Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Criticality assessment of the Defense Waste Processing Facility

Conference ·
OSTI ID:268915
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Assessment of nuclear criticality potential of the S-Area Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) is required to ensure the safe processing of radioactive waste for final disposal. At the Savannah River Site (SRS), high-level radioactive wastes are stored as caustic slurries. During storage, the wastes separate into a supernate layer and a sludge layer. The radionuclides from the sludge and supernate will be immobilized into borosilicate glass for storage and eventual disposal. The DWPF will initially immobilize sludge only, with simulated non-radioactive Precipitate Hydrolysis Aqueous (PHA) product. This paper demonstrates that criticality poses only a negligible risk in the DWPF process because of the characteristics of the waste and the DWPF process. The waste contains low concentration of fissile material and many elements which act as neutron poisons. Also, the DWPF process chemistry does not affect separation and accumulation of fissile materials. Experiments showed that DWPF can process all the high-level radioactive wastes currently stored at SRS with negligible criticality risk under normal and abnormal/process upset operation.
Research Organization:
Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
DOE Contract Number:
AC09-89SR18035
OSTI ID:
268915
Report Number(s):
WSRC-MS--95-0440; CONF-960804--49; ON: DE96060082
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Criticality assessment of initial operations at the Defense Waste Processing Facility
Conference · Fri Feb 26 23:00:00 EST 1993 · OSTI ID:10131978
Assessment of nuclear safety and nuclear criticality potential in the Defense Waste Processing Facility. Revision 1
Technical Report · Mon Jul 19 20:00:00 EDT 1993 · OSTI ID:10176794
Rheology of Savannah River site tank 42 and tank 51 HLW radioactive sludges
Conference · Thu Jan 18 23:00:00 EST 1996 · OSTI ID:203917

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
CRITICALITY
Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF)
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Precipitate Hydrolysis Aqueous (PHA)
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
VITRIFICATION