Initial Operations in the Remote Laboratory-Scale Waste-Treatment Facility

摘要

The Remote Laboratory-Scale Waste-Treatment Facility (RLSWTF) is a system in which small volumes of actual radioactive liquid wastes can be processed into solidified waste forms. The objectives of these radioactive operations are to: evaluate process effluents as a function of equipment operating conditions and radioactive waste compositions; test and improve effluent decontamination systems; and produce representative waste solidification products (glass and alternative forms) for evaluation. The data from the radioactive runs in the RLSWTF are needed to verify the process development work being done with nonradioactive simulated wastes and to provide guidance in developing full-scale waste-treatment equipment. These radioactive operations will identify processing problems that are encountered with radioactive materials and equipment problems when equipment is exposed to a radioactive atmosphere over long-term operations. The runs in the RLSWTF will use several different radioactive, simulated-waste compositions, which will be made by blending nonradioactive chemicals with high-level waste that is already in storage at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL). The nonradioactive operations that have already been completed at PNL with laboratory-scale, pilot-scale, and full-scale equipment indicate that the small size of the RLSWTF will not be a major factor in interpreting and using the data from these radioactive runs. Effluents investigations will concentrate on the following for each waste composition: particulate distribution and control; volatile fission-product distribution and control; and nitrogen oxides control. (ERA citation 08:009326)