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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 253 records · Page 14
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

UNREVIEWED DISPOSAL QUESTION EVALUATION: Disposal of the West Valley Demonstration Project Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste Debris at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

This Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation (UDQE) assesses whether the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste Debris (WVDP000000023, Revision 3 [WVDP 2018a]) is suitable for shallow land burial (SLB) at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Disposal of the WVDP Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste Debris meets all performance objectives of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Manual DOE M 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual, Chapter IV, Section P (DOE 1999). The WVDP Asbestos Contaminated Low-Level Waste Debris is recommended for acceptance with the condition that the total radium-226 (226Ra) waste stream activity shall not exceed 1.4E8 Bq.

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DOE OSTI2017

Development and Testing of a High Level Waste Slurry Sampling Technique to Support Hanford Waste Processing - 17164

The Hanford Tank Operations Contractor must demonstrate the capability to adequately sample staged high-level waste feed. The sampler employed must have accuracy and precision performance that allow the Tank Operations Contractor (TOC) to meet the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Waste Acceptance Criteria Data Quality Objectives (DQO). A full-scale sampling loop was used at a test facility to develop and demonstrate sampler capability. This paper will discuss the modifications to a sampler configuration previously tested - modifications focused on the improvement of the accuracy of test results. This work targets one of the remaining technical issues with the high-level waste treatment mission at Hanford. The sampling method employed must support both Tank Operations and Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant requirements. To facilitate information transfer between the two facilities the mixing and sampling demonstrations are led by the TOC's Chief Technology Office in conjunction with the One System Integrated Project Team. Results of the testing showed that performance of the Isolok{sup R} sampler, chosen for implementation, can be greatly improved by modifying the systems configuration to provide accurate, repeatable results for Hanford's simulated high level waste. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2018

Pre-Viking Swedish Hillfort Glass: A Prospective Long-Term Alteration Analogue for Vitrified Nuclear Waste

Examining ancient anthropogenic glasses altered in natural environments over hundreds of years can inform and verify models for predicting long-term rates of glass corrosion. Understanding corrosion mechanisms is critical for modeling the performance of nuclear waste glasses that are required to retain radionuclides for >1000 years, and will be disposed in shallow subsurface environments. Two types of ancient Swedish hillfort glasses — one clear, iron-poor glass, and one dark, iron-rich glass — have been characterized to evaluate their use as long-term alteration analogues for vitrified nuclear waste disposed under near-surface conditions. These glasses are of interest to the nuclear waste glass community as they have comparable elemental compositions to glasses under development for disposal of nuclear waste at the Hanford Site, USA. They are also of historical importance to Sweden; thus, an analysis protocol, focusing on non-destructive to semi-destructive analyses, has been developed to maintain the historical integrity of the samples. X-ray computed tomography, micro X-ray diffraction, micro X-ray fluorescence, and electron microscopy data are presented for both vitreous and mineralogical components of the hillfort samples. The internal microstructure and elemental distribution of the glasses, including the presence of crystalline inclusions, are discussed in the context of ancient glassmaking technology.

Weaver, Jamie L.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Uranium speciation in acid waste-weathered sediments: The role of aging and phosphate amendments

