During the vitrification of high level waste at the Savannah River Site's Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF) Melter, melt rates have never consistently achieved the design basis of 103 kg/hr. Frit 200 has been the frit added to the high level waste sludge to make the waste glass since radioactive operations were begun. Frit 200 was used as it was expected that coupled feed (sludge and salt solution) operations were going to begin soon after DWPF was started. Since unforeseen problems in processing the salt solution are now delaying for several years the addition of the salt solution that contains additional alkalies (which helps increase melt rate), a program was initiated to develop a new sludge-only frit. Lab scale tests led to the development of Frit 320 (higher alkali content than Frit 200) and the conclusion that this frit would substantially increase the DWPF melt rate and produce an acceptable final glass waste form. The final verification that Frit 320 increased melt rate were larger scale melter tests using Frit 200 and Frit 320 in the 786-A Mini-Melter. This paper discusses the results of these Mini-Melter tests.
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