and meters worn by personnel. It was managed by PNNL from 1965 through mid-1987, when it was 

transferred to Westinghouse Hanford. During the years when the facility functioned to process 

personnel dosimeters, a few minor contamination events involving radiation sources, particularly 

241Am, occurred in the northwest corner. On other occasions, X-ray machines sometimes released 

uncontrolled beams. (Gerber 1992).
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3706 Radiochemistry Laboratory 

The 3706 Building was the original radiochemistry laboratory for the Hanford Engineering Works. By 

1964 the 3706 Building was called the General Services Building. Although it still contained some 

analytical laboratories, most of its space was devoted to mail services, duplicating, photographic, and 

drafting services, a first aid station, and the 300 Area patrol headquarters. During the 1970s and 

1980s, all laboratory work was eventually phased out. (Gerber 1992).

3708 Radioanalytical Laboratory

The 3708 Building was built in 1948 to process personnel dosimetry badges and meters. In the early 

1960s it was an electrical and optical shop used for storage, maintenance, and development of 

electrical and optical instruments. In 1968 neptunium oxide fuel targets were manufactured in a 

reduction process. In the early 1970s the north end of the 3708 Building was used for the 

experimental canning of americium oxide and curium oxide fuel blends. During that period, tools in 

the building occasionally displayed 40,000 cpm radiation. An atmospheric release of plutonium 

occurred from a waste drum in about 1984 or 1985. During the 1970s and 1980s about a third of the 

building was being used for transuranic element studies in gloveboxes. (PNL 1984).

3720 Materials Sciences Laboratory

The 3720 Building was built in 1959 and was used for analytical chemistry work in support of Hanford 

Works reactors in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1971, the 3720 Building was turned over to PNNL and 

used by many departments including craft services, fuels and metallurgy, and atmospheric sciences. 

In 1980 a one-story addition was added and equipped for low-level radioactive laboratory work.

(Gerber 1992).

3730 Gamma Irradiation Facility

The 3730 Building was originally constructed in 1949 as a shop. In 1956 the work performed in the 

3741 Building was transferred to this building. A 350 kCi 60Co source was placed in a small, waterfilled belowground pit in the late 1960s. Gamma irradiation was used for testing materials, analyzing 

waste tank solutions, performing studies of corrosion and stress-corrosion cracking, and evaluation of 

probes under irradiated conditions. A leak occurred in the source beginning in the early 1970s. When 

repairs were being made in 1974-76, the radiation level in the pit was measured at 7.2 million 

rads/hour. The facility also houses hot cells, which are used to break up and receive samples for 

analysis performed at the adjacent 326 Building. The hot cells contain legacy samples that remain 

from the defunct breeder program. Building operations were transferred to PNNL in 1987. (Gerber 

1992) (PNNL 2000).

3745 Radiological Calibrations and Standards Laboratory

The Radiological Calibrations and Standards Laboratory was opened in the 3745 Building in October

1944. The two-story wooden frame building contained a low scatter room in which dosimeters were 

calibrated using a 226Ra source and a 220 kVp X-ray machine. Other sources used included large 

60Co and 137Cs photon sources and 252Cf, 226Ra-Be, 210Po-B, 210Po-Be, 238Pu-Be, 239Pu-F, and 124Sb-Be 

neutron sources. Instrument calibrations were performed in a different room that contained two 

vertical concrete-shielded wells in which the photon sources were housed and used. Instrument 

calibration sources included 60Co, 137Cs, and 226Ra sources. 

The building contained a reinforced concrete vault, a large calibration room, and two laboratories. 

The calibration room contained an industrial 200 keV X-ray unit. The work involved a wide range of 

radiation detection instruments using X-ray, alpha, gamma and neutron sources. Although radiation 

sources were stored in the vault, occasional minor contamination events occurred in various building 

areas as the result of leaking radium, polonium/beryllium-polonium/boron, 60Co, and other materials 

from the 1940s through the 1960s.
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In 1988 the 3745 Building was scheduled for demolition, but the demolition was canceled in 1989.

3745-A Van deGraaff Electron Accelerator

The 3745-A Building provides a shielded laboratory space for research using a 200-MeV Van 

deGraaff accelerator and a 600 kVp flash X-ray machine. (PNL 1984).

3745-B Van deGraaff Positive Ion Accelerator

The 3745-B Building provides shielded laboratory space for research with positive ion bombardment 

using a 2-MeV Van deGraaff accelerator. (PNL 1984).

