Evaluating detonation possibilities in a Hanford radioactive waste tank
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- California Inst. of Tech., Pasadena, CA (United States)
Since the early 1940s, radioactive wastes generated from the defense operations at the Hanford Site have been stored in underground waste storage tanks. During the intervening years, the waste products in some of these tanks have transformed into a potentially hazardous mixture of gases and solids as a result of radiolytic and thermal chemical reactions. One tank in particular, Tank 101-SY, has been periodically releasing high concentrations of a hydrogen/nitrous oxide/nitrogen/ ammonia gas mixture into the tank dome vapor space. There are concerns that under certain conditions a detonation of the flammable gas mixture may occur. There are two ways that a detonation can occur during a release of waste gases into the dome vapor splice: (1) direct initiation of detonation by a powerful ignition source, and (2) deflagration to detonation transition (DDT). The first case involves a strong ignition source of high energy, high power, or of large size (roughly 1 g of high explosive (4.6 kj) for a stoichiometric hydrogen-air mixture{sup 1}) to directly initiate a detonation by ``shock`` initiation. This strong ignition is thought to be incredible for in-tank ignition sources. The second process involves igniting the released waste gases, which results in a subsonic flame (deflagration) propagating into the unburned combustible gas. The flame accelerates to velocities that cause compression waves to form in front of the deflagration combustion wave. Shock waves may form, and the combustion process may transition to a detonation wave.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10162106
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR--94-2019; CONF-931160--45; ON: DE94014291
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200
COMPUTER CODES
DETONATIONS
FLAMMABILITY
GASES
HANFORD RESERVATION
IGNITION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTERS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
TANKS
VENTILATION
WASTE DISPOSAL AND STORAGE