Research and development activities Waste Fixation Program. Quarterly progress report, July--September 1977

Technical Report · Sun Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6418319· OSTI ID:6418319

McElroy, J L

Through the Waste Fixation Program, the Pacific Northwest Laboratory is conducting research on the solidification of high-level radioactive waste. A major goal of this program is to develop reliable solidified waste forms and processes for their manufacture. The research and development activities of the past quarter are described. Over 25,500 lb of glass incorporating simulated defense waste was manufactured in a joule-heated ceramic melter this quarter. In one 86-hr period of continuous operation, 15,000 lb of glass was manufactured. The melting rate in the in-can melting process was found to be approximately proportional to the diameter of the canister, being 50, 70 and 90 kg/hr in canisters with 12-, 16-, and 20-in. diameters. A new, highly instrumented, high-capacity effluent system was installed that serves all of the calciners and melters in the engineering development laboratory. Preliminary leach tests of waste glass in salt brine at 250/sup 0/C and 1000 psi yielded leach rates of between 2 x 10/sup -4/ and 7 x 10/sup -4/ g/cm/sup 2/-day -- about the same as other similarly tested materials such as granite, alumina, and LWR fuel pellets. A Pb--10Sn alloy continued to appear superior to plain lead as a metal matrix material for waste glass marbles, based upon an examination of the interfacial area after heat treatments.

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-06-1830
• OSTI ID: 6418319
• Report Number(s): PNL-2265-3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
DISSOLUTION
GLASS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
LEACHING
MANAGEMENT
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLIDIFICATION
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES