Analysis of mercury in simulated nuclear waste
Mercury, Hg, is a non-radioactive component in the High Level Waste at the Savannah River Site (SRS). Thus, it is a component of the Defense Waste Processing Facility's (DWPF) process streams. It is present because mercuric nitrate (Hg(NO{sub 3}){sub 2}) is used to dissolve spent fuel rods. Since mercury halides are extremely corrosive, especially at elevated temperatures such as those seen in a melter (1150{degrees}C), its concentration throughout the process needs to be monitored so that it is at an acceptable level prior to reaching the melter off-gas system. The Hg can be found in condensates and sludge feeds and throughout the process and process lines, i.e., at any sampling point. The different samples types that require Hg determinations in the process streams are: (1) sludges, which may be basic or acidic and may or may not include aromatic organics, (2) slurries, which are sludges with frit and will always contain organics (formate and aromatics), and (3) condensates, from feed prep and melter off-gas locations. The condensates are aqueous and the mercury may exist as a complex mixture of halides, oxides, and metal, with levels between 10 and 100 ppm. The mercury in the sludges and slurries can be Hg{sup 0}, Hg{sup +1}, or Hg{sup +2}, with levels between 200 and 3000 ppm, depending upon the location, both time and position, of sampling. For DWPF, both total and soluble Hg concentrations need to be determined. The text below describes how these determinations are being made by the Defense Waste Processing Technology (DWPT) Analytical Laboratory at the Savannah River Site. Both flame atomic absorption (FAA) and cold vapor atomic (CVAA) measurements are discussed. Also, the problems encountered in the steps toward measuring HG in these samples types of condensates and sludges are discussed along with their solutions.
- Research Organization:
- Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-89SR18035
- OSTI ID:
- 5567229
- Report Number(s):
- WSRC-MS-91-251; CONF-9110115-5; ON: DE92009450
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 32. Oak Ridge National Laboratory/Department of Energy (ORNL/DOE) conference on analytical chemistry in energy technology, Gatlinburg, TN (United States), 1-3 Oct 1991
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CERAMIC MELTERS
CORROSION
MERCURY NITRATES
MONITORING
SLUDGES
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SLURRIES
CONDENSATES
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
DISSOLUTION
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MERCURY
OFF-GAS SYSTEMS
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
VITRIFICATION
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRIC FURNACES
ELEMENTS
FURNACES
MATERIALS
MERCURY COMPOUNDS
METALS
MIXTURES
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SUSPENSIONS
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WASTES
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing