Supernatant treatment system design through testing
The main purpose of the Supernatant Treatment System (STS) is to remove more than 99.9 percent of the radioactive cesium (Cs-137) from the high-level waste stored in tank 8D-2. Cesium removal is accomplished in the STS by processing the supernatant (liquid) portion of the high-level waste through three or four ion exchange columns filled with zeolite. After treatment in the STS, the decontaminated supernatant is processed as low-level waste and finally encapsulated in cement for eventual disposal. The Cs-137 removed from the waste and absorbed onto zeolite ion exchange material is temporarily stored in tank 8D-1 until it can be encapsulated in glass and disposed of as high-level waste. This report discusses construction and testing of the STS. Design of the STS was started in 1982 in parallel with the selection of the ion exchange material. The construction of this system was accomplished in five phase in parallel with completion of design to allow for faster completion of the project. The existing high-level waste storage tanks -- 8D-1, 8D-2, and 8D-3 -- required major renovations to permit transfer of the high-level waste from tank 8D-2 to tank 8D-1, to house the components that comprise the STS in tank 8D-1, and to store decontaminated wastes in tank 8D-3. Testing in the STS started before construction was complete and was accomplished by first testing components individually. Then the system was retested using simulated supernatant. Integrated testing of the whole Integrated Radwaste Treatment System (IRTS), which includes the STS, Liquid Waste Treatment System (LWTS), Cement Solidification System (CSS), and the Drum Cell, was also performed using simulated supernatant. Finally, slightly radioactive condensate water from tank 8D-1 was processed. After successfully completing this testing, the STS started operations with radioactive supernatant on May 23, 1988. 21 refs., 33 figs., 21 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- West Valley Nuclear Services Co., Inc., West Valley, NY (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC07-81NE44139
- OSTI ID:
- 5859878
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/NE/44139-47; ON: DE89009020
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
West Valley Tank 8D-1 and 8D-2 Inventory Estimation Methodology
Qualification testing and full-scale demonstration of titanium-treated zeolite for sludge wash processing
Related Subjects
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BUILDING MATERIALS
CEMENTS
CESIUM 137
CESIUM ISOTOPES
CONTAINERS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
ISOTOPES
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
REMOVAL
TANKS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES