In situ techniques for the characterization and monitoring of a radioactively contaminated site for in situ vitrification
A treatability study was in October 1993 to evaluate the application of in situ vitrification (ISV) to an old seepage pit used for the disposal of radioactive liquid waste at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This pit is one of seven inactive seepage pits and trenches at ORNL. During the 3 months that the pit was operated as a disposal facility, it is estimated to have received approximately 398 curies of mixed fission products, primarily {sup 137}Cs, {sup 90}Sr, and {sup 106}Ru. Based on data from analysis of sludge from another pit, the activities for waste sludge in Pit 1 decay corrected to 1993 have been roughly estimated to be 71 and 17.5 curies of {sup 137}Cs, and {sup 90}Sr, respectively. The {sup 106}Ru, with a half-life of 367 days, has decayed completely in the 42 years since its disposal in the pit Earthen fill material was added to the pit in 1981, and the pit area was then covered with an approximately 4--6 inch thick asphalt surface. Because so little information necessary for the effective and safe ISV of Pit 1 was available, the first phasm of the treatability study focused on site characterization activities. Several in-situ techniques were developed and used during characterization to ascertain the pit`s lateral and vertical dimensions hydraulic and hydrologic properties, soil composition, contaminant inventory, and lateral and vertical distribution of radionuclides. At the end of the treatability study, this characterization effort will be evaluated to determine which properties were the most useful for designing and controlling the ISV process. Such information will be invaluable in efficiently and safely gathering characterization data for the remediation of the other seepage pits and trenilim at ORNL via ISV or alternative remediation techniques. This abstract briefly describes some of the major components of the field characterization activities and their results.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 90105
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9510125-1; ON: DE95012896; TRN: 95:017626
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International symposium on environmental technologies: plasma systems and applications, Atlanta, GA (United States), 8-11 Oct 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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