Evaluation of the graphite electrode DC arc furnace for the treatment of INEL buried wastes
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
- Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge, MA (US). Plasma Fusion Center
- Electro-Pyrolysis, Inc., Wayne, PA (US)
The past practices of DOE and its predecessor agencies in burying radioactive and hazardous wastes have left DOE with the responsibility of remediating large volumes of buried wastes and contaminated soils. The Buried Waste Integrated Demonstration (BWID), has chosen to evaluate treatment of buried wastes at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). Because of the characteristics of the buried wastes, the potential for using high-temperature thermal treatment technologies is being evaluated. The soil-waste mixture at INEL, when melted or vitrified, produces a glass/ceramic referred to as iron-enriched basalt (IEB). One potential problem with producing the IEB material is the high melting temperature of the waste and soil (1,400-1,600{degrees}C). One technology that has demonstrated capabilities to process high melting point materials is the plasma arc heated furnace. A three-party program was initiated and the program involved testing an engineering-scale DC arc furnace to gain preliminary operational and waste processibility information. It also included the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a second-generation, pilot-scale graphite electrode DC arc furnace. Widely ranging simulants of INEL buried waste were prepared and processed in the Mark I furnace. The tests included melting of soils with metals, sludges, combustibles, and simulated drums. Very promising results in terms of waste product quality, volume reduction, heating efficiency, and operational reliability and versatility were obtained. The results indicate that the graphite electrode DC arc technology would be very well suited for treating high melting point wastes such as those found at INEL. The graphite electrode DC arc furnace has been demonstrated to be very simple, yet effective, with excellent prospects for remote or semi-remote operation.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 10176810
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-8525; ON: DE93017942; TRN: AHC29308%%3
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Jun 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
IDAHO NATIONAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY
REMEDIAL ACTION
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
VITRIFICATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
ARC FURNACES
PERFORMANCE TESTING
SOILS
MELTING POINTS
PLASMA
DESIGN
FABRICATION
SIMULATION
METALS
SLUDGES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CONTAINERS
EFFICIENCY
OPERATION
GRAPHITE
ELECTRODES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
EXHAUST GASES
GAS ANALYSIS
SAMPLING
PARTICULATES
VOLATILE MATTER
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
052001
540250
WASTE PROCESSING
SITE RESOURCE AND USE STUDIES