Hot-Isostatic Pressing of Sellafield SIXEP Sand/Clinoptilolite Wastes - 18281

Conference · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 2018

OSTI ID:22975428

Heath, Paul G. ^[1]; Corkhill, Claire L.; Hand, Russell J.; Stennett, Martin C.; Hyatt, N. C. ^[1]; Brandt, Felix; Klinkenberg, Martina ^[2]

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1. ISL, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD (United Kingdom)
2. IEK-6, Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, Wilhelm-Johnen-Strasse, 52425 Juelich (Germany)

Clinoptilolite is an ion-exchange material currently in use at the SIXEP plant (Sellafield, UK) to remove radioactive Cs and Sr from aqueous solution. Clinoptilolite material exists in a granular form that requires consolidation prior to disposal in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). The existing baseline treatment technology is to produce cementitious waste packages, which is not ideal due to the large increase in waste volume and poor quality of the wasteform produced. Hot-Isostatic Pressing (HIPing) has been investigated as an alternative treatment method to immobilise this material. This paper presents the results of an investigation that illustrates the capability to process clinoptilolite into a durable, monolithic glass-ceramic wasteform, which should be considered suitable for GDF disposal. The product of HIPing SIXEP sand /clinoptilolite materials is a dense vitreous wasteform with a small quantity of crystalline inclusions, primarily in the form of quartz/cristobalite. Under PCT testing the wasteform produced was shown to be at least an order of magnitude more durable than glasses currently used for the immobilisation of High-Level Wastes (HLW). It was calculated that the treatment of SIXEP sand/clinoptilolite wastes using HIP technology will provide at least a 6.3-fold reduction in the number of waste packages which require management and disposal. (authors)

• Research Organization: WM Symposia, Inc., PO Box 27646, 85285-7646 Tempe, AZ (United States)
• OSTI ID: 22975428
• Report Number(s): INIS-US--20-WM-18281
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CERAMICS
CESIUM
CLINOPTILOLITE
CRISTOBALITE
GLASS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
HOT PRESSING
QUARTZ
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SELLAFIELD REPROCESSING PLANT
SOLIDIFICATION
STRONTIUM
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
UNITED KINGDOM
WASTE FORMS