Annex Richland Research Complex

The Annex is an animal and cell culture exposure facility. Studies are conducted on the magnitude of 

toxicity, the type of health endpoints produced, and dose-response relationships from exposure of 

laboratory animals to chemicals, pharmaceuticals, ionizing radiation, nonionizing radiation, and other 

agents. (PNNL 2000).

LSL II – Life Science Laboratory II

LSL II provides laboratory and office space for biological and ecological research. Special facilities 

are provided for research in toxicology, aerosol physics applied to inhalation toxicology, medical 

sciences, aquatic ecology, and related biological ecological investigations. LSL buildings originally 

were designed and operated as a Health Sciences Building focusing on animal research capabilities 

with the ability to perform radiological work. (PNNL 2000). 

RTL 530 Radioactive Storage

RTL 530 is a small building that provides space for the temporary storage of experimental radioactive 

materials. The floor is concrete and contains a pit for storage of highly radioactive materials. The pit 

has a lead cover. (PNL 1984).

2.2.4

340, 340-A, and 340-B Liquid Waste Handling Buildings

Waste Handling Facilities

The expansion of plutonium production facilities and laboratories during the early 1950s brought an 

urgent need for a more modern and efficient means to sample and dispose of radioactive effluents 

from the 300 Area. This led to the construction of the 340 Retention and Neutralization Building and 

the 307 Basins. If radioactivity was not detected above release limits, these wastes were disposed of 

to the 307 Trenches. If levels proved to be above release limits, the effluents were pumped into the 

340 Building tanks and trucked to the 200 Area disposal facilities. (Gerber 1992).

In 1953 the 340 Building contained a sampling room and two 15,000-gal stainless-steel tanks located 

below the building enclosed in a 94,000-gal concrete pit. In 1975 the 340 Building vault was 

decontaminated.

Major specific contamination events and losses to the environment included a large disposal of 

low-level radioactive light water coolant from an accident in the PRTR in September 1965. Water was 

disposed to the soil near the present site of the 3763 Building. In 1967 the capacity of the 340 

facilities was overwhelmed by a 147Pm contamination incident in the 325 Building. About 250 mCi of 

147Pm was released to the 300 Area process ponds. In the mid-1980s, liquid wastes from the N 

Reactor fuel manufacturing processes in the 333 Building migrated out of equipment at the Tank 

Truck Unloading Station at the 340 facility. On other occasions in recent years, barrels storing 

hazardous wastes on a temporary basis have leaked onto 340 facility concrete storage pads and into 

soils. (Gerber 1992).
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The radionuclides of concern include 60Co, 90Sr, 90Y, 137Cs, 147Pm, 238Pu, 239Pu, and 144Ce. Access to 

the tank area was administratively controlled. The external exposures to the operators were related to 

the high-energy betas and photons. Internal exposures that occurred were unplanned and would be 

related to leaks or accidents. The facility is still in use. (Gerber 1992).

2.3 MAJOR INCIDENTS

The following are the major incidents that occurred in facilities operated by PNNL (after January 4, 

1965); Section 2.2 discusses many instances of contamination of individual facilities. The major 

incident descriptions are based on information in Hanford Process Review (DOE 1991) and Past 

Practices Technical Characterization Study-300 Area-Hanford Site (Gerber 1992).

Incident Number PRTR-2, September 29, 1965

Test 17 using UO2 – 4 wt% PuO2 fuel was being conducted in the Fuel Element Rupture Test Facility 

(FERTF) on a partially molten, intentionally defected fuel rod. Enlargement of the defect caused the 

pressure tube to rupture, which released 705 g of fuel and burst the FERTF process tube. The 

release grossly contaminated the heavy water moderator with fission products. Measurement of 

contamination, which was first allowed on October 4, gave results ranging from 1,000 μCi/ft2 in A-Cell 

down to 0.75 μCi/ft2 throughout the reactor hall. Airborne contamination initially produced a radiation 

field of 20 R/hr within the reactor hall but the airborne concentrations declined from 2 × 10-5 μCi/cm3

on September 30 to less than 1 × 10-10 μCi/cm3

. Contamination spreads and dose rates were 25 R/hr 

at C-Cell, 43 R/hr at the A-Cell lower access, 2 R/hr in the labyrinth between A- and C-Cells, and 0.15 

R/hr in the reactor hall at the heavy-water clean-up area.

