Decontamination of metals by melt refining/slagging: First year progress report

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/172470· OSTI ID:172470

Mizia, R E ^[1]; Worcester, S A; Twidwell, L G; Paolini, D J; Weldon, T A

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1. ed.

As the number of nuclear installations undergoing decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) increases, current radioactive waste storage space is consumed and establishment of new waste storage areas becomes increasingly difficult. The problem of handling and storing radioactive scrap metal (RSM) gains increasing importance in the DOE Environmental Restoration and Waste Management Program. To alleviate present and future waste storage problems, Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company (WINCO) is managing a program for the recycling of RSM for beneficial use within the DOE complex. As part of that effort, Montana Tech has been awarded a contract to help optimize melting and refining technologies for the recycling of stainless steel RSM. The scope of the Montana Tech program includes a literature survey, a decontaminating slag design study, small scale melting studies to determine optimum slag compositions for removal of radioactive contaminant surrogates, analysis of preferred melting techniques, and coordination of pilot scale melting demonstrations (100-500 lbs) to be conducted at selected commercial facilities. This program will identify methods that can be used to recycle stainless steel RSM which will be used to fabricate high and low level waste canisters for the Idaho Waste Immobilization Facility. This report summarizes the results of an extensive literature review and the first year`s progress on slag design, small-scale melt refining of surrogate-containing stainless steel (presently only a three month effort), and pilot-scale preparation of surrogate master ingots.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Co., Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-84ID12435
• OSTI ID: 172470
• Report Number(s): WINCO--1198; ON: DE96003532
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
DECONTAMINATION
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
PACKAGING
PROGRESS REPORT
PURIFICATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RECYCLING
SCRAP METALS
SLAGS