Uranium speciation and lability are strongly coupled to mineral transformations in silicate sediments, particularly for sediments subjected to weathering in acidic, high-level radioactive waste, as occurred at the Department of Energy's Hanford (WA) site. In this study, uncontaminated Hanford sediments were reacted for 365 days with acidic (pH 3), uranium-bearing waste solutions, with and without phosphate in batch experiments, prior to detailed characterizations using electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. In PO(4)(-)reactant free systems, uranium speciation was controlled initially by precipitation of compreignacite [K-2(UO2)(6)O-4(OH)(6)center dot 8H(2)O]-and becquerelite [Ca(UO2)(6)O-4(OH)(6)center dot 8H(2)O]-like species. Subsequent further removal of uranium coincided with that of Si and accumulation of boltwoodite, [(K, Na)(UO2)(2)O-4(HSiO4)(2)center dot 0.5(H2O)]-like species of uranium at 180 and 365 days. When present, PO4 exerted a direct and strong control over U speciation. The detection of meta-ankoleite, [K-2(UO2)(2)O-4(PO4)(2)center dot 6H(2)O] at all reaction times when U was present emphasizes the importance of dissolved phosphate as a control on U speciation. Here, meta-ankoleite appears well crystallized and when it occurs as the principal product of sediment weathering, its low solubility is expected to limit dissolved U(VI) concentrations in groundwater. Although boltwoodite solubility is also low, it is formed more slowly (and only when PO4 is absent), after initial precipitation of more soluble, less crystalline uranyl hydroxides. In the context of Hanford crib waste our results suggest that with PO4 present, nearly all uranium would have precipitated in the upper soil.

Perdrial, Nicolas↗
DOE OSTI2023

Nuclear waste Educator's workshop: What and how do we teach about nuclear waste?

A workshop was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on July 25th and 26th, 2022. The objective was to develop a blueprint for educating next-generation engineers and scientists about nuclear waste management and disposal, which requires knowledge from diverse disciplines, including nuclear, chemical, civil, environmental, and geological science and engineering. The 49 participants included university professors, researchers, industry experts, and government officials from different areas. First, we have developed a list of key fundamental knowledge on waste management and disposal across the nuclear fuel cycle. In addition, we discussed strategies on how to teach students with diverse backgrounds through innovative teaching strategies as well as how to attract students into this area. Through the workshop, we identified the critical needs to (1) develop community resources for nuclear waste education; (2) synthesize historical perspectives, including past contamination and the management of general hazardous waste; (3) emphasize a complete life-cycle perspective, including proper waste management as the key component for energy sustainability; (4) teach students how to communicate about the key facts and risks to technical and non-technical audiences; and (5) accelerate the use of the state-of-art-technologies to attract and retain a young workforce. Furthermore, we aim to build a diverse, inclusive community that supports students in developing their own narratives about nuclear waste, particularly in recognizing that antagonistic views have been important to improving safety and protecting public health and the environment.

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DOE OSTI2020

Epsilon Metal: A Waste Form for Noble Metals from Used Nuclear Fuel

Epsilon metal (e-metal) is the metallic phase that forms as inclusions at the grain boundaries in the UO2 fuel during reactor operation. This metal is composed of Pd, Mo, Rh, Ru, and Tc. These metallic inclusions are insoluble in strong acid and remnants of these metallic inclusions have been found in the UO2 matrix that remains from the natural reactors in Gabon that were active 1.8 billion years ago, therefore e-metal should be an excellent waste form for the immobilization of the long-lived isotopes 107Pd (6.5 ? 106 a) and 99Tc (2.13 ? 105 a), with 99Tc being the isotope of interest for repository performance. Therefore, the chemical durability of this potential waste form is assessed in this study. Typically, corrosion rates for metallic materials are measured electrochemically because they are quick, inexpensive, and can reveal the mechanism by which a metal corrodes, at least initially. However, in a repository the waste form would be subjected to slowly flowing water without an applied electrical potential over long time periods. Therefore, the corrosion rates of e-metal specimens were measured with both electrochemical tests and the single-pass flow-through test (SPFT). Potentiodynamic and potentiostatic polarization results suggest that a thin passive film exists on the alloy surface, which seems to be responsible for its high corrosion resistance. Additionally, X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopic results suggest that Pd oxides are significantly enriched in the passive film Results from the SPFT show that the dissolution rates were weakly dependent on pH. Only Mo and Re were found in solution and were used for the calculation of the dissolution rates. In general, the electrochemically determined corrosion rates agree reasonably well with the initial dissolution rate measured with the SPFT test, but they are about one or two orders of magnitude higher than the steady state rates. The causes for this discrepancy are discussed.

epsilon-metal, nuclear waste form, corrosion, sing↗
DOE OSTI2017

Thermal properties of simulated Hanford waste glasses

Abstract The Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant will vitrify the mixed hazardous wastes generated from 45 years of plutonium production at the Hanford Site in Washington State. The molten glasses will be poured into stainless steel containers or canisters and subsequently cooled for storage and disposal. For appropriate facility design and operations to handle such highly energy‐consuming processes, knowledge of the material properties is required. The thermal properties (heat capacity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal conductivity) of representative high‐level and low‐activity waste glasses were studied as functions of temperature in the range of 200°C‐800°C (relevant to the cooling process). Simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry‐thermal gravimetry (DSC‐TGA), Xe‐flash diffusivity, pycnometry, and dilatometry were implemented. The study showed that simultaneous DSC‐TGA would be a reliable method for obtaining the heat capacity of various glasses in the temperature range of interest. Accurate thermal properties from this study were shown to provide a more realistic guideline for capacity and time constraints of the heat removal process when compared to the original conservative design‐basis engineering estimates. The estimates, though useful for design in the absence of measured physical properties, can now be supplanted and the measured thermal properties can be used in design verification activities.

Rodriguez, Carmen P.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Los Alamos National Laboratory Permit Modification Request for Technical Area 63 Transuranic Waste Facility Hazardous Waste Container Storage Unit (Rev. 3)

This Class 3 permit modification requests the addition of a hazardous waste management unit, the Transuranic Waste Facility (TWF), to the Los Alamos National Laboratory Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (November 2010), (hereinafter referred to as “the Permit”). The Permit was issued by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) in November, 1989 and renewed in 2010 (NMED 2010). The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Identification Number is NM0890010515. The facility is owned by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the Department of Energy (DOE), and is operated jointly by NNSA-DOE and by Los Alamos National Security, LLC (LANS). This permit modification request has been prepared to address requirements in the New Mexico Administrative Code, Title 20, Chapter 4, Part 1 (20.4.1 NMAC), as revised October 2009, that are specific for the proposed new hazardous waste storage operations at the TWF. The renewed Permit contains many of the conditions addressing the requirements of the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act (NMHWA) and implementing regulations, specifically 40 CFR, that are common to all LANL hazardous waste management units. The relevant sections of the Permit are referenced throughout this document. Together, information provided in this document and in the Permit will meet the applicable requirements specified in 40 CFR Parts 264 and 270 for the proposed unit.

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DOE OSTI2018

Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation: Disposal of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant Spent Trap Media and Other Uranium Bearing Particulate Wastes at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

This Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation assesses whether the Portsmouth (PORTS) Gaseous Diffusion Plant (GDP) Spent Trap Media and Other Uranium Bearing Particulate Wastes is suitable for shallow land burial at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site on the Nevada National Security Site. Disposal of the PORTS GDP Spent Trap Media and Other Uranium Bearing Particulate Wastes meets all performance objectives in DOE M 435.1-1, Radioactive Waste Management Manual, Chapter IV, Section P. The PORTS GDP Spent Trap Media and Other Uranium Bearing Particulate Wastes are recommended for acceptance with the condition that the total technetium-99 (99Tc) activity disposed under this waste profile shall not exceed 2.1E13 Bq.

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DOE OSTI2021

Road Map for Developing Iron Phosphate Waste Forms for Salt Wastes

In this report, issues that must be addressed to advance the technology readiness level of phosphate glass waste forms being developed to immobilize high-level radioactive salt waste streams are identified, the states of understanding various technical aspects of formulation, processing, and performance are summarized, and approaches supporting further development are recommended. Processing results in dehalogenation of the waste salt, capture of the gaseous halide-bearing species, and immobilization of the residual salt components in a phosphate glass waste form. The approach is suitable for high-level salt waste from electrochemical reprocessing and molten salt reactors. The technology has been demonstrated for chloride-based salts and may also be suitable for the treatment and immobilization of fluoride-based and iodide-bearing waste salts. Aspects of the process requiring further development are identified and approaches recommended.

