In situ electrochemical characterization of grouted radioactive waste

Book · Fri Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:113131

Gu, J; Shen, W M; Tomkiewicz, M ^[1]; Kruger, A A ^[2]

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1. Brooklyn College, NY (United States). Dept. of Physics
2. Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)

At the Hanford site, 28 double-shell tanks (DST) and 149 single-shell tanks (SST) are used for storage of radioactive liquid and sludge wastes and salt cake. A fundamental goal of the Westinghouse Hanford Company is to end the current storage practice for liquid wastes and to permanently dispose of the waste. The Hanford Defense Waste Environmental Impact Statement and subsequent record of decision has identified a cement-based waste form for disposal of DST low-level liquid waste. The low-level radioactive fractions of these wastes will be immobilized in a cementitious grout at the Hanford Grout Processing Facility and disposed of in concrete vaults of the Grout Disposal Facility. Prior to closing each vault, postcuring verification will show that the final product meets the performance requirements. Any long term disposal system of radioactive waste will require monitoring to warn against structural deterioration and/or leach of the radioactive or hazardous components into the environment. The authors are investigating the possibility of monitoring the degree of immobilization of the waste by embedding a grid of long-lasting electrodes in grout. This work describes their ongoing attempts to understand the physics and chemistry of charge carriers in the grout under various load conditions.

• OSTI ID: 113131
• Report Number(s): CONF-930906--; ISBN 0-7918-0691-X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
CEMENTS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRIC IMPEDANCE
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
ELECTRODES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
HANFORD RESERVATION
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MONITORING
PERFORMANCE TESTING
POROSITY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RELIABILITY
REMEDIAL ACTION
SOLIDIFICATION
STORAGE FACILITIES
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
WASTE FORMS