Chemical stability of salt cake in the presence of organic materials. [Detonation hazard]

Technical Report · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1976

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7363843· OSTI ID:7363843

Beitel, G A

High-level waste stored as salt cake is principally NaNO/sub 3/. Some organic material is known to have been added to the waste tanks. It has been suggested that some of this organic material may have become nitrated and transformed to a detonable state. Arguments are presented to discount the presence of nitrated organics in the waste tanks. Nitrated organics generated accidentally usually explode at the time of formation. Detonation tests show that salt cake and ''worst-case'' organic mixtures are not detonable. Organic mixtures with salt cake are compared with black powder, a related exothermic reactant. Black-powder mixtures of widely varying composition can and do burn explosively; ignition temperatures are 300-450/sup 0/C. However, black-powder-type mixes cannot be ignited by radiation and are shock-insensitive. Temperatures generated by radionuclide decay in the salt are below 175/sup 0/C and would be incapable of igniting any of these mixtures. The expected effect of radiation on organics in the waste tanks is a slow dehydrogenation and depolymerization along with a slight increase in sensitivity to oxidation. The greatest explosion hazard, if any exists, is a hydrogen--oxygen explosion from water radiolysis, but the hydrogen must first be generated and then trapped so that the concentration of hydrogen can rise above 4 vol percent. This is impossible in salt cake. Final confirmation of the safety against organic-related explosive reactions in the salt cake will be based upon analytical determinations of organic concentrations. 12 tables, 5 fig. (DLC)

• Research Organization: Atlantic Richfield Hanford Co., Richland, Wash. (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: E(45-1)-2130
• OSTI ID: 7363843
• Report Number(s): ARH-LD-119
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CHEMICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
DECOMPOSITION
DETONATIONS
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
HAZARDS
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
NITRATES
NITRATION
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PROCESSING
RADIATION CHEMISTRY
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOLYSIS
SALTS
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SODIUM NITRATES
SOLIDIFICATION
STABILITY
STORAGE
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE STORAGE
WATER