Off-gas characteristics of defense waste vitrification using liquid-fed Joule-heated ceramic melters

Technical Report · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1983

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5795560· OSTI ID:5795560

Goles, R W; Sevigny, G J

Off-gas and effluent characterization studies have been established as part of a PNL Liquid-Fed Ceramic Melter development program supporting the Savannah River Laboratory Defense Waste Processing Facility (SRL-DWPF). The objectives of these studies were to characterize the gaseous and airborne emission properties of liquid-fed joule-heated melters as a function of melter operational parameters and feed composition. All areas of off-gas interest and concern including effluent characterization, emission control, flow rate behavior and corrosion effects have been studied using alkaline and formic-acid based feed compositions. In addition, the behavioral patterns of gaseous emissions, the characteristics of melter-generated aerosols and the nature and magnitude of melter effluent losses have been established under a variety of feeding conditions with and without the use of auxiliary plenum heaters. The results of these studies have shown that particulate emissions are responsible for most radiologically important melter effluent losses. Melter-generated gases have been found to be potentially flammable as well as corrosive. Hydrogen and carbon monoxide present the greatest flammability hazard of the combustibles produced. Melter emissions of acidic volatile compounds of sulfur and the halogens have been responsible for extensive corrosion observed in melter plenums and in associated off-gas lines and processing equipment. The use of auxiliary plenum heating has had little effect upon melter off-gas characteristics other than reducing the concentrations of combustibles.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5795560
• Report Number(s): PNL-4819; ON: DE84001019
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AEROSOLS
AIR POLLUTION ABATEMENT
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CERAMIC MELTERS
CHALCOGENIDES
COLLOIDS
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DISPERSIONS
ELECTRIC FURNACES
ELEMENTS
FLOW RATE
FURNACES
GASEOUS WASTES
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
HYDROGEN
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OFF-GAS SYSTEMS
OXIDES
OXYGEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
PARTICLES
PARTICULATES
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SIZE
SOLIDIFICATION
SOLS
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SULFUR DIOXIDE
SULFUR OXIDES
VITRIFICATION
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES