Control of radioactive waste-glass melters
Abstract
Radioactive waste-glass melters require physical control limits and redox control of glass to assure continuous operation, and maximize production rates. Typical waste-glass melter operating conditions, and waste-glass chemical reaction paths are discussed. Glass composition, batching and melter temperature control are used to avoid the information of phases which are disruptive to melting or reduce melter life. The necessity and probable limitations of control for electric melters with complex waste feed compositions are discussed. Preliminary control limits, their bases, and alternative control methods are described for use in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant (SRP), and at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). Slurries of simulated high level radioactive waste and ground glass frit or glass formers have been isothermally reacted and analyzed to identify the sequence of the major chemical reactions in waste vitrification, and their effect on waste-glass production rates. Relatively high melting rates of waste batches containing mixtures of reducing agents (formic acid, sucrose) and nitrates are attributable to exothermic reactions which occur at critical stages in the vitrification process. The effect of foaming on waste glass production rates is analyzed, and limits defined for existing waste-glass melters, basedmore »
- Authors:
-
- Savannah River Lab., Aiken, SC (USA)
- Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (USA)
- West Valley Nuclear Services Co., Inc., West Valley, NY (USA)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Savannah River Lab., Aiken, SC (USA)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 6122478
- Report Number(s):
- DP-MS-86-217-AI-AII; CONF-870422-15
ON: DE91009339; TRN: 91-009456
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-76SR00001; AC09-89SR18035; AC07-81NE44139
- Resource Type:
- Conference
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 89. annual meeting of the American Ceramic Society, Pittsburgh, PA (USA), 26-30 Apr 1987
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; FOAMS; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; GLASS; LEACHING; QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES; VITRIFICATION; KINETICS; PROCESS CONTROL; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION; ECONOMICS; FORMIC ACID; NITRATES; PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS; QUALITY CONTROL; RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES; REDOX REACTIONS; SACCHAROSE; SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT; THEORETICAL DATA; WASTE PROCESSING; WEST VALLEY PROCESSING PLANT; CARBOHYDRATES; CARBOXYLIC ACIDS; CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; CHEMICAL REACTIONS; COLLOIDS; CONTROL; DATA; DISACCHARIDES; DISPERSIONS; DISSOLUTION; FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS; INFORMATION; MANAGEMENT; MATERIALS; MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS; NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS; NITROGEN COMPOUNDS; NUCLEAR FACILITIES; NUMERICAL DATA; OLIGOSACCHARIDES; ORGANIC ACIDS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PROCESSING; RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; SACCHARIDES; SEPARATION PROCESSES; US AEC; US DOE; US ERDA; US ORGANIZATIONS; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WASTES; 052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing; 360603 - Materials- Properties
Citation Formats
Bickford, D F, Smith, P K, Hrma, P, and Bowan, B W. Control of radioactive waste-glass melters. United States: N. p., 1987.
Web.
Bickford, D F, Smith, P K, Hrma, P, & Bowan, B W. Control of radioactive waste-glass melters. United States.
Bickford, D F, Smith, P K, Hrma, P, and Bowan, B W. 1987.
"Control of radioactive waste-glass melters". United States.
@article{osti_6122478,
title = {Control of radioactive waste-glass melters},
author = {Bickford, D F and Smith, P K and Hrma, P and Bowan, B W},
abstractNote = {Radioactive waste-glass melters require physical control limits and redox control of glass to assure continuous operation, and maximize production rates. Typical waste-glass melter operating conditions, and waste-glass chemical reaction paths are discussed. Glass composition, batching and melter temperature control are used to avoid the information of phases which are disruptive to melting or reduce melter life. The necessity and probable limitations of control for electric melters with complex waste feed compositions are discussed. Preliminary control limits, their bases, and alternative control methods are described for use in the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) at the US Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant (SRP), and at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). Slurries of simulated high level radioactive waste and ground glass frit or glass formers have been isothermally reacted and analyzed to identify the sequence of the major chemical reactions in waste vitrification, and their effect on waste-glass production rates. Relatively high melting rates of waste batches containing mixtures of reducing agents (formic acid, sucrose) and nitrates are attributable to exothermic reactions which occur at critical stages in the vitrification process. The effect of foaming on waste glass production rates is analyzed, and limits defined for existing waste-glass melters, based upon measurable thermophysical properties. Through balancing the high nitrate wastes of the WVDP with reducing agents, the high glass melting rates and sustained melting without foaming required for successful WVDP operations have been demonstrated. 65 refs., 4 figs., 15 tabs.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/6122478},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Oct 12 00:00:00 EDT 1987},
month = {Mon Oct 12 00:00:00 EDT 1987}
}