Operating experience during high-level waste vitrification at the West Valley Demonstration Project

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/754792· OSTI ID:754792

Valenti, P J; Elliott, D I

This report provides a summary of operational experiences, component and system performance, and lessons learned associated with the operation of the Vitrification Facility (VF) at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). The VF was designed to convert stored high-level radioactive waste (HLW) into a stable waste form (borosilicate glass) suitable for disposal in a federal repository. Following successful completion on nonradioactive test, HLW processing began in July 1995. Completion of Phase 1 of HLW processing was reached on 10 June 1998 and represented the processing of 9.32 million curies of cesium-137 (Cs-137) and strontium-90 (Sr-90) to fill 211 canisters with over 436,000 kilograms of glass. With approximately 85% of the total estimated curie content removed from underground waste storage tanks during Phase 1, subsequent operations will focus on removal of tank heel wastes.

• Research Organization: West Valley Nuclear Services Co., Inc., West Valley, NY (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC24-81NE44139
• OSTI ID: 754792
• Report Number(s): DOE/NE/44139-87; B-and-R-EX31-33000; B&R EX31 33000
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
BOROSILICATE GLASS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
REMEDIAL ACTION
STORAGE FACILITIES
VITRIFICATION
WASTE FORMS
WASTE RETRIEVAL