Selection of an interim upgrade strategy for the Process Waste Treatment Plant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Technical Report · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6218751· OSTI ID:6218751

Kent, T E; Villiers-Fisher, J F; Harrington, F E

The principal aim of current changes in the liquid waste handling systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is to reduce liquid low-level waste (LLLW) volumes and to meet increasingly stringent discharge regulations. Proposed improvements at the facility's Process Waste Treatment Plant (PWTP) will have a significant impact on the amount of LLLW generated at ORNL. These improvements will also be important for ensuring that the plant operates under the reduced discharge limits for radionuclides imposed by Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5400.5. Construction of a new PWTP that will completely decouple the process waste and LLLW systems is being proposed. Because of the time required to fund and construct a new PWTP, the existing plant must be improved to reduce waste generation, to expand capacity, and to comply with the lower discharge limits. The economic evaluation performed in this study guided the decision to upgrade the PWTP by improving the existing softening/ion-exchange system for {sup 90}Sr removal and adding a zeolite system for {sup 137}Cs removal. This strategy will reduce LLLW produced at the PWTP by as much as 70% and increase the amount of solid waste produced by about 30%. Disposal costs are expected to decrease by over 50%. 17 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/NE
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6218751
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-11384; ON: DE91007817
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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