Remediation of transuranic-contaminated coral soil at Johnston Atoll using the segmented gate system
- Field Command Defense Nuclear Agency, Kirtland AFB, NM (United States)
- Thermo Analytical, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Thermo Analytical, Inc. (TMA) has developed a system to remove clean soil from contaminated soil. The system consists of a soil conveyor, an array of radiation detectors toward the conveyor feed end, a gate assembly at the conveyor discharge end, and two additional conveyors which move discharged soil to one or another paths. The gate assembly is as wide as the ``sorter conveyor,`` and it has eight individual gates or segments. The segments automatically open or close depending on the amount of radioactivity present. In one position they pass soil to a clean soil conveyor, and in the other position they let soil fall to a hot soil conveyor. The soil sorting process recovers clean soil for beneficial use and it substantially reduces the quantity of soil which must be decontaminated or prepared for waste disposal. The Segmented Gate System (SGS) was developed for the cleanup of soil contaminated with some transuranium elements at Johnston Atoll. It has proven to be an effective means for recovering clean soil and verifying that soil is clean, minimizing the quantity of truly contaminated soil, and providing measures of contamination for waste transport and disposal. TMA is constructing a small, transportable soil cleanup as it is confident the SGS technology can be adapted to soils and contaminants other than those at Johnston Atoll. It will use this transportable plant to demonstrate the technology and to develop site specific parameters for use in designing plants to meet cleanup needs.
- OSTI ID:
- 49422
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941189-; ISBN 1-56590-016-2; TRN: 95:011587
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: SUPERFUND XV: 15th environmental conference and exhibition for the hazardous materials/hazardous waste management industry, Washington, DC (United States), 29 Nov - 1 Dec 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Superfund XV conference proceedings. Volume 1; PB: 866 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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