GLYCOLIC-FORMIC ACID FLOWSHEET FINAL REPORT FOR DOWNSELECTION DECISION
Flowsheet testing was performed to develop the nitric-glycolic-formic acid flowsheet (referred to as the glycolic-formic flowsheet throughout the rest of the report) as an alternative to the nitric/formic flowsheet currently being processed at the DWPF. This new flowsheet has shown that mercury can be removed in the Sludge Receipt and Adjustment Tank (SRAT) with minimal hydrogen generation. All processing objectives were also met, including greatly reducing the Slurry Mix Evaporator (SME) product yield stress as compared to the baseline nitric/formic flowsheet. Forty-six runs were performed in total, including the baseline run and the melter feed preparation runs. Significant results are summarized. The baseline nitric/formic flowsheet run, using the SB6 simulant produced by Harrell was extremely difficult to process successfully under existing DWPF acceptance criteria with this simulant at the HM levels of noble metals. While nitrite was destroyed and mercury was removed to near the DWPF limit, the rheology of the SRAT and SME products were well above design basis and hydrogen generation far exceeded the DWPF SRAT limit. In addition, mixing during the SME cycle was very poor. In this sense, the nitric/glycolic/formic acid flowsheet represents a significant upgrade over the current flowsheet. Mercury was successfully removed with almost no hydrogen generation and the SRAT and SME products yield stresses were within process limits or previously processed ranges. The glycolic-formic flowsheet has a very wide processing window. Testing was completed from 100% to 200% of acid stoichiometry and using a glycolic-formic mixture from 40% to 100% glycolic acid. The testing met all processing requirements throughout these processing windows. This should allow processing at an acid stoichiometry of 100% and a glycolic-formic mixture of 80% glycolic acid with minimal hydrogen generation. It should also allow processing endpoints in the SRAT and SME at significantly higher total solids content and may be effective at acid stoichiometries below 100%, although no testing was performed below 100% acid stoichiometry. There are several issues related to the development of the glycolic-formic flowsheet. First, the measurement of anions using the new glycolate anion procedure likely needs to be optimized to improve the accuracy of the anions important to DWPF processing and REDOX prediction. Second, the existing REDOX equation with an added term for glycolate did not accurately predict the glass REDOX for the glycolic-formic flowsheet. Improvement of the anion measurement or modification of the REDOX methodology or equation may be necessary to improve the REDOX prediction. Last, the glycolic-formic flowsheet dissolves a number of metals, including iron. This leads to a thinner slurries but also dissolves up a portion of the iron, which is currently used for criticality control. It is recommended that DWPF continue to support development of the glycolic-formic flowsheet. This flowsheet meets or outperforms the baseline flowsheet in off-gas generation, mercury removal, product rheology and general ease of processing. Additional testing is in progress to demonstrate the effectiveness of the nitric-glycolic-formic flowsheet in processing a wide sludge processing window using the matrix sludge simulants.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC09-08SR22470
- OSTI ID:
- 1013045
- Report Number(s):
- SRNL-STI-2010-00523; TRN: US1102436
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
DWPF SIMULANT CPC STUDIES FOR SB7B
SLUDGE BATCH 6/TANK 51 SIMULANT CHEMICAL PROCESS CELL SIMULATIONS