No injuries or overexposure to radiation occurred as a result of this accident. The contractor was 

Battelle Northwest Laboratories (BNWL).

Incident Number L-6, August 23, 1965

An explosion occurred in Glovebox #10 in Room 113 of Building 308. The explosion blew out a side 

of the glovebox and two of the gloves. A subsequent fire burned one of the gloves and some rags in 

the box. The explosion and fire spread nearly 10 g of plutonium throughout Rooms 113 and 101 and 

adjacent hallways. There were no injuries.

Three of the 11 employees surveyed were grossly contaminated with plutonium. On August 24, the 

most highly contaminated person had about 5 times the maximum permissible body burden of 

plutonium.

Incident Number L-8, March 13, 1979

About 1.2 to 1.3 mCi of PuO2 were released while unpacking a shipment for storage in Room 303-C. 

A sudden release of air from the package occurred together with a yellow-brown exhalation. 

Measurements and calculations indicated that no employee or member of the public received 

exposure or internal deposition exceeding standards. (BNWI 1979) (DOE Undated).

2.4 SPECIAL PROGRAMS OR PROCESSES

On January 4, 1965, BPNL took over the Hanford Laboratory and assumed responsibility for the 

research and development on the Hanford Reservation. As the R&D contractor, no special programs 

or processes, as relates to production, were applicable to the PNNL.
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2.5 MAGNITUDE OF SITE ACTIVITY

Of all the buildings associated with PNNL, Building 318, the calibration facility, houses the highest 

activity radionuclides. The highest activity radionuclides are 137Cs (about 100 Ci), 60Co (1 kCi), 252Cf 

(1 × 109 n/s), and 241Am (unknown activity). These radionuclides are maintained in a shielded state 

and are unshielded only to provide radiation fields for the purposes of calibration. Table 2-1 contains 

additional information on radionuclides and the magnitude of the activity.

2.6 RADIOLOGICAL ACCESS CONTROLS

Radiation protection programs were developed in 1944 at Hanford. These programs have evolved 

over the years and have been in place at PNNL since BPNL took over the operation at Hanford in 

1965. Routine practices appear to have required assignment of dosimeters to all workers who 

entered a controlled radiation area. Dosimeters were exchanged on a routine schedule. When BPNL 

took over there were routine bioassay programs and each individual wore film or TLD badges when 

entering radiological areas.
Document No. ORAUT-TKBS-0027-2 Revision No. 00 Effective Date: 08/05/2005 Page 27 of 27

REFERENCES

AEC (U.S. Atomic Energy Commission), 1964a, “Transfer of Facilities and Inventories to Pacific 

Northwest Laboratory – Battelle Memorial Institute,” letter to S. L. Fawett (Battelle Memorial 

Institute, Pacific Northwest Laboratory), December 1, Richland Operations Office, Richland, 

Washington.

AEC (U.S. Atomic Energy Commission), 1964b, “Transfer of Facilities to Pacific Northwest Laboratory 

– Battelle Memorial Institute,” letter to S. L. Fawett (Battelle Memorial Institute, Pacific 

Northwest Laboratory), December 16, Richland Operations Office, Richland, Washington.

BNWI (Battelle Northwest Institute), 1979, Rupture of PuO2 Sorage Container, 3/13/79, E Oscarson et 

all, BNWI-1017, Richland, Washington. 

DOE (U.S. Department of Energy), Undated, Operational Accidents and Radiation Exposure at DOE 

Facilities, FY 1979, DOE/EV-0091/1.

DOE (U.S. Department of Energy), 1991, Hanford Process Review, DOE/AD-0015, Office of 

Administration and Human Resources Management, December.

Gerber, M. S., 1992, Past Practices Technical Characterization - 300 Area-Hanford Site, 

WHC-MR-0388, M.S. Gerber Westinghouse Hanford Company, Richland, Washington

December.

Gerber, M. S., 1993, Manhattan Project Buildings and Facilities at the Hanford Site: A Construction 

History, WHC-MR-0425, M.S. Gerber, Westinghouse Hanford Company, Richland, 

Washington, September.

PNL (Pacific Northwest Laboratories), 1984, Facilities Catalog, 1984, PNL-MA-587, Facilities 

Administration, Richland, Washington, December.

PNNL (Pacific Northwest National Laboratory), 2000, PNNL Major Buildings Directory, Richland,

Washington, October.