J John Pareizs

CHARACTERIZATION AND ALUMINUM DISSOLUTION DEMONSTRATION WITH A 3 LITER TANK 51H SAMPLE

A 3-liter sludge slurry sample was sent to SRNL for demonstration of a low temperature aluminum dissolution process. The sludge was characterized before and after the aluminum dissolution. Post aluminum dissolution sludge settling and the stability of the decanted supernate were also observed. The characterization of the as-received 3-liter sample of Tank 51H sludge slurry shows a typical high aluminum HM sludge. The XRD analysis of the dried solids indicates Boehmite is the predominant crystalline form of aluminum in the sludge solids. However, amorphous phases of aluminum present in the sludge would not be identified using this analytical technique. The low temperature (55 C) aluminum dissolution process was effective at dissolving aluminum from the sludge. Over the three week test, {approx}42% of the aluminum was dissolved out of the sludge solids. The process appears to be selective for aluminum with no other metals dissolving to any appreciable extent. At the termination of the three week test, the aluminum concentration in the supernate had not leveled off indicating more aluminum could be dissolved from the sludge with longer contact times or higher temperatures. The slow aluminum dissolution rate in the test may indicate the dissolution of the Boehmite form of aluminum however; insufficient kinetic data exists to confirm this hypothesis. The aluminum dissolution process appears to have minimal impact on the settling rate of the post aluminum dissolution sludge. However, limited settling data were generated during the test to quantify the effects. The sludge settling was complete after approximately twelve days. The supernate decanted from the settled sludge after aluminum dissolution appears stable and did not precipitate aluminum over the course of several months. A mixture of the decanted supernate with Tank 11 simulated supernate was also stable with respect to precipitation.

INVESTIGATING HYDROGEN GENERATION AND CORROSION IN THE TREATMENT TANK AND THE POTENTIAL FORMATION OF A FLOATING LAYER IN NEUTRALIZATION TANK DURING WASTE TANK HEEL CHEMICAL CLEANING

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SLUDGE BATCH 4 FOLLOW-UP QUALIFICATION STUDIES TO EVALUATE HYDROGEN GENERATION

Follow-up testing was conducted to better understand the excessive hydrogen generation seen in the initial Sludge Batch 4 (SB4) qualification Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank/Slurry Mix Evaporator (SRAT/SME) simulation in the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) Shielded Cells. This effort included both radioactive and simulant work. The initial SB4 qualification test produced 0.59 lbs/hr hydrogen in the SRAT, which was just below the DWPF SRAT limit of 0.65 lbs/hr, and the test produced over 0.5 lbs/hr hydrogen in the SME cycle on two separate occasions, which were over the DWPF SME limit of 0.223 lbs/hr.

DEMONSTRATION OF THE DWPF FLOWSHEET IN THE SRNL SHIELDED CELLS WITH TANK 40 AND H CANYON NEPTUNIUM

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) is currently processing Sludge Batch 5 (SB5) from Tank 40. SB5 contains the contents of Tank 51 from November 2008, qualified by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and the heel in Tank 40 remaining from Sludge Batch 4. Current Liquid Waste Operations (LWO) plans are to (1) decant supernatant from Tank 40 to remove excess liquid caused by a leaking slurry pump and (2) receive a Np stream from H Canyon It should be noted that the Np stream contains significant nitrate requiring addition of nitrite to Tank 40 to maintain a high nitrite to nitrate ratio for corrosion control. SRNL has been requested to qualify the proposed changes; determine the impact on DWPF processability in terms of hydrogen generation, rheology, etc.; evaluate antifoam addition strategy; and evaluate mercury stripping. Therefore, SRNL received a 3 L sample of Tank 40 following the transfer of Tank 51 to Tank 40 (Tank Farm Sample HTF-40-08-157 to be used in testing and to perform the required Waste Acceptance Product Specifications radionuclide analyses). Based on Tank Farm projections, SRNL decanted a portion* of the sample, added sodium nitrite, and added a Np solution from H Canyon representative of the Np to be dispositioned to Tank 40 (neutralized to 0.6 M excess hydroxide). The resulting material was used in a DWPF Chemical Process Cell (CPC) demonstration -- a Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) cycle and a Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) cycle. Preliminary data from the demonstration has been reported previously. This report includes discussion of these results and additional results, including comparisons to Tank Farm projections and the SB5 demonstration.