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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Outage Halts Ventilation At Hanford

Associated Press

Ventilation in waste tanks at Hanford’s SY Tank Farm ceased for almost two hours Tuesday during a power failure.

The tanks remained in safe condition and radioactivity monitoring equipment continued to operate on battery power, said Jim Wicks, director of tank farm operations for Lockheed Martin Hanford Co.

No workers were exposed to radiation, Wicks said, and temperatures pushing 100 degrees was the primary hazard.

Electricity failed when a power pole was pulled down by a truck that had snagged a support wire. Workers had two hours to get air circulating in the tanks to comply with Hanford safety rules.

A portable exhauster was brought in to move the air, Wicks said.

The tank ventilation systems were repaired Wednesday night. They are used to keep concentrations of potentially explosive hydrogen gas low. When power was restored, hydrogen concentration was 23 parts per million. The gas becomes explosive when it reaches 40,000 ppm, Wicks said.