Corrosion Testing of Monofrax K-3 Refractory in Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Alternate Reductant Feeds

Technical Report · Wed Apr 06 04:00:00 EDT 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1250758· OSTI ID:1250758

Williams, M. ^[1]; Jantzen, C. ^[1]; Burket, P. ^[1]

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1. Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

The Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) uses a combination of reductants and oxidants while converting high level waste (HLW) to a borosilicate waste form. A reducing flowsheet is maintained to retain radionuclides in their reduced oxidation states which promotes their incorporation into borosilicate glass. For the last 20 years of processing, the DWPF has used formic acid as the main reductant and nitric acid as the main oxidant. During reaction in the Chemical Process Cell (CPC), formate and formic acid release measurably significant H₂ gas which requires monitoring of certain vessel’s vapor spaces. A switch to a nitric acid-glycolic acid (NG) flowsheet from the nitric-formic (NF) flowsheet is desired as the NG flowsheet releases considerably less H₂ gas upon decomposition. This would greatly simplify DWPF processing from a safety standpoint as close monitoring of the H₂ gas concentration could become less critical. In terms of the waste glass melter vapor space flammability, the switch from the NF flowsheet to the NG flowsheet showed a reduction of H₂ gas production from the vitrification process as well. Due to the positive impact of the switch to glycolic acid determined on the flammability issues, evaluation of the other impacts of glycolic acid on the facility must be examined.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-08SR22470
• OSTI ID: 1250758
• Report Number(s): SRNL--STI-2016-00030
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ABUNDANCE
BORON SILICATES
BOROSILICATE GLASS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
CONTAINERS
CORROSION
DECOMPOSITION
DWPF
EVALUATION
FLAMMABILITY
FORMATES
FORMIC ACID
GLYCOLIC ACID
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
HYDROGEN
K-3
NITRIC ACID
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
REFRACTORIES
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
TESTING
VALENCE
VITRIFICATION
WASTE FORMS
alternate reductant
materials of construction
refractory