WTP Waste Feed Qualification: Hydrogen Generation Rate Measurement Apparatus Testing Report

Technical Report · Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1281775· OSTI ID:1281775

Stone, M. E. ^[1]; Newell, J. D. ^[1]; Smith, T. E. ^[1]; Pareizs, J. M. ^[1]

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1. Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

The generation rate of hydrogen gas in the Hanford tank waste will be measured during the qualification of the staged tank waste for processing in the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant. Based on a review of past practices in measurement of the hydrogen generation, an apparatus to perform this measurement has been designed and tested for use during waste feed qualification. The hydrogen generation rate measurement apparatus (HGRMA) described in this document utilized a 100 milliliter sample in a continuously-purged, continuously-stirred vessel, with measurement of hydrogen concentration in the vent gas. The vessel and lid had a combined 220 milliliters of headspace. The vent gas system included a small condenser to prevent excessive evaporative losses from the sample during the test, as well as a demister and filter to prevent particle migration from the sample to the gas chromatography system. The gas chromatograph was an on line automated instrument with a large-volume sample-injection system to allow measurement of very low hydrogen concentrations. This instrument automatically sampled the vent gas from the hydrogen generation rate measurement apparatus every five minutes and performed data regression in real time. The fabrication of the hydrogen generation rate measurement apparatus was in accordance with twenty three (23) design requirements documented in the conceptual design package, as well as seven (7) required developmental activities documented in the task plan associated with this work scope. The HGRMA was initially tested for proof of concept with physical simulants, and a remote demonstration of the system was performed in the Savannah River National Laboratory Shielded Cells Mockup Facility. Final verification testing was performed using non-radioactive simulants of the Hanford tank waste. Three different simulants were tested to bound the expected rheological properties expected during waste feed qualification testing. These simulants were tested at different temperatures using purge gas spiked with varying amounts of hydrogen to provide verification that the system could accurately measure the hydrogen in the vent gas at steady state.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-08SR22470
• OSTI ID: 1281775
• Report Number(s): SRNL-STI-2016-00247; TRN: US1601668
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
HYDROGEN
INTERSTITIAL HYDROGEN GENERATION
TANKS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
TESTING
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
DESIGN
ABUNDANCE
MOCKUP
VERIFICATION
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
VAPOR CONDENSERS
FABRICATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
HANFORD RESERVATION
GASEOUS WASTES
AUTOMATION
REAL TIME SYSTEMS
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
RHEOLOGY
mixing
measurement
qualification