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Thomas Brouns

Thomas Brouns

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
PO Box 999
Richland, WA 99352
(509) 372-6265

Biography

Mr. Tom Brouns is a senior program, project, and business development manager with more than 30 years of experience developing and managing large research, development, and demonstration projects and programs involving government, industry, research, and university partners.

Mr. Brouns is a chemical engineer with extensive technical and management experience in the disposition and remediation of chemical and nuclear waste, including processing, disposal, and subsurface cleanup. Since joining Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 1987, his career includes more than 20 years as a leader of major science and technology programs for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management and DOE’s contractors, including the:

• Tanks Focus Area, a national science and technology program supporting the processing and disposition of DOE’s radioactive tank wastes at Hanford, Idaho, Savannah River, West Valley, and Oak Ridge sites,

• Seismic boreholes project, which resolved uncertainties in the seismic design basis for DOE’s Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant,

• Hanford low-activity waste supplement treatment technology evaluation and down-selection program, and

• Research and field demonstration program for DOE’s VOC-Arid Integrated Demonstration program, focused on subsurface environmental remediation technologies.

Mr. Brouns previously served as PNNL’s lead for the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, supporting the submittal of the Yucca Mountain license application; the Hanford tank operations contractor, leading development of strategies and technologies for managing low-activity waste; and PNNL’s entire portfolio supporting DOE-EM. In 2010, he took on leadership of PNNL’s Clean Fossil Energy sector portfolio, focused on emissions management such as carbon capture and geologic sequestration. From 2017 to 2019, he served as the PNNL Lead to the tank operations contractor program addressing tank vapors. He resumed the post of Environmental Management sector manager in fall 2019.

A fellow of Waste Management Symposia, he also serves as co-chair of the high-level radioactive wastes and spent/used nuclear fuel track. Mr. Brouns earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering from Washington State University.

Education and Credentials

  • B.S., Chemical Engineering, Washington State University
  • M.S., Chemical Engineering, Washington State University

PNNL Publications

2020

2019

  • Cullinan V.I., L.A. Mahoney, T.M. Brouns, S.K. Nune, J.A. Bamberger, C.K. Clayton, and L.F. Pease, et al. 2019. BY-110 Headspace Sampling Comparison Test. PNNL-28801 Vol. 1. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. BY-110 Headspace Sampling Comparison Test

2008

  • Brouns T.M., A.C. Rohay, R.R. Youngs, C.J. Costantino, and L.F. Miller. 2008. "Technical Basis for Certification of Seismic Design Criteria for the Waste Treatment Plant, Hanford, Washington." In Waste Management '08: Phoenix Rising: Moving Forward in Waste Management, Paper No. 8188. Tucson, Arizona:WM Symposia, Inc. PNNL-SA-58722.

2007

  • Brouns T.M., A.C. Rohay, S. Reidel, and M.G. Gardner. 2007. "Reducing Uncertainty in the Seismic Design Basis for the Waste Treatment Plant, Hanford, Washington." In Waste Management 2007: Proceedings of the Symposium on Waste Management. Tucson, Arizona:Arizona Board of Regents. PNNL-SA-53948.

2006

  • Bagaasen L.M., T.M. Brouns, M.L. Elliott, P.R. Hrma, D. Kim, J. Matyas, and E.M. Pierce, et al. 2006. "Transport of Technetium and Rhenium into Refractory Materials during Bulk Vitrification." In Waste Management '06: Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management: Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation of Waste Management Professionals. Tucson, Arizona:WM Symposia. PNNL-SA-48697.

2004

  • Raymond R.E., R.W. Powell, D.W. Hamilton, W.A. Kitchen, B.M. Mauss, and T.M. Brouns. 2004. "Initial Selection of Supplemental Treatment Technologies for Hanford's Low-Activity Tank Waste." In WM'04. Waste Management 2004 Symposium Proceeding: HLW, LLW, Mixed, Hazardous Wastes and Environmental Restoration - Working Towards a Cleaner Environment, Feburary 29- March 4, 2004, Tuscon, AZ., 21 pages, WM-4524. Tucson, Arizona:WM Symposia, Inc. PNNL-SA-39463.

1999

  • Allen R.W., T.M. Brouns, B.A. Carteret, R.L. Gilchrist, S.N. Schlahta, J.H. Westsik, and L.R. Roeder-Smith. 1999. TFA FY00-FY04 Multiyear Program Plan. PNNL-12264. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. TFA FY00-FY04 Multiyear Program Plan

Energy and Environment

Core Research Areas

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