The Site Deactivation and Decommissioning (SDD) Organization is evaluating options to disposition the 800 underground tanks (including removal of the sludge heels from these tanks). To support this effort, SDD requested assistance from Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) personnel to examine the composition and flow characteristics of the Tank 804 sludge slurry after diluting it 10:1 with water, adding manganese nitrate to produce a slurry containing 5.5 wt % manganese (40:1 ratio of Mn:Pu), and adding sufficient 8 M caustic to raise the pH to 7, 10, and 14. Researchers prepared slurries containing one part Tank 804 sludge and 10 parts water. The water contained 5.5 wt % manganese (which SDD will add to poison the plutonium in Tank 804) and was pH adjusted to 3, 7, 10, or 14. They hand mixed (i.e., shook) these slurries and allowed them to sit overnight. With the pH 3, 7, and 10 slurries, much of the sludge remained stuck to the container wall. With the pH 14 slurry, most of the sludge appeared to be suspended in the slurry. They collected samples from the top and bottom of each container, which were analyzed for plutonium, manganese, and organic constituents. Following sampling, they placed the remaining material into a viscometer and measured the relationship between applied shear stress and shear rate. The pH 14 slurry was placed in a spiral ''race track'' apparatus and allowed to gravity drain
