Simultaneous Thermal Analysis of WIPP and LANL Waste Drum Samples: A Preliminary Report

Technical Report · Mon Oct 19 00:00:00 EDT 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1223774· OSTI ID:1223774

Wayne, David M. ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

On Friday, February 14, 2014, an incident in P7R7 of the WIPP underground repository released radioactive material into the environment. The direct cause of the event was a breached transuranic (TRU) waste container, subsequently identified as Drum 68660. Photographic and other evidence indicates that the breach of 68660 was caused by an exothermic event. Subsequent investigations (Britt, 2015; Clark and Funk, 2015; Wilson et al., 2015; Clark, 2015) indicate that the combination of nitrate salts, pH neutralizing chemicals, and organic-based adsorbent represented a potentially energetic mixture. The materials inside the breached steel drum consisted of remediated, 30- to 40-year old, Pu processing wastes from LANL. The contents were processed and repackaged in 2014. Processing activities at LANL included: 1) neutralization of acidic liquid contents, 2) sorption of the neutralized liquid, and 3) mixing of acidic nitrate salts with an absorber to meet waste acceptance criteria. The contents of 68660 and its sibling, 68685, were derived from the same parent drum, S855793. Drum S855793 originally contained ten plastic bags of acidic nitrate salts, and four bags of mixed nitrate and oxalate salts generated in 1985 by Pu recovery operations. These salts were predominantly oxalic acid, hydrated nitrate salts of Mg, Ca, and Fe, anhydrous Na(NO₃), and minor amounts of anhydrous and hydrous nitrate salts of Pb, Al, K, Cr, and Ni. Other major components include sorbed water, nitric acid, dissolved nitrates, an absorbent (Swheat Scoop®) and a neutralizer (KolorSafe®). The contents of 68660 are described in greater detail in Appendix E of Wilson et al. (2015)

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1223774
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-15-28116; TRN: US1500441
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
NITRATES
LANL
WIPP
OXALIC ACID
NITRIC ACID
NITROGEN OXIDES
THERMAL ANALYSIS
MIXTURES
OXALATES
UNDERGROUND
ACCIDENTS
ADSORBENTS
CONTAINERS
LEAKS
thermogravimetric analysis
TGA
differential scanning calorimetry
DSC
mass spectrometry
offgas
exothermic
combustion
nitrate salts