Harry D. Smith

Development and Demonstration of Ultrafiltration Simulants

According to Bechtel National, Inc. (BNI) Test Specification 24590-PTF-TSP-RT-06-006, Rev 0, Simulant Development to Support the Development and Demonstration of Leaching and Ultrafiltration Pretreatment Processes,” simulants for boehmite, gibbsite, and filtration are to be developed that can be used in subsequent bench and integrated testing of the leaching/filtration processes for the waste treatment plant (WTP). These simulants will then be used to demonstrate the leaching process and to help refine processing conditions which may impact safety basis considerations (Smith 2006). This report documents the results of the filtration simulant development.

Development and Characterization of Boehmite Component Simulant

According to Bechtel National Inc.’s (BNI’s) Test Specification 24590-PTF-TSP-RT-06-006, Rev 0, “Simulant Development to Support the Development and Demonstration of Leaching and Ultrafiltration Pretreatment Processes,” simulants for boehmite, gibbsite, and filtration are to be developed that can be used in subsequent bench and integrated testing of the leaching/filtration processes. These simulants will then be used to demonstrate the leaching process and to help refine processing conditions that may impact safety basis considerations (Smith 2006). This report documents the results of the boehmite simulant development.

Sulfur Partitioning During Vitrification of INEEL Sodium Bearing Waste: Status Report

The sodium bearing tank waste (SBW) at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) contains high concentrations of sulfur (roughly 5 mass% of SO3 on a nonvolatile oxide basis). The amount of sulfur that can be feed to the melter will ultimately determine the loading of SBW in glass produced by the baseline (low-temperature, joule-heated, liquid-fed, ceramic-lined) melter. The amount of sulfur which can be fed to the melter is determined by several major factors including: the tolerance of the melter for an immiscible salt layer accumulation, the solubility of sulfur in the glass melt, the fraction of sulfur removed to the off-gas, and the incorporation of sulfur into the glass up to it?s solubility limit. This report summarizes the current status of testing aimed at determining the impacts of key chemical and physical parameters on the partitioning of sulfur between the glass, a molten salt, and the off-gas.

Glass Formulation Development for INEEL Sodium-Bearing Waste

For about four decades, radioactive wastes have been collected and calcined from nuclear fuels reprocessing at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC), formerly Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP). Over this time span, secondary radioactive wastes have also been collected and stored as liquid from decontamination, laboratory activities, and fuel-storage activities. These liquid wastes are collectively called sodium-bearing wastes (SBW). About 5.7 million liters of these wastes are temporarily stored in stainless steel tanks at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Vitrification is being considered as an immobilization step for SBW with a number of treatment and disposal options. A systematic study was undertaken to develop a glass composition to demonstrate direct vitrification of INEELs SBW. The objectives of this study were to show the feasibility of SBW vitrification, not a development of an optimum formulation. The waste composition is relatively high in sodium, aluminum, and sulfur. A specific composition and glass property restrictions, discussed in Section 2, were used as a basis for the development. Calculations based on first-order expansions of selected glass properties in composition and some general tenets of glass chemistry led to an additive (fit) composition (68.69 mass % SiO{sub 2}, 14.26 mass% B{sub 2}O{sub 3}, 11.31 mass% Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}, 3.08 mass% TiO{sub 2}, and 2.67 mass % Li{sub 2}O) that meets all property restrictions when melted with 35 mass % of SBW on an oxide basis, The glass was prepared using oxides, carbonates, and boric acid and tested to confirm the acceptability of its properties. Glass was then made using waste simulant at three facilities, and limited testing was performed to test and optimize processing-related properties and confirm results of glass property testing. The measured glass properties are given in Section 4. The viscosity at 1150 C, 5 Pa{center_dot}s, is nearly ideal for waste-glass processing in a standard liquid-fed joule-heated melter. The normalized elemental releases by 7-day PCT are all well below 1 g/m{sup 2}, which is a very conservative set point used in this study. The T{sub L}, ignoring sulfate formation, is less than the 1050 C limit. Based on these observations and the reasonable waste loading of 35 mass 0/0, the SBW glass was a prime candidate for further testing. Sulfate salt segregation was observed in all test melts formed from oxidized carbonate precursors. Melts fabricated using SBW simulants suggest that the sulfate-salt segregation seen in oxide and carbonate melts was much less of a problem. The cause for the difference is likely H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} fuming during the boil-down stage of wet-slurry processing. Additionally, some crucible tests with SBW simulant were conducted at higher temperatures (1250 C), which could increase the volatility of sulfate salts. The fate of sulfate during the melting process is still uncertain and should be the topic of future studies. The properties of the simulant glass confirmed those of the oxide and carbonate glass. Corrosion tests on Inconel 690 electrodes and K-3 refractory blocks conducted at INEEL suggest that the glass is not excessively corrosive. Based on the results of this study, the authors recommend that a glass made of 35% SBW simulant (on a mass oxide and halide basis) and 65% of the additive mix (either filled or raw chemical) be used in demonstrating the direct vitrification of INEEL SBW. It is further recommended that a study be conducted to determine the fate of sulfate during glass processing and the tolerance of the chosen melter technology to sulfate salt segregation and corrosivity of the melt.

Vitrification and Product Testing of C-104 and AZ-102 Pretreated Sludge Mixed with Flowsheet Quantities of Secondary Wastes

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of River Protection (ORP) has acquired Hanford tank waste treatment services at a demonstration scale. The River Protection Project Waste Treatment Plant (RPP-WTP) team is responsible for producing an immobilized (vitrified) high-level waste (IHLW) waste form. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, hereafter referred to as PNNL, has been contracted to produce and test a vitrified IHLW waste form from two Envelope D high-level waste (HLW) samples previously supplied to the RPP-WTP project by DOE.

Vitrification and Product Testing of AW-101 and AN-107 Pretreated Waste

The primary objective for vitrifying the LAW samples is to generate glass products for subsequent product testing. The work presented in this report is divided into 6 work elements: 1) Glass Fabrication, 2) Chemical Composition, 3) Radiochemical Composition, 4) Crystalline and Non-crystalline Phase Determination, and 5) Release Rate (Modified PCT). These work elements will help demonstrate the RPP-WTP projects ability to satisfy the product requirements concerning, chemical and radionuclide reporting, waste loading, identification and quantification of crystalline and non-crystalline phases, and waste form leachability. VOA, SVOA, dioxins, furans, PCBs, and total cyanide analyses will be reported in as separate document (WTP-RPT-005).

Evaluating Pulse Jet Mixing With Non-Newtonian Slurries

Pulse jet mixer technology has been selected for implementation in the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant. However, processing non-Newtonian fluids using this technology is not mature. Experiments were conducted at several scales to develop an understanding of the scaling mechanisms that govern this type of mixer performance.Copyright