THE STORAGE OF HIGH LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES. DESIGN AND OPERATING EXPERIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES

Technical Report · Fri Oct 31 00:00:00 EST 1958

OSTI ID:4317120

Pilkey, O H; Platt, A M; Rohrmann, C A

In the atomnic energy industry in the United States the processing of nuclear reactor fuel at many sites yields hazardous fission product waste mixtures in the form of concentrated aqueous solutions which must be securely and permanently stored with maximum assurance against uncontrolled release to the environment. The present method, with which there has been about fourteen years of successful industrial experience, comprises storage underground in steel tanks encased in reinforced concrete, Until methods are developed with demonstrated and improved reliability and at substantially lower costs, it is expected that this storage technique will continue to be used for these large scale operations. Most of the wastes are maintained as alkaline solutions to permit the use of ordinary steel; however large-scale storage is also done in stainless steel with acid wastes. The chemical processing of nuclear fuel has been improved to the extent that the radioactive decay of the concentrated fission products generates heat suffictent to maintain the waste fluids at the boillng temperature for many years. Aside from the needs for extremely reliable design and construction, facilities must be provided for the removal of this heat. In some installations this heat is used to concentrate the wastes and thus achicve smaller volumes for storage. In such cases additional facilities are required to remove the radioactive particulate matter which may be entrained in the evolved steam. In other cases this particulate problem is avoided by cooling the liquid wastes to maintain temperatures below boiling or by returning the condensate to the tanks. Under such conditions the release of particulate matter in the vent gases is greatly minimized. In the large-scale storage of sell-heating wastes there is the phenomenon of cyclic boiling. This in critical from the standpoints of release of radioactivity from vents and fromn the structural security of the tanks which are subjected to such pressure surges. The use of air circulators has completely eliminated this unusual industrial problem. These air circulators are simple in design and operation but must have the utmost reliability throughout the ''boiling life'' of the storage facilities. The severe conditions involving mass of material, temperature, intense radioactivity, boiling and the prolonged storage period require careful control of the materials delivered to the storage facilities. Possibilities of thermal decomposition and radiolysis which may yield corrosive or explosive gases must be recognized and avoided by analysis and control of process streams which may be diverted to waste storage. Proposals for the adoption of other storage methods must be critically evaluated to determine the extent to which the problems related to the these severe condition are minimized. The progress that has been made in waste volume reduction is such that by selection of fuel composition and choice of sepa- ration process the cost of waste storage need not be a major element in the cost of the total fuel -cycle for nu- clear power production. (auth)

• Research Organization: General Electric Co. Hanford Atomic Products Operation, Richland, Wash.
• NSA Number: NSA-12-014744
• OSTI ID: 4317120
• Report Number(s): A/CONF.15/P/389
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Prepared for the Second U.N. International Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, 1958. Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-58
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

CHEMISTRY
ACIDITY
AIR
BOILING
CONCRETES
CONTROL
COOLANT LOOPS
COOLING
CORROSION
DECAY
DECOMPOSITION
DECONTAMINATION
ECONOMICS
ENRICHMENT
EXPLOSIONS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUELS
GASES
HEATING
LOSSES
MASS
MATERIALS TESTING
MINING
OPERATION
PARTICLES
PLANNING
PRESSURE
PYROLYSIS
RADIATION CHEMISTRY
RADIOACTIVITY
RADIOLYSIS
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SAFETY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STAINLESS STEELS
STEAM
STEELS
STORAGE
TEMPERATURE
USA
VARIATIONS
VESSELS
VOLUME
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE SOLUTIONS
WATER