D&D TECHNOLOGIES FOR POLLUTION PREVENTION

Conference · Thu Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2003

OSTI ID:826005

Tripp, Julia L

A new Accelerated Site Technology Deployment (ASTD) project was awarded in FY 2002 to the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) to deploy technologies that decrease pollution and waste in the areas of facility characterization, sludge treatment, dust and contamination control, and concrete demolition. This project was called ''D&D Technologies for Pollution Prevention'' and planned to deploy four different technologies. To reduce protective equipment requirements, waste generation, and risk of radiation exposure during facility characterization, the Russian Gamma Locater Device (GLD) and Isotopic Identification Device (IID) for remote characterization was investigated. The GLD detects gamma ray readings and video images remotely and uses radio communication to transmit the readings to personnel located a safe distance from the contaminated area. The IID, an integral part of the GLD, provides real-time spectrometric analysis of radiation sources for remotely identifying the specific radioactive isotopes present in the facility. At the INEEL, sludge has accumulated in the bottom of a fuel storage pool and the presence of heavy metals in the sludge makes it a mixed waste. This project planned to use LEADX{reg_sign} to treat sludge in place to effectively make all heavy metals in the sludge insoluble. LEADX{reg_sign} is a dry granular chemical additive (apatite) used for in-situ treatment of heavy-metal-contaminated material. LEADX{reg_sign} chemically bonds to any free heavy metals that it contacts and forms a stable, non-leachable molecule. After treating the sludge with LEADX{reg_sign}, it was to be left in the basin and the pool filled with grout. The successful treatment of the sludge with LEADX{reg_sign} will reduce the amount of waste to be disposed at the burial ground by eliminating the need to remove the sludge from the basin. Many off-gas and duct systems being dismantled contain dust and lint that has been contaminated. Encapsulation Technologies, LLC has developed a patented process for eliminating airborne radioactivity and fixing contamination in place remotely without the need for people or equipment to enter the area being treated. The process uses a device called the Passive Aerosol Generator (PAG) to create an aerosol of a capture coating. The aerosol condenses on surfaces, capturing the contaminants in place. Use of this fogging technology will reduce or eliminate the requirement for glovebags and extensive contamination control during cutting and removal of ductwork. Demolition of building slabs and foundations is necessary at most DOE facilities undergoing D&D. The baseline method for their demolition at the INEEL is to use a hydraulic hammer on the end of a backhoe or trackhoe. However, the vibration of the hammer typically causes excessive wear and tear on the equipment (resulting in additional maintenance), and dust control can be a problem. The SureStrike rock breaker, or Hammerhead, is used commercially in the mining and demolition industries . The modular impact hammer attaches to a conventional frontend loader or excavator and can be used to break up oversized materials such as equipment pedestals and heavy reinforced concrete foundations. The Hammerhead uses a coiled spring that generates 100,000 psi of single-blow impact energy through a breaker rod. It takes about 3 seconds for the equipment operator to load the spring and deliver the blow. The Hammerhead reduces noise pollution because it uses no motors, hydraulics, or air, and it reduces dust pollution because the single-blow impact energy forces the energy down into the concrete, rubblizing the concrete below the surface while leaving the surface with only breaks/cracks instead of a lot of loose pieces. In addition, equipment maintenance is reduced, and safety is improved because the amount of ''fly rock'' is minimal.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-99ID13727
• OSTI ID: 826005
• Resource Relation: Conference: Waste Management 2003 Symposium, Tucson, AZ (US), 02/23/2003--02/27/2003; Other Information: PBD: 27 Feb 2003
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AEROSOL GENERATORS
CONTAMINATION
DEMOLITION
EARTHMOVING EQUIPMENT
FUEL STORAGE POOLS
NOISE POLLUTION
POLLUTION
RADIATION SOURCES
REINFORCED CONCRETE
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES