Modeling of Spinel Settling in Waste Glass Melter

Technical Report · Tue Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/833300· OSTI ID:833300

Hrma, Pavel R; Nemec, Lubomir; Schill, Petr

Each 1% increase of waste loading (W), defined as the high-level waste (HLW) mass fraction in glass, can save the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) over a half billion U.S. dollars for vitrification and disposal. For a majority of Hanford and Savannah River waste streams, W is limited by spinel precipitation and settling in waste glass melters. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of spinel behavior is crucial for economy and the low-risk operation of HLW vitrification. The goal of this research is to develop a basic understanding of the dynamics of spinel formation and motion in velocity, temperature, and redox fields that are characteristic for the glass-melting process. This goal is being achieved by directly studying spinel formation and settling in molten glass and by developing a mathematical tool for predicting the spinel behavior and accumulation rate in the melter. The main potential benefit of this study is achieving a lower waste-glass volume, which translates into a shorter cleanup time, a smaller processing facility, a smaller repository space, and, hence, a reduced investment of time and money to reach acceptable technical risks. Additional benefits include (1) more accurately assessing sensible limits for problem constituents (such as chromium) in the melter feed, (2) reducing the blending requirements, and (3) comparing cost and risk with other options (pretreatment, blending or diluting the waste) to determine the best path forward. The results of this study will allow alternate melter designs and operating conditions to be evaluated. The study will also address the option of removing the settled sludge from the melter.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (US); Parague Czech Republic (CZ); Vsetin Czech Republic (CZ)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
• DOE Contract Number: FG07-98ER45738
• OSTI ID: 833300
• Report Number(s): EMSP-65422--1999
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CERAMIC MELTERS
CHROMIUM
DOLLARS
GLASS
PRECIPITATION
PROCESSING
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
SIMULATION
SLUDGES
SPINELS
VELOCITY
VITRIFICATION
WASTES