Foaming and Antifoaming in Radioactive Waste Pretreatment and Immobilization Processes

The objective of this research is to develop a fundamental understanding of the physico-chemical mechanisms that cause foaminess in the DOE High Level (HLW) and Low Activity radioactive waste separation processes and to develop and test advanced antifoam/defoaming agents. Antifoams developed for this research will be tested using simulated defense HLW radioactive wastes obtained from the Hanford and Savannah River sites

Millimeter-Wave Measurements of High Level and Low Activity Glass Melts

New real-time sensors for characterizing glass melts in high level waste (HLW) and low activity waste (LAW) melters will be developed. Millimeter-wave technology will be applied to the simultaneous measurement of temperature, conductivity, and viscosity for the first time. This new sensor technology will make possible better process control to improve reliability and efficiency of waste glass melters. Also, it will provide new data for bridging the gap between theoretical glass melt models and their relationship to melter performance. Robust waveguide interfacing with the melter will make possible reliable in situ monitoring of molten glass properties at the surface and throughout the glass volume. Laboratory studies will be undertaken over a wide range of waste glass chemistries to enable an understanding of the relationship between the melt chemistry and the millimeter-wave measurable characteristics. A basic goal is to characterize glass melts in situ so that data will rep resent the actual melt's behavior. The work is closely coupled to the needs of the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP), and vitrification efforts at Hanford, Oak Ridge, and Idaho sites. This research is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC)

Foaming and Antifoaming and Gas Entrainment in Radioactive Waste Pretreatment in Radioactive Waste Pretreatment and Immobilization Processes

This presentation was given at the DOE Office of Science-Environmental Management Science Program (EMSP) High-Level Waste Workshop held on January 19-20, 2005 at the Savannah River Site

Foaming and Antifoaming in Radioactive Waste Pretreatment and Immobilization Processes

Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has reported severe foaminess in the bench scale evaporation of the Hanford River Protection - Waste Treatment Plant (RPP-WPT) envelope C waste. Excessive foaming in waste evaporators can cause carryover of radionuclides and non-radioactive waste to the condensate system. The antifoams used at Hanford and tested by SRNL are believed to degrade and become inactive in high pH solutions. Hanford wastes have been known to foam during evaporation causing excessive down time and processing delays

Evaporation, Rheology, And Vitrification Of A Pretreated Radioactive Hanford Tank 241-AN-104 Sample Mixed With Simulated Law SBS Recycle

This study involved evaporation of the radioactive low activity waste AN-104 pretreated waste and a simulant LAW submerged bed scrubber recycle from Duratek blended at two different volume ratios. The AN104SBS35651 pretreated wastes were then blended with glass former chemicals, GFCs, and a single blend vitrified. The chemical and physical properties, during all phases of blending were characterized per Table 1-1. The AN-104 radioactive waste used for this study was initially characterized at SRNL, Hay 2003, followed by filtration to remove entrained solids, Poirier 2003, and put through ion exchange for cesium removal, Adu-Wusu 2003,. All the test objectives in Table 1-1 are from section 3 of the Test Specification, Sidibe 2003. The test exception listed in Table 1-2 deleted the vitrification objectives for vitrification product analyses and product testing of the AN-104 glass. Therefore, Table 1-1 does not list any vitrification product analyses and product testing objectives