Osamu Kuriyama

Incineration of ion exchange resins using concentric burners

A new incineration method, using concentric burners, is studied to reduce the volume of spent ion exchange resins generated from nuclear power plants. Resins are ejected into the center of a propane-oxygen flame and burned within it. The flame length is theoretically evaluated by the diffusion-dominant model. By reforming the burner shape, flame length can be reduced by one-half. The decomposition ratio decreases with larger resin diameters due to the loss of unburned resin from the flame. A flame guide tube is adapted to increase resin holding time in the flame, which improves the decomposition ratio to over 98 wt%.

Porosity and Ion Diffusivity of Latex-Modified Cement

Latex-modified Portland cement, which would be expected to have low permeability and ion diffusivity, was studied for possible application as a solidification agent for radioactive wastes generated from nuclear power plants. In order to predict the leaching ratio of radionuclides from the cementitious waste forms, the effect of water and latex content in the fresh cement paste on total porosity and ion diffusivity of hardened paste was quantitatively estimated. Total porosity of hardened cement paste decreased with the reduction of water content in the fresh paste and it was also reduced by latex addition. This latter effect could be attributed to the latex emulsion forming a water-proof film and filling the capillary pores. Also Cs ions diffusivity, which is the ratio of the diffusion coefficient in pore water to that in bulk water, showed an exponential correlation with total porosity for both cement materials. An empirical equation, expressing ion diffusivity as a function of total porosity, was derived from the consideration that the water constrictivity in this porous medium could cause an increase of the apparent viscosity of pore water. These results suggested a possibility that the transport behavior of radionuclides through the cementitious matrix could be estimated from the mixing parameters of the original cement pastes.

Decontamination of radioactive metal surfaces by plasma arc gouging

Experiments have been carried out to develop a new decontamination method that applies plasma arc gouging for removal of a thin surface layer from radioactively contaminated metallic wastes. Plasma arc gouging has been carried out on stainless steel and carbon steel pipes. The torch nozzle and gouging angle have been optimized to increase the decontamination rate. A water film is formed on the pipe surface to reduce both dust concentration in the off-gas and prevent slag particles, which are splashed up by the plasma gas, from adhering to the gouged surface. Using chromium-electroplated carbon steel pipes as samples, a decontamination factor of >10/sup 3/ is obtained after gouging to a depth of about0.5 mm in combination with ultrasonic cleaning.