Multiphase, multi-electrode Joule heat computations for glass melter and in situ vitrification simulations

Conference · Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:6036732

Lowery, P S; Lessor, D L

Waste glass melter and in situ vitrification (ISV) processes represent the combination of electrical thermal, and fluid flow phenomena to produce a stable waste-from product. Computational modeling of the thermal and fluid flow aspects of these processes provides a useful tool for assessing the potential performance of proposed system designs. These computations can be performed at a fraction of the cost of experiment. Consequently, computational modeling of vitrification systems can also provide and economical means for assessing the suitability of a proposed process application. The computational model described in this paper employs finite difference representations of the basic continuum conservation laws governing the thermal, fluid flow, and electrical aspects of the vitrification process -- i.e., conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and electrical charge. The resulting code is a member of the TEMPEST family of codes developed at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy). This paper provides an overview of the numerical approach employed in TEMPEST. In addition, results from several TEMPEST simulations of sample waste glass melter and ISV processes are provided to illustrate the insights to be gained from computational modeling of these processes. 3 refs., 13 figs.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/NE
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6036732
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-19026; CONF-910287-2; ON: DE91008261; TRN: 91-008424
• Resource Relation: Conference: National research and development conference on the control of hazardous materials, Anaheim, CA (USA), 20-22 Feb 1991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
CHEMICAL WASTES
VITRIFICATION
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
T CODES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
FINITE DIFFERENCE METHOD
FLUID FLOW
IN-SITU PROCESSING
JOULE HEATING
LAND POLLUTION CONTROL
REMEDIAL ACTION
THEORETICAL DATA
WASTE FORMS
WASTE PROCESSING
COMPUTER CODES
CONTROL
DATA
ELECTRIC HEATING
HEATING
INFORMATION
ITERATIVE METHODS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NUMERICAL DATA
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PLASMA HEATING
POLLUTION CONTROL
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RESISTANCE HEATING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
990200* - Mathematics & Computers
052001 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
320305 - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization- Industrial & Agricultural Processes- Industrial Waste Management