Tritium effluent control project progress report, July--September 1975. [Tritiated liquid waste decontamination by molecular excitation, electrolysis of high-level tritiated water, and catalytic exchange detritiation studies]
Abstract
In the Tritiated Liquid Waste Decontamination (Molecular Excitation) program, it was found that a 1/4'' Nd:YAG amplifier and a Faraday rotator isolator must be added to the oscillator to obtain the required power for the laser excitation experiments. The isotopic selectivity of the two-photon dissociation process was examined in more detail. The selectivity or ratio of HTO to H/sub 2/O molecules that are photodissociated was found to be on the order of 25, which is inadequate for application to large-scale detritiation projects, e.g., nuclear fuel reprocessing plant waste. The selectivity is such that most of the laser energy is wasted in photodissociation of H/sub 2/O. This obstacle may be overcome by pumping more vibrational energy into the HTO molecules. Various schemes towards this end are being considered. Extensive ab initio calculations on the potential surface for the hydrogen atom-water exchange reaction have been carried out. The energy barrier is calculated to be 38 1/2 kcal/mole, which implies that the exchange reaction T + H/sub 2/O ..-->.. HTO + H is at least 10/sup 9/ times slower than the exchange reaction T + H/sub 2/ ..-->.. HT + H. Calculations were also performed on the analogous hydrogen atom-hydrogen fluoride exchange reaction.more »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Mound Lab., Miamisburg, Ohio (USA)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 7196258
- Report Number(s):
- MLM-2288
TRN: 76-013002
- DOE Contract Number:
- E-33-1-GEN-53
- Resource Type:
- Technical Report
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING; LIQUID WASTES; TRITIUM; RESEARCH PROGRAMS; DECONTAMINATION; ELECTROLYSIS; HEAVY WATER; ISOTOPIC EXCHANGE; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; TRITIUM COMPOUNDS; BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CLEANING; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; HYDROGEN ISOTOPES; ISOTOPES; LABELLED COMPOUNDS; LIGHT NUCLEI; LYSIS; MANAGEMENT; NUCLEI; ODD-EVEN NUCLEI; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PROCESSING; RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS; RADIOISOTOPES; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WASTE PROCESSING; WASTES; WATER; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing; 052002 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
Citation Formats
Kershner, C.J., and Bixel, J.C. Tritium effluent control project progress report, July--September 1975. [Tritiated liquid waste decontamination by molecular excitation, electrolysis of high-level tritiated water, and catalytic exchange detritiation studies]. United States: N. p., 1976.
Web. doi:10.2172/7196258.
Kershner, C.J., & Bixel, J.C. Tritium effluent control project progress report, July--September 1975. [Tritiated liquid waste decontamination by molecular excitation, electrolysis of high-level tritiated water, and catalytic exchange detritiation studies]. United States. doi:10.2172/7196258.
Kershner, C.J., and Bixel, J.C. Fri .
"Tritium effluent control project progress report, July--September 1975. [Tritiated liquid waste decontamination by molecular excitation, electrolysis of high-level tritiated water, and catalytic exchange detritiation studies]". United States.
doi:10.2172/7196258. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/7196258.
@article{osti_7196258,
title = {Tritium effluent control project progress report, July--September 1975. [Tritiated liquid waste decontamination by molecular excitation, electrolysis of high-level tritiated water, and catalytic exchange detritiation studies]},
author = {Kershner, C.J. and Bixel, J.C.},
abstractNote = {In the Tritiated Liquid Waste Decontamination (Molecular Excitation) program, it was found that a 1/4'' Nd:YAG amplifier and a Faraday rotator isolator must be added to the oscillator to obtain the required power for the laser excitation experiments. The isotopic selectivity of the two-photon dissociation process was examined in more detail. The selectivity or ratio of HTO to H/sub 2/O molecules that are photodissociated was found to be on the order of 25, which is inadequate for application to large-scale detritiation projects, e.g., nuclear fuel reprocessing plant waste. The selectivity is such that most of the laser energy is wasted in photodissociation of H/sub 2/O. This obstacle may be overcome by pumping more vibrational energy into the HTO molecules. Various schemes towards this end are being considered. Extensive ab initio calculations on the potential surface for the hydrogen atom-water exchange reaction have been carried out. The energy barrier is calculated to be 38 1/2 kcal/mole, which implies that the exchange reaction T + H/sub 2/O ..-->.. HTO + H is at least 10/sup 9/ times slower than the exchange reaction T + H/sub 2/ ..-->.. HT + H. Calculations were also performed on the analogous hydrogen atom-hydrogen fluoride exchange reaction. In lieu of other disposal methods a system using a General Electric UCT-1 regenerative cell has been assembled and tested. This system should be capable of decomposing pure water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. The tritium from this process can be purified and reused instead of buried. A preliminary economic evaluation was made of the HT/H/sub 2/O catalytic exchange detritiation stripping process as it might apply to a 5 metric ton/day nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. A tritiated water shipping container has been designed and developed for use with the ERDA--DOT approved AL--MI secondary container.},
doi = {10.2172/7196258},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Mar 19 00:00:00 EST 1976},
month = {Fri Mar 19 00:00:00 EST 1976}
}
-
In the tritiated liquid waste decontamination by molecular excitation studies, further calculations were performed on the hydrogen atom-water exchange reactions. Assembly and testing of the cell to be used for the measurement of the HTO IR spectrum were completed. As a result of findings from trial loadings using HD as a surrogate for HT in the oxidation system, it is believed that larger quantities of HTO will be required to obtain the desired ir spectrum. This appears to be a result of a significant adsorption of the water on the inner surface of the spectrometer cell. In the catalytic exchangemore »
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Tritium Waste Control Project progress report: January--March, 1976. [Tritiated liquid waste decontamination by molecular excitation and catalytic exchange detritiation studies]
A series of experiments was conducted to determine the amount of tritium needed in the spectrometer cell to obtain the infrared spectrum of HTO in the 1 to 5 ..mu..m region. Experiments using HDO as a surrogate indicated that 400 mCi of tritium would be required. Test loading experiments with HTO were performed and monitored with an ionization chamber. Adsorption of water on the surfaces was found to be a serious problem in obtaining quantitative material balances in the system. Improved real-time tritium monitoring systems were installed in the Tritium Control Laboratory to monitor stack effluents, room air, and processmore » -
Tritium waste control: April--June 1978. [Catalytic exchange detritiation; liquid waste decontamination; fixation in polymer impregnated concrete; management of high specific activity tritiated wastes]
The Combined Electrolysis Catalytic Exchange system was operated to experimentally determine mass transfer coefficients and to test the process controller. Values for H/sub OG/ and K/sub tilde y/a were obtained at three separate molar flow ratios (tilde L/tilde G). Replicate values of K/sub tilde y/a from additional runs agreed with initial results to within 16%. Two process controller tests were completed that demonstrated the reliability of the system hardware and the feasibility of the digital controller software. The feasibility of using a xenon flashlamp source in the uv photodissociation step of the two-photon water-hydrogen laser isotope separation (LIS) process hasmore » -
Tritium waste control: July--September 1978. [Catalytic exchange detritiation; fixation of aqueous tritiated waste in polymer-impregnated concrete; gas generation by self-radiolysis of polymer-impregnated concrete]
The combined Electrolysis Catalytic Exchange system was modified to allow better control of experimental conditions and to prevent the overflow of water into the air detritation system. A program designed to regenerate the activity of the hydrophobic catalyst was also completed. Slight differences in the release rate of high specific activity tritiated liquid wastes from the drums are now beginning to appear. The three drums with the highest fractional permeation rate had the least amount of tritium when packaged. The fractional permeation rate of the two octane drums appears to have leveled off at about the same rate as themore » -
Tritium waste control project. Progress report: July--September 1976. [Tritiated liquid waste decontamination; tritium fixation package]
The tritium effluent control project to reduce emissions at Mound Laboratory and its application to liquid wastes are described. Research progress reported includes increasing the power of the Nd:YAG laser for detritiating voluminous wastes by molecular photoexcitation, and analysis of gas produced from tritiated water and octane. (DLC)