Vitrification of Hanford wastes in a joule-heated ceramic melter and evaluation of resultant canisterized product

Chapman, C.C.; Buelt, J.L.; Slate, S.C.; Katayama, Y.B.; Bunnell, L.R.

doi:10.2172/5966019

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…This is the predicted result as the lower-density residual-liquid glass would tend to float on the more dense glass in the melter. This characteristic is also seen in the oxide weight percentage changes in Table 4 and is similar to the results reported by Chapman et ale (1979) for the depletion of zinc from the glass produced in another PNL melter.…”

Section: Test R-2supporting

confidence: 88%

High-temperature vitrification of Hanford residual-liquid waste in a continuous melter

Barnes¹

1980

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Over 270 kg of high-temperature borosilicate glass have been produced in a series of three short-term tests in the High-Temperature Ceramic Melter vitrification system at PNL. The glass produced was formulated to vitrify simulated Hanford residual-liquid waste. The tests were designed to 1) demonstrate the feasibility of utilizing high-temperature, continuous-vitrification technology for the immobilization of the residual-liquid waste, 2) test the airlift draining technique utilized by the high-temperature melter, 3) compare glass produced in this process to residual-liquid glass produced under laboratory conditions, 4) investigate cesium volatility from the melter during waste processing, and 5) determine the maximum residual-liquid glass production rate in the high-temperature melter.The three tests with the residual-liquid composition confirmed the viabilityof the continuous-melting vitrification technique for the immobilization of this waste. Although minor processing difficulties (e.g., the formation of fused aggregates of unreacted feed) were encountered in the earlier tests, slight modification of the vitrification system and proper feed preparation produced excellent results in the later tests.The airlift draining technique was demonstrated in these tests and the glass produced from the melter was shown to be less porous than the laboratoryproduced glass. The airlift also was shown to be capable of satisfactorily draining glass from the melter during periods of discharge heater failure.The final glass produced from the second test was compared to a glass of the same composition produced under laboratory conditions. A number of glass characteristics were compared, including porosity, softening and transition temperatures, heat capacity, leaching rate, thermal conductivity, and electrical resistivity. The comparative tests found the glasses to be indistinguishable, as the small differences in the test results fell within the precision range of the characterization testing equipment.iii The cesium volatility was examined in the final test. Two melter effluent scrubbing systems were utilized to determine the cesium volatilization rate during processing. This examination showed that 0.44 wt% of the cesium (assumed to be cesium oxide) was volatilized, which translates to a volatilization rate of 115 mg/cm 2 -h.During later stages of the final residual-liquid test, the cold cap of unreacted feed in the melting cavity was accumulating, indicating that the maximum glass production rate had been achieved. This processing rate was found to be 18 kg/h of glass, representing a melting flux of 160 kg/m 2 -h for the residual-liquid feed. iv • ,"

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Section: Test R-2supporting

confidence: 88%

High-temperature vitrification of Hanford residual-liquid waste in a continuous melter

Barnes¹

1980

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“…Sodium also appears to be the dominant component in affecting the normalized elemental releases of B, Na, Al, Fe, and waste as shown in Figures 32,33,35,and 36. In fact, the effect of sodium may be uniformly underestimated by the model in this centroid region judging by the predomindnce of large negative difference factors for high Na in Table 15.…”

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confidence: 96%

West Valley high-level nuclear waste glass development: a statistically designed mixture study

Chick¹,

Bowen²,

Lokken³

et al. 1984

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for superv1s1ng glass sample preparation and viscosity and electrical conductivity measurements and for writing the procedures for those property measurements. J. P. Olmstead for preparation of graphics. K. M. Olson for conducting glass batching, melting. viscosities measurements. and data reduction. W. C. Richey for conducting the second leaching test. P. C. Young for word processing and assembly of the report.

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“…During calcine feeding, solids are fed from a volumetric feeder through a central flange in the cover plate of the melter. During the early tests with the LFCM, solids were introduced near the rear wall of the melter and were distributed over the entire surface with a batch distributor (Chapman et al 1979). This distributor system process was eliminated to reduce the amount of moving parts in the calcine-fed mode .…”

Section: Feed Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Materials and design experience in a slurry-fed electric glass melter

Barnes¹,

Larson²

1981

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The design of a slurry-fed electric gas melter and an examination of the performance and condition of the construction materials were completed. The joule-heated, ceramic-lined melter was constructed to test the applicability of materials and processes for high-level waste vitrification. The developmental Liquid-Fed Ceramic Melter (LFCM) was operated for three years with simulated high-level waste and was subjected to conditions more severe than those expected for a nuclear waste vitrification plant. The melter examination and analyses resulted in the following conclusions: • Inconel 690® is an excellent material for the electrodes (corrosion rate $0.11 cm/yr). • The Monofrax K-3® glass containment refractory developed moderate cracking, but this cracking did not produce a marked increase in refractory corrosion. The refractory cracking could be largely eliminated with improved design techniques. Monofrax K-3 wall corrosion was $0.85 cm/yr. • The Alfrax 66® insulating refractory exhibited cracking caused by an excessive initial heat-up rate and by thermal expansion stresses of the melter refractory differential. No significant refractory corrosion was noted. • The Zirmul® backup refractory was in excellent condition. • The melter lid and cover plate were warped during the operating period as a result of materials differential thermal expansion. ® Inconel is a registered trademark of the International Nickel Co., Huntington, West Virginia. ® Monofrax is a registered trademark of the Carborundum Co., Falconer, New York. ®Alfrax is a registered trademark of the Carborundum Co., Falconer, New York. ®Zirmul is a registered trademark of the Charles Taylor Sons Co., Cincinnati, Ohio. v This deformation created some air inleakage problems. Increased thermal expansion allowance will reduce this concern. Several metal components, attached to the lid and exposed to process offgas (for which the metals were not selected), exhibited significant corrosion. Thus, the melter materials were in generally good condition after the three-year operating period. Design modifications to this experimental melter can significantly extend the service life of a vitrification system to longer operating periods. All of the major glass containment refractories displayed very good resistance to glass corrosion and are recommended for future designs. vi • ..

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Vitrification of Hanford wastes in a joule-heated ceramic melter and evaluation of resultant canisterized product

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

High-temperature vitrification of Hanford residual-liquid waste in a continuous melter

High-temperature vitrification of Hanford residual-liquid waste in a continuous melter

West Valley high-level nuclear waste glass development: a statistically designed mixture study

Materials and design experience in a slurry-fed electric glass melter

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