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Title: Temperature Distribution within a Cold Cap during Nuclear Waste Vitrification

Abstract

The kinetics of the feed-to-glass conversion affects the waste vitrification rate in an electric melter. The primary area of interest in this conversion process is the cold cap, a layer of reacting feed on top of molten glass. Knowing the temperature profile within a cold cap will help determine its characteristics and relate them to the rate of glass production. The work presented here provides an experimental determination of the temperature distribution within the cold cap. Since a direct measurement of the temperature field within the cold cap is impracticable, an indirect method was developed where the textural features in a laboratory-made cold cap with a high-level waste feed were mapped as a function of position using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. To correlate the temperature distribution to microstructures within the cold cap, microstructures were identified of individual feed samples that were heat treated to set temperatures between 400°C and 1200°C and quenched. The temperature distribution within the cold cap was then established by correlating cold-cap regions with the feed samples of nearly identical structures and was compared with the temperature profile from a mathematical model.

Authors:
; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1226405
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-108118
Journal ID: ISSN 0013-936X; 48708; 830403000
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Environmental Science and Technology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 49; Journal Issue: 14; Journal ID: ISSN 0013-936X
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
Laboratory-Scale Melter; High-Level Waste; Nuclear Waste Glass; Mathematical Modeling; Temperature Profile; Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory

Citation Formats

Dixon, Derek R., Schweiger, Michael J., Riley, Brian J., Pokorny, Richard, and Hrma, Pavel R. Temperature Distribution within a Cold Cap during Nuclear Waste Vitrification. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1021/acs.est.5b00931.
Dixon, Derek R., Schweiger, Michael J., Riley, Brian J., Pokorny, Richard, & Hrma, Pavel R. Temperature Distribution within a Cold Cap during Nuclear Waste Vitrification. United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b00931
Dixon, Derek R., Schweiger, Michael J., Riley, Brian J., Pokorny, Richard, and Hrma, Pavel R. 2015. "Temperature Distribution within a Cold Cap during Nuclear Waste Vitrification". United States. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b00931.
@article{osti_1226405,
title = {Temperature Distribution within a Cold Cap during Nuclear Waste Vitrification},
author = {Dixon, Derek R. and Schweiger, Michael J. and Riley, Brian J. and Pokorny, Richard and Hrma, Pavel R.},
abstractNote = {The kinetics of the feed-to-glass conversion affects the waste vitrification rate in an electric melter. The primary area of interest in this conversion process is the cold cap, a layer of reacting feed on top of molten glass. Knowing the temperature profile within a cold cap will help determine its characteristics and relate them to the rate of glass production. The work presented here provides an experimental determination of the temperature distribution within the cold cap. Since a direct measurement of the temperature field within the cold cap is impracticable, an indirect method was developed where the textural features in a laboratory-made cold cap with a high-level waste feed were mapped as a function of position using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. To correlate the temperature distribution to microstructures within the cold cap, microstructures were identified of individual feed samples that were heat treated to set temperatures between 400°C and 1200°C and quenched. The temperature distribution within the cold cap was then established by correlating cold-cap regions with the feed samples of nearly identical structures and was compared with the temperature profile from a mathematical model.},
doi = {10.1021/acs.est.5b00931},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1226405}, journal = {Environmental Science and Technology},
issn = {0013-936X},
number = 14,
volume = 49,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jul 21 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Tue Jul 21 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}