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U.S. Department of Energy
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Design of saltstone vaults

Conference · · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5660874
Radioactive waste from processed spent nuclear fuel at the Savannah River Plant, South Carolina, are stored in underground tanks. The wastes consist of sludge and supernate. Most of the radionuclides and some nonradioactive constituents are removed from the supernate. These along with the sludge are converted into a glass-crystallite matrix and cast into stainless steel cansisters for future disposal in a geological repository. The decontaminated salt solution is mixed with cement, fly ash, and a set-retarding agent, and the resulting grout is transferred to reinforced concrete vaults where it sets into a monolith termed saltstone. The vault is then capped with concrete. A total of 21 vaults measuring 600 x 100 x 27 ft are planned for disposal of the existing supernate plus any additional supernate generated up to the year 2000.
OSTI ID:
5660874
Report Number(s):
CONF-870601-
Conference Information:
Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Journal Volume: 54
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English