FY-97 operations of the pilot-scale glass melter to vitrify simulated ICPP high activity sodium-bearing waste

Technical Report · Sat Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1997

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/578547· OSTI ID:578547

Musick, C A

A 3.5 liter refractory-lined joule-heated glass melter was built to test the applicability of electric melting to vitrify simulated high activity waste (HAW). The HAW streams result from dissolution and separation of Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) calcines and/or radioactive liquid waste. Pilot scale melter operations will establish selection criteria needed to evaluate the application of joule heating to immobilize ICPP high activity waste streams. The melter was fabricated with K-3 refractory walls and Inconel 690 electrodes. It is designed to be continuously operated at 1,150 C with a maximum glass output rate of 10 lbs/hr. The first set of tests were completed using surrogate HAW-sodium bearing waste (SBW). The melter operated for 57 hours and was shut down due to excessive melt temperatures resulting in low glass viscosity (< 30 Poise). Due to the high melt temperature and low viscosity the molten glass breached the melt chamber. The melter has been dismantled and examined to identify required process improvement areas and successes of the first melter run. The melter has been redesigned and is currently being fabricated for the second run, which is scheduled to begin in December 1997.

• Research Organization: Lockheed Idaho Technologies Co., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-94ID13223
• OSTI ID: 578547
• Report Number(s): INEEL/EXT--97-01300; ON: DE98051445; BR: EW3120012
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
CERAMIC MELTERS
DESIGN
FABRICATION
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
JOULE HEATING
PERFORMANCE
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
VITRIFICATION