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Title: Chemical cleaning of porous stainless steel cross-flow filter elements for nuclear waste applications

Abstract

The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) currently under construction for treatment of High-Level Waste (HLW) at the Hanford Site will rely on cross-flow ultrafiltration to provide solids-liquid separation as a core part of the treatment process. To optimize process throughput, periodic chemical cleaning of the porous stainless steel filter elements has been incorporated into the design of the plant. It is currently specified that chemical cleaning with nitric acid will occur after significant irreversible membrane fouling is observed. Irreversible fouling is defined as fouling that cannot be removed by backpulsing the filter. PNNL has investigated chemical cleaning processes as part of integrated tests with HLW simulants and with actual Hanford tank wastes. To quantify the effectiveness of chemical cleaning, the residual membrane resistance after cleaning was compared against the initial membrane resistance for each test in a series of long-term fouling tests. The impact of the small amount of residual resistance in these tests could not be separated from other parameters and the historical benchmark of >1 GPM/ft2 for clean water flux was determined to be an adequate metric for chemical cleaning. Using the results from these tests, a process optimization strategy is presented suggesting that for the simulantmore » material under test, the value of chemical cleaning may be suspect. The period of enhanced filtration may not be enough to offset the down time required for chemical cleaning, without respect to the other associated costs.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1043134
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-79432
EY7144147; TRN: US1203006
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: American Filtration and Separations Society Annual Meeting, May 10-12, 2011, Lousiville, Kentucky
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; BENCHMARKS; CLEANING; CONSTRUCTION; DESIGN; FILTERS; FILTRATION; FOULING; MEMBRANES; METRICS; NITRIC ACID; OPTIMIZATION; RADIOACTIVE WASTES; STAINLESS STEELS; TANKS; ULTRAFILTRATION; WASTE PROCESSING; WASTES; WATER; waste filtration; chemical cleaning; simulant; CUF; nitric acid; oxalic acid

Citation Formats

Billing, Justin M, Daniel, Richard C, Hallen, Richard T, Schonewill, Philip P, Shimskey, Rick W, and Peterson, Reid A. Chemical cleaning of porous stainless steel cross-flow filter elements for nuclear waste applications. United States: N. p., 2011. Web.
Billing, Justin M, Daniel, Richard C, Hallen, Richard T, Schonewill, Philip P, Shimskey, Rick W, & Peterson, Reid A. Chemical cleaning of porous stainless steel cross-flow filter elements for nuclear waste applications. United States.
Billing, Justin M, Daniel, Richard C, Hallen, Richard T, Schonewill, Philip P, Shimskey, Rick W, and Peterson, Reid A. 2011. "Chemical cleaning of porous stainless steel cross-flow filter elements for nuclear waste applications". United States.
@article{osti_1043134,
title = {Chemical cleaning of porous stainless steel cross-flow filter elements for nuclear waste applications},
author = {Billing, Justin M and Daniel, Richard C and Hallen, Richard T and Schonewill, Philip P and Shimskey, Rick W and Peterson, Reid A},
abstractNote = {The Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) currently under construction for treatment of High-Level Waste (HLW) at the Hanford Site will rely on cross-flow ultrafiltration to provide solids-liquid separation as a core part of the treatment process. To optimize process throughput, periodic chemical cleaning of the porous stainless steel filter elements has been incorporated into the design of the plant. It is currently specified that chemical cleaning with nitric acid will occur after significant irreversible membrane fouling is observed. Irreversible fouling is defined as fouling that cannot be removed by backpulsing the filter. PNNL has investigated chemical cleaning processes as part of integrated tests with HLW simulants and with actual Hanford tank wastes. To quantify the effectiveness of chemical cleaning, the residual membrane resistance after cleaning was compared against the initial membrane resistance for each test in a series of long-term fouling tests. The impact of the small amount of residual resistance in these tests could not be separated from other parameters and the historical benchmark of >1 GPM/ft2 for clean water flux was determined to be an adequate metric for chemical cleaning. Using the results from these tests, a process optimization strategy is presented suggesting that for the simulant material under test, the value of chemical cleaning may be suspect. The period of enhanced filtration may not be enough to offset the down time required for chemical cleaning, without respect to the other associated costs.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1043134}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 10 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Tue May 10 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}

Conference:
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