Conceptual design of a small-scale plutonium recovery incinerator

Technical Report · Mon Aug 25 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:7153950

Crawford, W F

A conceptional design study of a small scale incinerator for the plutonium production areas has been completed. This glovebox-enclosed incinerator would use pyrohydrolysis to allow recovery of plutonium from highly contaminated combustible waste. The system consists of a primary and secondary chamber and an off-gas system. Initial sizing and specification were completed using computer models, including pyrolysis and hydropyrolysis models. These models were verified by test runs on a TGA furnace. Reasonably good agreement was obtained between the predicted and observed reaction rates. One potential layout indicated the process would fit in a 6-2/3 by 4-1/3 by 7 foot glovebox. The cost of building a prototype is estimated at $300,000. If two machines were built, they could allow recovery of between 3 and 10 kilograms of plutonium per year and reduce waste volume by 2000 cubic feet per year. A small scale, plutonium recovery incinerator in the production areas appears both economically and technically feasible. 11 refs., 14 figs., 2 tabs.

• Research Organization: Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-76SR00001
• OSTI ID: 7153950
• Report Number(s): DPST-86-629; ON: DE88017386
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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ACTINIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
COST
DECOMPOSITION
DESIGN
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
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LABORATORY EQUIPMENT
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TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
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