Cold Crucible Vitrification of U-bearing SRS SB4 HLW Surrogate

2010 ◽  
Vol 1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Stefanovsky ◽  
Alexander Ptashkin ◽  
Oleg Knyazev ◽  
Olga Stefanovsky ◽  
James C Marra

AbstractSavannah River Site Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Sludge Batch 4 (SB4) high level waste (HLW) simulant at 55 wt % waste loading was produced in the demountable cold crucible and cooled to room temperature in the cold crucible. Appreciable losses of Cs, S and Cl took place during the melting. A second glass sample was subjected to canister centerline cooling (CCC) regime in an alumina crucible in a resistive furnace. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study showed that the glass blocks were composed of vitreous and spinel structure phases. No separate U-bearing phases were found.

Author(s):  
Vladimir Lebedev ◽  
Sergey Stefanovsky ◽  
Alexander Kobelev ◽  
Fyodor Lifanov ◽  
Sergey Dmitriev

Results of feasibility tests of application of Cold Crucible Inductive Melting (CCIM) technology to high level waste (HLW) treatment on examples of Savannah River Site, USA, and PA “Mayak”, Russia, HLW, carried out at SIA Radon, and results of design of new perspective bench-scale HLW vitrification facility are presented in this report. Full-scale low level waste (LLW) vitrification plant is under operation at Radon since 2003. Successful Radon experience aroused an interest to this technology from US DOE. Since 2001 Radon performed tests on vitrification of surrogates of various types of HLW stored at US DOE Sites. Process variables were determined and vitrified wastes were characterized in details. Since 2007 Radon was a subcontractor in the project on design and construction of a new CCIM based vitrification facility at PA “Mayak”. From preliminary tests on Mayak HLW surrogates the main technological features of CCIM process were determined and principles of the process control were formulated. Radon performed the design of the cold crucible and automated control system. On the base of analysis of previously and newly obtained data the main requirements to designing of cold crucible melters and auxiliary equipment, intended for actual HLW treatment, were worked out.


1999 ◽  
Vol 556 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. L. Fellinger ◽  
N. E. Bibler ◽  
K. M. Marshall ◽  
C. L. Crawford ◽  
M. S. Hay

AbstractThe Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), at the Savannah River Site (SRS), is processing and immobilizing the radioactive high level waste sludge at SRS into a durable borosilicate glass for final geological disposal. The DWPF is currently processing the second, million gallon batch of radioactive sludge. This second batch is primarily from Tank 42. Each time a new batch of radioactive sludge is to be processed by the DWPF, the process flowsheet is to be tested and demonstrated to ensure an acceptable melter feed and glass can be made. This demonstration was completed in the Shielded Cells Facility in the Savannah River Technology Center at SRS.This paper presents the processing and offgas data, and compositional analyses obtained during the preparation of a melter feed for this demonstration. A second paper in this conference describes the properties of the glass produced from this feed. The demonstration used Tank 42 sludge slurry and the DWPF process control strategy for blending the sludge slurry with Frit 200 to make an acceptable melter feed. To prepare feed for the melter, the flowsheet requires that the radioactive sludge slurry be treated with nitric and formic acid to adjust rheology and remove mercury. During this step, hydrogen is formed from the decomposition of the formic acid. The acidified sludge slurry is then mixed with the prescribed amount of glass forming frit and evaporated to the proper weight percent solids to prepare feed to the melter. During this step hydrogen is also formed. Results indicate that the H2 generation rate is below the DWPF safety limits and an acceptable melter feed was produced.


1999 ◽  
Vol 556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ned E. Bibler ◽  
Terri L. Fellinger ◽  
Kathryn M. Marshall ◽  
Charles L. Crawford ◽  
A. D. Cozzi ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) is currently processing and immobilizing the radioactive high level waste sludge at SRS into a durable borosilicate glass for final geological disposal. The DWPF has recently finished processing the first radioactive sludge batch, and is ready for the second batch ofradioactive sludge. The second batch is primarily sludge from Tank 42. Before processing this batch in the DWPF, the DWPF process flowsheet has to be demonstrated with a sample of Tank 42 sludge to ensure that an acceptable melter feed and glass can be made. This demonstration was recently completed in the Shielded Cells Facility at SRS. An earlier paper in these proceedings described the sludge composition and processes necessary for producing an acceptable melter feed [1]. This paper describes the preparation and characterization of the glass from that demonstration. Results substantiate that Tank 42 sludge after mixing with the proper amount of glass forming frit (Frit 200) can be processed to make an acceptable glass.


MRS Advances ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. 549-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Marcial ◽  
Mostafa Ahmadzadeh ◽  
John S. McCloy

ABSTRACTCrystallization of aluminosilicates during the conversion of Hanford high-level waste (HLW) to glass is a function of the composition of the glass-forming melt. In high-sodium, high-aluminum waste streams, the crystallization of nepheline (NaAlSiO4) removes chemically durable glass-formers from the melt, leaving behind a residual melt that is enriched in less durable components, such as sodium and boron. We seek to further understand the effect of lithium, boron, and iron addition on the crystallization of model silicate glasses as analogues for the complex waste glass. Boron and iron behave as glass intermediates which allow for crystallization when present in low additions but frustrate crystallization in high additions. In this work, we seek to compare the average structures of quenched and heat treated glasses through Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, vibrating sample magnetometry, and X-ray pair distribution function analysis. The endmembers of this study are feldspathoid-like (LiAlSiO4, NaAlSiO4, NaBSiO4, and NaFeSiO4), pyroxene-like (LiAlSi2O6, NaAlSi2O6, NaBSi2O6, and NaFeSi2O6), and feldspar-like (LiAlSi3O8, NaAlSi3O8, NaBSi3O8, and NaFeSi3O8). Such a comparison will provide further insight on the complex relationship between the average chemical ordering and topology of glass on crystallization.


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