Historical photos of the Hanford nuclear reservation

These are historical photos of the Hanford nuclear reservation in Central Washington that was part of the U.S. government's Manhatten Project.

Section:Gallery

Tue., May 9, 2017

1965-Aerial view of the Purex solvent extraction plant at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site, where plutonium is recovered from irradiated uranium as a product for the nation's defense program. Purex is a contraction for plutonium uranium extraction.

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1968-Separation of nuclear products which have been created in irradiated fuels at Hanford is accomplished in long concrete canyon buildings. This 1,000 foot long hall is the pipe and operating gallery at the Purex radio chemical separations plant at Hanford. ARHCO operators use this area to control and monitor essential services and chemical streams necessary to the solvent extraction process conducted in the huge canyon building. Purex stands for plutonium uranium extraction.

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1979 - Tunnels will penetrate as far as far as 720 feet into the basalt, and test rooms will connect the tunnel ends. There, tests will be performed to determine the suitability of basalt under Hanford for deep geologic storage of nuclear wastes.
Deep geologic storage is one of the options being explored at Hanford for long-term disposal of radioactive wastes. This view show the entrance to an interior in 1979.

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Men busy at the construction of Hanford waste tunnel site II in 1985.

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1985-Pipe and Operating gallery of the 1005 foot long Purex plant at the Department of Energy's Hanford site, where plutonium is recovered from irradiated uranium for the nation's defense program. Purex is a contraction for plutonium, uranium extraction.

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1985-Hanford Plutonium is converted to dioxide-Hanford Works, Purex Plant
Hanford Works Purex Plant in 1985.

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Women Purex workers working in glovebox with plutonium powder in load out area of N Cell where liquid plutonium is converted to an oxide powder and loaded shipment to Los Alamos N.M. for use in nuclear bomb buggies in 1985.

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1986-Aerial view of the Purex radio chemical separation plant at Hanford, one of the largest, most advance and versatile radio chemical production facilities in the world. Isochem this week began processing irradiated thorium here to obtain uranium - 233, valued as a fuel for certain power reactors.

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1994-This interior view of the PUREX Plant - shows the "canyon" in past years when irradiated fuel was chemically processed for recovery of plutonium and uranium for U.S. defense purposes. Now, with a permanent end to PUREX; historic mission, intense radioactivity and chemical contamination in the shielded cells and vessels below must be safely removed at this plant and other former responsible for the PUREX/U03 and other transition projects for the U.S. Department of Energy at Richland, WA.
Hanford's Uranium Trioxide (U03) - marked a significant step toward shutdown in late February 1994 -- achieving a Phase I milestone to prepare the facility for final decontamination and decommissioning two weeks ahead of schedule. Here workers clean out residual uranium trioxide powder from the large furnace-like calciners that were used to convert liquid uranium to the solid powder. The balance of the work (Phase II) is scheduled to be completed by early 1995. The PUREX and U03 Plants are being deactivated as a demonstration deactivation project for the U.S. Department of Energy.

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