The In Situ Vitrification Project

Conference · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6348085

Buelt, J. L.

The Columbia Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) is pleased to submit the In Situ Vitrification (ISV) Project to the Pacific Northwest Council for consideration as the Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement. The ISV process, developed by Battelle-Northwest researchers beginning in 1980, converts contaminated soils and sludges to a glass and crystalline product. In this way it stabilizes hazardous chemical and radioactive wastes and makes them chemically inert. This report describes the process. A square array of four molybdenum electrodes is inserted into the ground to the desired treatment depth. Because soil is not electrically conductive when the moisture has been driven off, a conductive mixture of flaked graphite and glass frit is placed among the electrodes as a starter path. An electrical potential is applied to the electrodes to establish an electric current in the starter path. The resultant power heats the starter path and surrounding soil to 2000/degree/C, well above the initial soil-melting temperature of 1100/degree/C to 1400/degree/C. The graphite starter path is eventually consumed by oxidation, and the current is transferred to the molten soil, which is electrically conductive. As the molten or vitrified zone grows, it incorporates radionuclides and nonvolatile hazardous elements, such as heavy metals, and destroys organic components by pyrolysis. 2 figs.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 6348085
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-16327; CONF-8810349-1; ON: DE89009380; TRN: 89-011129
• Resource Relation: Conference: Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award meeting, Seattle, WA, USA, 1 Oct 1988; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
WASTE PROCESSING
IN-SITU PROCESSING
EVALUATION
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SOILS
CONTAMINATION
GLASS
OFF-GAS SYSTEMS
PORTABLE EQUIPMENT
VITRIFICATION
EQUIPMENT
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects