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Title: The Building and Commissioning of the Batch Pyrolysis Plant in Studsvik, Sweden - 12447

Conference ·
OSTI ID:22293678
; ;  [1]
  1. Studsvik Nuclear AB, Department RadWaste, SE 611 82 Nykoeping (Sweden)

After a sequence of lab scale and bench scale trials the building of a pyrolysis plant could begin at the Studsvik site in Sweden. The facility is primarily aimed at treatment of uranium contaminated organic waste originating at fuel manufacturing plants and other facilities where the main contamination is uranium. The plant is an extension/addition to the already operating incinerator. In order to further widen the waste acceptance criteria the design of the off-gas treatment system does not have the same design as that of the incinerator. The building of the facility began in April 2011, and the first heating of the facility took place in late December, 2011. The site acceptance tests are planned for January, as are the first inactive trials aimed at optimisation of process control. The facility is planned to be operating with radioactive materials from February 2012. The pyrolysis unit is primarily aimed at treatment of uranium contaminated waste, under conditions that facilitate leaching and recovery of the uranium from the ashes. However, a number of other uses are conceivable. The batch fed pyrolysis unit, with its chosen design of the off-gas treatment system, enables treatment of some waste fractions that are difficult to treat in the incinerator. For instance small campaigns, i.e. smaller quantities of waste (typically <5 tonnes), or waste containing high levels of chlorine and sulphur are possible to treat in the pyrolysis unit. The pyrolysis unit is also expected to perform well in the treatment of other 'difficult' waste fractions, for instance waste containing pyrophoric materials, or other types of waste that benefit from the high level of process control, i.e. control of temperature and atmosphere throughout the process, that can be obtained in the pyrolysis unit compared to the incinerator. Furthermore, treatment in the pyrolysis unit minimises the risk of cross contamination between different waste treatment campaigns. This feature is obtained thanks to the low gas flow rates in the vessel, which means that a higher retention of nuclides in the ashes is obtained, but also through a design that facilitates cleaning of the pyrolysis vessel and the system beyond this, or even exchanging the most critical components, such as the pyrolysis vessel itself, if need be. (authors)

Research Organization:
WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9-332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
OSTI ID:
22293678
Report Number(s):
INIS-US-14-WM-12447; TRN: US14V1334115202
Resource Relation:
Conference: WM2012: Waste Management 2012 conference on improving the future in waste management, Phoenix, AZ (United States), 26 Feb - 1 Mar 2012; Other Information: Country of input: France
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English