Transport of Technetium and Rhenium into Refractory Materials during Bulk Vitrification
Bulk vitrification (BV) was selected as a potential supplemental treatment to accelerate the cleanup of low-activity waste (LAW) at the U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site. In the BV process, low-activity waste, soil, and glass forming chemicals are mixed, dried and placed in a metal box lined with a castable refractory block (CRB). Electric current, supplied by two graphite electrodes in the box, melts the waste feed and produces a durable glass waste form. During engineering-scale (ES) tests of BV, a small fraction of radioactive technetium-99 (Tc) (and rhenium [Re], a nonradioactive surrogate) were transferred out of the LAW glass feed and molten LAW glass, and deposited on the surface and within the pores of the CRB. Tc is a primary risk driver for long-term performance of immobilized LAW; therefore, even small fractions of Tc present in a readily leachable form rather than immobilized in a glass matrix can impact long-term performance.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 979528
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-48697; 830403000; TRN: US1003199
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Waste Management '06: Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management: Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation of Waste Management Professionals
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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