Graphite fuels combustion off-gas treatment options
Scenarios for burning bulk graphite and for burning crushed fuel particles from graphite spent nuclear fuels have been considered. Particulates can be removed with sintered metal filters. Subsequent cooling would then condense semi-volatile fission products into or onto a particulate. These particulates would be trapped by a second sintered metal filter or downstream packed bed. A packed bed scrub column can be used to eliminate most of the iodine-129 and tritium. A molecular sieve bed is proposed to collect the residual {sup 129}I and other tramp radionuclides downstream (Ruthenium, etc.). Krypton-85 can be recovered, if need be, either by cryogenics or by the KALC process (Krypton Adsorption in Liquid Carbon dioxide). Likewise carbon-14 in the form of carbon dioxide could be collected with a caustic or lime scrub solution and incorporated into a grout. Sulfur dioxide present will be well below regulatory concern level of 4.0 tons per year and most of it would be removed by the scrubber. Carbon monoxide emissions will depend on the choice of burner and start-up conditions. Should the system exceed the regulatory concern level, a catalytic converter in the final packed bed will be provided. Radon and its daughters have sufficiently short half-lives (less than two minutes). If necessary, an additional holdup bed can be added before the final HEPA filters or additional volume can be added to the molecular sieve bed to limit radon emissions. The calculated total effective dose equivalent at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory boundary from a single release of all the {sup 3}, {sup 14}C, {sup 85}Kr, and {sup 129}I in the total fuel mass if 0.43 mrem/year.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Co., Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-84ID12435
- OSTI ID:
- 10158870
- Report Number(s):
- WINCO-1209; WIN-306-Rev.1; ON: DE94013672; TRN: 94:012238
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Mar 1993
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GRAPHITE
COMBUSTION
SPENT FUELS
FLUE GAS
WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
DEASHING
SCRUBBING
MATERIALS RECOVERY
MATERIAL BALANCE
EMISSION
VOLATILE MATTER
CARBON 14
TRITIUM
IODINE 129
RADON 220
KRYPTON 85
FLOWSHEETS
052001