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Beric Wells

Beric Wells

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
PO Box 999
Richland, WA 99352
(509) 375-6671

Biography

Since joining Battelle in August, 1998, Mr. Wells has been involved with flammable gas and waste retrieval issues related to the Hanford waste tanks as a technical contributor to the Tank Waste Safety program. Initially, he evaluated remediation strategies and predicted tank end-state conditions for the surface level rise and remediation issues associated with Tank 241-SY-101.

Mr. Wells has since assisted in the development of buoyancy-driven gas release event models for the Hanford double-shell waste tanks. To apply the models under varying retrieval schemes, he has developed mathematical models that describe the waste's physical, chemical, and rheological behaviors based on the available data. This data analysis has also included Hanford single-shell tanks. He has applied his knowledge of the tank wastes to liquid and solid pipeline transport phenomena and leak detection, and has studied waste dilution and jet mixing of Newtonian and Non-Newtonian fluids in the tanks with numerical simulations of physical and chemical processes.

Education and Credentials

  • M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Washington State University, 1998
  • B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Washington State University, 1996

PNNL Publications

2023

2020

  • Chatterjee S., R.K. Motkuri, M.J. Truex, D. Barpaga, V. Shutthanandan, K. Han, and C.W. Enderlin, et al. 2020. "Advances in PFAS Monitoring and Remediation Using a Functionalized Material Approach." In Waste Management Symposium: Global Education and Technology Innovation in Radwaste Management, March 8 - 12, 2020, Phoenix, Arizona, Paper No. 20080. Tempe, Arizona:WM Symposia, Inc. PNNL-SA-149064.
  • Page J.S., J.G. Reynolds, G.A. Cooke, and B.E. Wells. 2020. "Large Cemented Gibbsite Agglomerates in Alkaline Nuclear Waste at the Hanford Site and the Impacts to Remediation." Journal of Hazardous Materials 384. PNNL-SA-143423. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121318
  • Wells B.E., N. Phillips, and K.J. Geelhood. 2020. Evaluation of Increased Peak Temperatures for Spent Fuel Cladding Performance during Dry Storage. PNNL-30430 Rev. 1. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Evaluation of Increased Peak Temperatures for Spent Fuel Cladding Performance during Dry Storage

2017

2015

  • Meacham J.E., J.R. Follett, P.A. Gauglitz, B.E. Wells, and P.P. Schonewill. 2015. "Gas Retention and Release from Hanford Site Sludge Waste Tanks." In Annual Waste Management Symposium (WM2015) March 15-19, 2015, Phoenix, Arizona, 8, 5963-5973; Paper No. 15491. Tempe, Arizona:WM Symposia, Inc. PNNL-SA-108228.
  • Wells B.E., J.A. Bamberger, K.P. Recknagle, C.W. Enderlin, M.J. Minette, and L.K. Holton. 2015. "Applying Hanford Tank Mixing Data to Define Pulse Jet Mixer Operation." In Proceedings of the ASME 2015 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE 2015), November 13-19, 2015, Houston, Texas, 7B, Paper No. V07BT09A044. New York, New York:ASME. PNNL-SA-111566. doi:10.1115/IMECE2015-50712

2014

  • Smith G.L., C.W. Enderlin, B.E. Wells, D.E. Kurath, and K.M. Denslow. 2014. "Consensus Standardization of Slurry Simulant Development Process to Reduce Design Risk Within the DOE Complex." In WM 2014: 40 Years of Meeting Global Radioactive Waste Management Challenges, March 2-6, 2014, Phoenix, Arizona, Paper No. 14635. Tempe, Arizona:WM Symposia, Inc. PNNL-SA-99586.

2012

  • Kurath D.E., B.E. Wells, J.L. Huckaby, L.A. Mahoney, R.C. Daniel, C.A. Burns, and J.M. Tingey, et al. 2012. "Hanford Waste Physical and Rheological Properties: Data and Gaps." In Waste Management Symposium (WM 2012): Improving the Future of Waste Management, February 26 - March 1, 2012, Phoenix, Arizona, Paper No. 12078. Tucson, Arizona:WM Symposia, Inc. PNNL-SA-84207.

2010

  • Amidan B.G., G.F. Piepel, A. Heredia-Langner, P.A. Meyer, B.E. Wells, J.A. Fort, and J.A. Bamberger, et al. 2010. "A STATISTICAL INTELLIGENCE (STI) APPROACH TO DISCOVERING SPURIOUS CORRELATION IN A PHYSICAL MODEL AND RESOLVING THE PROBLEM WITH AN EXAMPLE OF DESIGNING A PULSE JET MIXING SYSTEM AT HANFORD." In ASME 2010 Pressure Vessels and Piping Division/K-PVP Conference, July 18-22, 2010, Bellevue, Washington, 6, 1167-1178, Paper No. PVP2010-25817. New York, New York:ASME. PNNL-SA-72274. doi:10.1115/PVP2010-25817
  • Thien M.G., B.E. Wells, and D.J. Adamson. 2010. "High Level Waste Feed Certification in Hanford Double Shell Tanks." In Waste Management 2010: Improving the Future by Dealing with the Past (WM2010), March 7-11, 2010, Phoeniz, Arizona, Paper No. 10083. Phoenix, Arizona:WM Symposia. PNNL-SA-70776.

2009

  • Bamberger J.A., P.A. Meyer, C.W. Enderlin, J.A. Fort, B.E. Wells, M.J. Minette, and C.A. Burns, et al. 2009. "SCALED EXPERIMENTS EVALUATING PULSE JET MIXING OF SLURRIES." In ASME 2009 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2009), November 13-19, 2009, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA, 9, 1803-1818. New York, New York:ASME. PNNL-SA-67924. doi:10.1115/IMECE2009-12264

2008

  • Mahoney L.A., J.M. Alzheimer, S.T. Arm, C.E. Guzman-Leong, L.K. Jagoda, C.W. Stewart, and B.E. Wells, et al. 2008. "Large-Scale Testing of Effects of Anti-Foam Agent on Gas Holdup in Process Vessels in the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant - 8280." In Waste Management 2008 HLW, TRU, LLW/ILW, Mixed, Hazardous Wastes & Environmental Management. Tucson, Arizona:Arizona Board of Regents. PNNL-SA-58053.
  • Poloski A.P., B.E. Wells, L.A. Mahoney, R.C. Daniel, J.M. Tingey, and S.K. Cooley. 2008. "Effects of Sludge Particle Size and Density on Hanford Waste Processing." In Waste Management '08: Phoenix Rising: Moving Forward in Waste Management, Paper No. 8347. Tucson, Arizona:WM Symposium, Inc. PNNL-SA-58186.

2000

Energy and Environment

Core Research Areas

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