Trittium waste control: April-September 1979

Technical Report · Fri Dec 21 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5441078

The Combined Electrolysis Catalytic Exchange (CECE) pilot unit has been modified. Start-up of these components has been completed. The 1 Ci/ml test of the solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) membrane was successfully terminated after 29 weeks and the 10 Ci/ml test was initiated immediately using the same cell and SPE membrane. The cryogenic distillation system was successfully integrated with the combined electrolysis catalytic exchange system; with a HT gas mixture containing 1000 Ci/m/sup 3/, 0.1 mole % tritium were completed with the integrated system. A high beam quality Nd:YAG pump laser based on an unstable resonator/far-field converter design was developed to pump the angle tuned optical parametric oscillator (OPO) for the ir excitation step in the H/sub 2/O/HTO separation. Absorption measurements were made. Gas generation rates caused by radiolysis of tritium waste materials were determined for polymer and non-polymer impregnated tritiated concrete and fixated and non-fixated tritiated waste vacuum pump oil. The pressure change of hydrogen cover gas over tritiated water on cement-plaster was also determined. Tests continue on samples of cement and cement-plaster mixtures which were injected with 386 Ci of tritiated water, cured and then impregnated with catalyzed styrene monomer which were polymerized. After 46 weeks the tritium released from the styrene-impregnated cement blocks equals only one half of the tritium released from the cement block without styrene impregnation. Two of the drums containing waste octane have now been packaged 7.5 y and show a release of 17 mCi. Another drum containing approximately 35,000 Ci of tritiated water solidified on cement, shows a release of nearly 21 mCi after 5 y.

• Research Organization: Mound Facility, Miamisburg, OH (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00053
• OSTI ID: 5441078
• Report Number(s): MLM-2669
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052000* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Management
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
AROMATICS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BUILDING MATERIALS
CATALYSIS
CEMENTS
CHEMICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
CONCRETES
DECOMPOSITION
DEGASSING
DISTILLATION
ELECTROLYSIS
HEAVY WATER
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
IMPREGNATION
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
ISOTOPES
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LASER ISOTOPE SEPARATION
LASERS
LIGHT NUCLEI
LOSSES
LYSIS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NEODYMIUM LASERS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC POLYMERS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROCHEMICALS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PLASTICS
POLYMERIZATION
POLYMERS
POLYOLEFINS
POLYSTYRENE
POLYVINYLS
RADIATION CHEMISTRY
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOISOTOPES
RADIOLYSIS
REMOVAL
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID STATE LASERS
STYRENE
TRITIUM
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES