Glass melter off-gas system pluggages: Cause, significance, and remediation

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5496591

Jantzen, C M

Liquid high-level nuclear waste will be immobilized at the Savannah River Site (SRS) by vitrification in borosilicate glass. Experimental glass melters, used to develop the vitrification process, have occasionally experienced problems with pluggage of the off-gas line with solid deposits. The deposits were determined to be mixtures of alkali rich chlorides, sulfates, borates, and fluorides with entrained insoluble particles of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} spinel, and frit. The distribution and location of the alkali deposits throughout the off-gas system indicate that the deposits form by vapor-phase transport and condensation. Condensation of the alkali-rich phases cements the entrained particulates causing the off-gas system pluggages. The identification of vapor phase transport as the operational mechanism causing off-gas system pluggages indicates that deposition can be effectively eliminated by increasing the off-gas velocity. The cementitious alkali borates, halides, and sulfates comprising the off-gas line deposits were determined to be water soluble. Thus pluggage can be effectively removed with water and/or steam.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• OSTI ID: 5496591
• Report Number(s): WSRC-MS-91-009; CONF-9104256--16; ON: DE92009875
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360602 -- Other Materials-- Structure & Phase Studies
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400102 -- Chemical & Spectral Procedures
BORATES
BORON COMPOUNDS
BOROSILICATE GLASS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL COATING
CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION
COHERENT SCATTERING
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
DEPOSITION
DEPOSITS
DIFFRACTION
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
GLASS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MICROSCOPY
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
OFF-GAS SYSTEMS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE STUDIES
QUALITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SAMPLING
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SCATTERING
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE COATING
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VAPOR CONDENSATION
VITRIFICATION
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
X-RAY DIFFRACTION