Hazardous waste dislodging and conveyance: The confined sluicing method
- Univ. of Missouri, Rolla, MO (United States). High Pressure Waterjet Lab.
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
This report describes an investigation of a means for dislodging and conveying waste currently stored in underground storage tanks. A series of experiments have been carried out to evaluate the potential of a medium pressure, medium flow rate cutting system as a means of dislodging the waste. It has been found that waterjets at a pressure of 10,000 psi can effectively cut the material which has been chosen to simulate the hardened saltcake within the storage tanks. Based on a parameterization test it has thus been calculated that an inlet flow volume of approximately 30 gallons per minute will be sufficient to excavate 30 gallons per minute of waste from a tank. In order to transport the resulting slurry from the tank, a modified jet pump has been developed and has demonstrated its capability of conveying fluid and waste particles, up to one inch in diameter, to a height of more than 60 feet. Experiments were conducted to examine different configurations to achieve the production levels required for waste removal and to clean the walls of residual material. It was found more effective to clean the walls using an inclined angle of impact rather than a perpendicular angle of impact in order to provide a safeguard against driving the water through any cracks in the containment. It was demonstrated that excavation can take place with almost total immediate extraction of the water and debris from the cutting process. The results have qualitatively shown the potential of a medium pressure waterjet system for achieving the required results for underground storage tank waste retrieval.
- 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:
- 10185389
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-10074; ON: DE95000426; TRN: 94:020237
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: Sep 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Underground storage tanks soft waste dislodging and conveyance
Underground storage tank waste retrieval strategies using a high-pressure waterjet scarifier