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DOE OSTI2011

Explanation of Significant Differences Between Models used to Assess Groundwater Impacts for the Disposal of Greater-Than-Class C Low-Level Radioactive Waste and Greater-Than-Class C-Like Waste Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0375-D) and the

Models have been used to assess the groundwater impacts to support the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Disposal of Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) Low-Level Radioactive Waste and GTCC-Like Waste (DOE-EIS 2011) for a facility sited at the Idaho National Laboratory and the Environmental Assessment for the INL Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste Disposal Project (INL 2011). Groundwater impacts are primarily a function of (1) location determining the geologic and hydrologic setting, (2) disposal facility configuration, and (3) radionuclide source, including waste form and release from the waste form. In reviewing the assumptions made between the model parameters for the two different groundwater impacts assessments, significant differences were identified. This report presents the two sets of model assumptions and discusses their origins and implications for resulting dose predictions. Given more similar model parameters, predicted doses would be commensurate.

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DOE OSTI2015

Achievements and process improvements in processing transuranic waste at the TRU Waste Processing Center - 15488

Wastren Advantage, Inc., (WAI) is the DOE Prime contractor for the TRU Waste Processing Center (TWPC) located in Oak Ridge, TN. This paper highlights the TWPCs specific achievements and process improvements associated with both Contact (CH) and Remote Handled (RH), Transuranic (TRU) waste receipt processing and repackaging for disposal. The five key improvement areas and achievements include: - The TWPC installed, tested and operated successfully the Drum Venting System (DVS) to vent over-packed CH-TRU waste drums in several configurations including 55-gallon drums over-packed in 79 or 85-gallon drums. - A new Remote Drum Opener (RDO) system was designed, tested and placed in service to vent drums discovered in overpack boxes in the Box Breakdown Area and to vent overpack configurations that could not be handled in the standard DVS (e.g., 110 gallon overpacks and multiple drum configurations). - The Cask Processing Enclosure (CPE) approach to repackaging RH-TRU waste contained in concrete casks was developed and implemented - Hot Cell outage to incorporate planned equipment modifications and improvements to maintain processing rates. - To improve certification and segregation of CH-TRU from drums that meet Low Level Waste criteria for disposal at Nevada the TWPC added additional equipment/facilities for Non-Destructive Assay (NDA) and Real Time Radiography (RTR). (authors)

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DOE OSTI2019

Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation: Disposal of the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center Mixed Low-Level Waste Requiring Macroencapsulation at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site, Nevada National Security Site, Nye County, Nevada

This Unreviewed Disposal Question Evaluation (UDQE) assesses whether the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) Mixed Low-Level Waste (MLLW) requiring macroencapsulation (INEL166322NR1, Revision 0 [INL 2019]) is suitable for shallow land burial (SLB) at the Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Site (RWMS) on the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS). Disposal of the INTEC MLLW requiring macroencapsulation waste stream meets all the performance objectives contained in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Manual DOE M 435.1-1, “Radioactive Waste Management Manual,” Chapter IV, Section P (DOE 2011). The INTEC MLLW requiring macroencapsulation waste stream is recommended for acceptance without conditions.

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DOE OSTI2012

Thermal conversion of municipal solid waste via hydrothermal carbonization: Comparison of carbonization products to products from current waste management techniques

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a novel thermal conversion process. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer HTC converts wastes into value-added resources. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbonization integrates majority of carbon into solid-phase. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Carbonization results in a hydrochar with high energy density. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Using hydrochar as an energy source may be beneficial. - Abstract: Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a novel thermal conversion process that may be a viable means for managing solid waste streams while minimizing greenhouse gas production and producing residual material with intrinsic value. HTC is a wet, relatively low temperature (180-350 Degree-Sign C) thermal conversion process that has been shown to convert biomass to a carbonaceous residue referred to as hydrochar. Results from batch experiments indicate HTC of representative waste materials is feasible, and results in the majority of carbon (45-75% of the initially present carbon) remaining within the hydrochar. Gas production during the batch experiments suggests that longer reaction periods may be desirable to maximize the production of energy-favorable products. If using the hydrochar for applications in which the carbon will remain stored, results suggest that the gaseous products from HTC result in fewer g CO{sub 2}-equivalent emissions than the gases associated with landfilling, composting, and incineration. When considering the use of hydrochar as a solid fuel, more energy can be derived from the hydrochar than from the gases resulting from waste degradation during landfilling and anaerobic digestion, and from incineration of food waste. Carbon emissions resulting from the use of the hydrochar as a fuel source are smaller than those associated with incineration, suggesting HTC may serve as an environmentally beneficial alternative to incineration. The type and extent of environmental benefits derived from HTC will be dependent on hydrochar use/the purpose for HTC (e.g., energy generation or carbon storage).

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2016

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board Intern Program: Developing Next Generation Nuclear Waste Professionals - 16102

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) created an internship program in the fall of 2013 for undergraduate and graduate students interested in management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Interns must select a project topic in a technical area related to the Board's mission and prepare a well-supported briefing for the agency. The ability to review technical and scientific information in a critical and unbiased manner is essential for completion of the intern's project and this is a particular focus of the interaction between the mentor and the intern. The interns from 2014 and 2015 selected and reviewed topics related to the areas of commingling waste forms for disposal and deep borehole disposal. In addition to the technical project, interns acquire a broad perspective of the federal agencies involved in managing and disposing of radioactive waste while participating in inter-agency networking opportunities. In this review of the Board internship experience, two past interns discuss the personal impact of the program and how they believe the experience prepared them to face the challenges of a career in management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

Synroc Waste-forms for Immobilization of Advanced Reprocessing Wastes - 16167

EURO-GANEX, an advanced reprocessing technology, aims to separate both major (U, Pu) and minor (Np, Am, and Cm) actinides together from fission products. As the final waste composition is free from actinides - as opposed to current process waste, e.g. from PUREX - adapted immobilization matrices need to be developed. Synroc is a potential wasteform that has proven itself to be efficient to immobilize high-level nuclear wastes (HLW). In this study, a new composition of Synroc, 'Synroc-Z', is designed and characterized. The primary modification is to reduce the amount of zirconolite phase, which acts as the main host for actinides. The optimum hot-press conditions for Synroc-Z samples with a waste loading of 20 wt% were determined to be: 1200 deg. C and 20 MPa for 3 h. The durability of Synroc-Z was examined via the MCC-1 test at 90 deg. C. It shows similar leach resistance to Synroc-C, which is much better than current glass waste-forms. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2022

Creating values from wastes: Producing biofuels from waste cooking oil via a tandem vapor-phase hydrotreating process

Here, this study is focused on producing biofuels from waste oils via a tandem vapor-phase hydrotreating process in a pressurized two-stage fixed bed reactor over a bifunctional Ni/Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 catalyst under 0.25 MPa H 2 . A 100% hydrodeoxygenation efficiency both in liquid and gas products was observed, yielding 83.9 wt% C 5 -C 19 n-alkanes which corresponds to a 7.4-fold increase compared with that obtained from non-catalytic conversion. The hydrodeoxygenation mechanism of waste cooking oil in the catalytic tandem hydrotreating process induced by Ni/Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 was proposed. The hydropyrolysis temperature in the first reactor, hydrogenation temperature in the second reactor, reaction pressure, catalyst to waste cooking oil mass ratio, and gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) was optimized at 550 °C, 300 °C, 0.25 MPa, 3, and 56 s -1 , respectively. The application potential of this cascade vapor-phase hydrotreating process was evaluated by employing different waste oils such as palm kernel oil, woody oil (swida wilsoniana), soapstock, and waste lubricating oil as feedstock, giving C 5 to C 19 n-alkane yields ranging from 21.6 to 87.5 wt%. This work provides a novel and promising approach to upcycle waste oils into upgraded biofuels compared with conventional catalytic pyrolysis.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