TWR Bench-Scale Steam Reforming Demonstration
The Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) was home to nuclear fuel reprocessing activities for decades at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. As a result of the reprocessing activities, INTEC has accumulated approximately one million gallons of acidic, radioactive, sodium-bearing waste (SBW). The purpose of this demonstration was to investigate a reforming technology, offered by ThermoChem Waste Remediation, LLC, (TWR) for treatment of SBW into a "road ready" waste form that would meet the waste acceptance criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). TWR is the licensee of Manufacturing Technology Conservation International (MTCI) steam-reforming technology in the field of radioactive waste treatment. A non-radioactive simulated SBW was used based on the known composition of waste tank WM-180 at INTEC. Rhenium was included as a non-radioactive surrogate for technetium. Data was collected to determine the nature and characteristics of the product, the operability of the technology, the composition of the off-gases, and the fate of key radionuclides (cesium and technetium) and volatile mercury compounds. The product contained a low fraction of elemental carbon residues in the cyclone and filter vessel catches. Mercury was quantitatively stripped from the product but cesium, rhenium (Tc surrogate), and the heavy metals were retained. Nitrate residues were about 400 ppm in the product and NOx destruction exceeded 86%. The demonstration was successful.
- Research Organization:
- Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE - EM
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC07-99ID-13727
- OSTI ID:
- 911430
- Report Number(s):
- INEEL/EXT-03-00436; TRN: US0704565
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
37 - INORGANIC
ORGANIC
PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
42 - ENGINEERING
CARBON
CESIUM
HEAVY METALS
MANUFACTURING
MERCURY
MERCURY COMPOUNDS
NITRATES
NUCLEAR FUELS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
REPROCESSING
RESIDUES
RHENIUM
STEAM
TANKS
TECHNETIUM
WASTE FORMS
WASTES
WIPP
acidic
nuclear fuel
off-gases
radioactive
radionuclides
reprocessing
sodium-bearing waste
steam-reforming