Behavior of radioactive iodine and technetium in the spray calcination of high-level waste
The Remote Laboratory-Scale Waste Treatment Facility (RLSWTF) was designed and built as a part of the High-Level Waste Immobilization Program (now the High-Level Waste Process Development Program) at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory. In this facility, which is installed in a radiochemical cell, small volumes of radioactive liquid wastes can be solidified, the process off gas can be analyzed, and the methods for decontaminating this off gas can be tested. Initial operations were completed with nonradioactive, simulated waste solutions (Knox, Siemens and Berger 1981). The first radioactive operations in this facility were performed with a simulated, commercial waste composition containing tracer levels of /sup 99/Tc and /sup 131/I. This report describes the facility and test operations and presents the results of the behavior of /sup 131/I and /sup 99/Tc during solidification of radioactive liquid wastes. During the spray calcination of commercial high-level liquid waste spiked with /sup 99/Tc and /sup 131/I, there was a 0.3 wt% loss of particulates, a 0.15 wt% loss of /sup 99/Tc and a 31 wt% loss of /sup 131/I past the sintered-metal filters. These filters and a venturi scrubber were very efficient in removing particulates and /sup 99/Tc from the off-gas stream. Liquid scrubbers were not efficient in removing /sup 131/I, as 25% of the total lost went to the building off-gas system. Therefore, solid adsorbents will be needed to remove iodine. For all future RLSWTF operations where iodine is present, a silver zeolite adsorber will be used.
- Research Organization:
- Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6209462
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-3741; ON: DE81028405; TRN: 81-014951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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IODINE 131
ADSORPTION
SCRUBBING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SOLIDIFICATION
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CALCINATION
CALCINED WASTES
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LIQUID WASTES
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SIMULATION
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DECOMPOSITION
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PROCESSING
PYROLYSIS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
SORPTION
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing