Vitrification of low-level waste using the plasma hearth process
- Science Applications International Corp., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
The Plasma Hearth Process (PHP) is a high temperature vitrification process using a plasma arc torch in a stationary, refractory lined chamber that destroys organics and stabilizes the residuals in a nonleaching, vitrified waste form. Plasma arc technology is an innovative technology that has exhibited commercial success, primarily in its use for production of high purity alloys and other specialty metals. The residual from the PHP provides a very stable vitrified final product of high integrity for most wastes without the need for glass formers. The final waste form will be volume-reduced to the maximum extent practical, because all organics will have been destroyed and inorganics will be in a high-density, low void-space form and little or no volume-increasing glass makers will have been added. Low volume and high integrity waste forms result in low disposal costs. The PHP technology is chiefly applicable to solid (DAW) or wet solid (sludge) wastes where volume reduction and a stabilized byproduct is desired for disposal. The technology is ideally suited for heterogeneous wastes of nearly any category that are difficult to treat by conventional thermal technologies. The application for which it is currently being developed is Department of Energy (DOE) solid mixed wastes, both low level and transuranic. DOE, through the Office of Technology Development`s Mixed Waste Focus Area (MWFA) is conducting a development and demonstration project to ready the PHP for implementation in the DOE complex.
- Research Organization:
- Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States); CENTEC-21, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 269324
- Report Number(s):
- EPRI-TR-106079; CONF-951244-; TRN: 96:003987-0003
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: EPRI meeting on vitrification of low-level waste: the process and potential, San Antonio, TX (United States), 5-6 Dec 1995; Other Information: PBD: Mar 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings: Vitrification of low-level waste--the process and potential; Naughton, M.D.; Sullivan, K. [CENTEC XXI, Santa Clara, CA (United States)]; PB: 368 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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