Treatment studies of plutonium-bearing INEEL waste surrogates in a bench-scale arc furnace

Freeman, C J

doi:10.2172/527443

Title: Treatment studies of plutonium-bearing INEEL waste surrogates in a bench-scale arc furnace

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Abstract

Since 1989, the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA) at the Idaho National Environmental and Engineering Laboratory (INEEL) has been included on the National Priority List for remediation. Arc- and plasma-heated furnaces are being considered for converting the radioactive mixed waste buried in the SDA to a stabilized-vitreous form. Nonradioactive, surrogate SDA wastes have been melted during tests in these types of furnaces, but data are needed on the behavior of transuranic (TRU) constituents, primarily plutonium, during thermal treatment. To begin collecting this data, plutonium-spiked SDA surrogates were processed in a bench-scale arc furnace to quantify the fate of the plutonium and other hazardous and nonhazardous metals. Test conditions included elevating the organic, lead, chloride, and sodium contents of the surrogates. Blends having higher organic contents caused furnace power levels to fluctuate. An organic content corresponding to 50% INEEL soil in a soil-waste blend was the highest achievable before power fluctuations made operating conditions unacceptable. The glass, metal, and off-gas solids produced from each surrogate blend tested were analyzed for elemental (including plutonium) content and the partitioning of each element to the corresponding phase was calculated.

Authors:: Freeman, C J

Publication Date:: 1997-05-01

Research Org.:: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, Washington, DC (United States)

OSTI Identifier:: 527443

Report Number(s):: PNNL-11568
ON: DE97053372; TRN: 97:018405

DOE Contract Number:: AC06-76RL01830

Resource Type:: Technical Report

Resource Relation:: Other Information: PBD: May 1997

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 05 NUCLEAR FUELS; ARC FURNACES; RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING; IDAHO NATIONAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY; REMEDIAL ACTION; RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES; PERFORMANCE; ORGANIC MATTER; SOILS; VITRIFICATION; PARTITION

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                    Freeman, C J. Treatment studies of plutonium-bearing INEEL waste surrogates in a bench-scale arc furnace.  United States: N. p., 1997. 
        Web.  doi:10.2172/527443.

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                    Freeman, C J. Treatment studies of plutonium-bearing INEEL waste surrogates in a bench-scale arc furnace.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/527443

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                    Freeman, C J. 1997.  
        "Treatment studies of plutonium-bearing INEEL waste surrogates in a bench-scale arc furnace".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.2172/527443.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/527443.

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@article{osti_527443,

  title        = {Treatment studies of plutonium-bearing INEEL waste surrogates in a bench-scale arc furnace},

  author       = {Freeman, C J},

  abstractNote = {Since 1989, the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA) at the Idaho National Environmental and Engineering Laboratory (INEEL) has been included on the National Priority List for remediation. Arc- and plasma-heated furnaces are being considered for converting the radioactive mixed waste buried in the SDA to a stabilized-vitreous form. Nonradioactive, surrogate SDA wastes have been melted during tests in these types of furnaces, but data are needed on the behavior of transuranic (TRU) constituents, primarily plutonium, during thermal treatment. To begin collecting this data, plutonium-spiked SDA surrogates were processed in a bench-scale arc furnace to quantify the fate of the plutonium and other hazardous and nonhazardous metals. Test conditions included elevating the organic, lead, chloride, and sodium contents of the surrogates. Blends having higher organic contents caused furnace power levels to fluctuate. An organic content corresponding to 50% INEEL soil in a soil-waste blend was the highest achievable before power fluctuations made operating conditions unacceptable. The glass, metal, and off-gas solids produced from each surrogate blend tested were analyzed for elemental (including plutonium) content and the partitioning of each element to the corresponding phase was calculated.},

  doi          = {10.2172/527443},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/527443},
  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {1997},

  month        = {5}

}

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