Test and Chemistry Plan for MEDE Treatment of Fermi-1 Blanket Materials

Program Document · Mon Sep 09 04:00:00 EDT 2019

OSTI ID:1968259

Marschman, Steve ^[1]; Preussner, Brian D ^[1]; Marschman, Steven C. ^[1]

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1. Idaho National Laboratory

There exists approximately 34 metric tons of Fermi-1 nuclear power reactor blanket assemblies at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Contained in this material is about 365 kg of sodium metal. In 2000, the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Treatment and Management of Sodium-Bonded Spent Nuclear Fuel was issued. In the EIS, the No Action Alternative was preferred for the Fermi-1 blanket material. Under the No Action Alternative, two options were analyzed: • Continued storage until 2035 or until development of a new or currently less mature technology to treat all or part of the sodium-bonded material. • Direct disposal of the sodium-bonded material in high-integrity cans. This report with document how the Melt-Drain-Evaporate (MEDE) process, developed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), can be used to treat full-length Fermi-1 blanket material to remove the sodium, eliminate the hazards associated with that metal, all while minimizing the effort needed. Previous work by ANL showed the process worked very well with chopped, shorter segments of this material. If successful, the removal of the sodium from the material may allow the Fermi-1 blanket material to be disposed via existing or future planned disposal pathways for similar materials. This document presents the test plan for the evaluation of sodium removal from intact Fermi-1 reactor blanket materials by the MEDE process. This test plan establishes the objectives for such testing, which includes the anticipated outcomes, a summary of the testing parameters, and an overview of the testing process. This test plan does not provide technical direction or work control guidance; that is the role of a Laboratory Instruction (LI) that will be issued to govern the work.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-05ID14517
• OSTI ID: 1968259
• Report Number(s): INL/EXT-19-54148-Rev000
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Ferm-I Blanket Materials
MEDE
MEDE Project