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At least 379 records · Page 21
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Implementation of Treatment Systems for Low and Intermediate Radioactive Waste at Site Radwaste Treatment Facility (SRTF), PR China - 12556

The AP1000 reactors being built in the People's Republic of China require a waste treatment facility to process the low and intermediate radioactive waste produced by these nuclear power stations. Westinghouse Electric Germany GmbH was successful in being awarded a contract as to the planning, delivery and commissioning of such a waste treatment facility. The Site Radwaste Treatment Facility (SRTF) is a waste treatment facility that can meet the AP1000 requirements and it will become operational in the near future. The SRTF is situated at the location of Sanmen, People's Republic of China, next to one of the AP1000 and is an adherent building to the AP1000 comprising different waste treatment processes for radioactive spent filter cartridges, ion-exchange resins and radioactive liquid and solid waste. The final product of the SRTF-treatment is a 200 l drum with cemented waste or grouted waste packages for storage in a local storage facility. The systems used in the SRTF are developed for these special requirements, based on experience from similar systems in the German nuclear industry. The main waste treatment systems in the SRTF are: - Filter Cartridge Processing System (FCS); - HVAC-Filter and Solid Waste Treatment Systems (HVS); - Chemical Liquid Treatment Systems (CTS); - Spent Resin Processing Systems (RES); - Mobile Treatment System (MBS). (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Treatment of Radioactive Sludge From Waste Water Treatment for Weight and Volume Reduction with FreezeTec-Technique - 17010

At the Studsvik site in Sweden, Studsvik Nuclear AB operates a water treatment facility that treat all the waste water from the nuclear facilities at the site. The facility contains several pools for waste water treatment. The standard procedure for treating the water consist of adding FeCl{sub 3} to precipitate any particulates. Historically this waste has been mixed with concrete and grouted into barrels which will increase the volume needed for disposal in final repository. The sludge that is generated from the water treatment facility has been subject to treatment with the Freeze-Tec method where the sludge is freeze dewatered and after thawing generating a solid phase with high dry substance and a clear water phase. The radioactive particles/nuclides tend to stay in the solid phase while the water phase has very low concentration of radioactive particles. 99.9% of the Co-60 and Cs-137 activity end up in the solids and a dry solid with smaller volume and weight is obtained after treatment. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Nuclear Liquid Wastes Calcination: The High-Level French Experience - 17184

Calcination is an efficient process for volume reduction and stabilization of nuclear liquid wastes. It is often the first step of waste containment processes such as vitrification or grouting. The CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) and AREVA have acquired a high-level experience in the field of calcination through more than forty years of R and D and industrial operation. During this period, a broad range of liquid wastes have been studied and treated. R and D work and associated engineering studies allowed defining the design and sizing of the equipment and the process control parameters to be applied for the calcination of all kinds of solutions. The calcination process has been qualified for the following effluents amongst others: - Liquid waste from UOx fuel reprocessing; - Liquid waste from UMo fuel reprocessing (high molybdenum and phosphorus contents); - Hanford HLW; - Liquid waste from D and D operation (sodium bearing waste). This paper presents several studies led by the Joint Vitrification Laboratory (L.C.V), a common research laboratory between CEA and AREVA in charge of qualifying new processes and matrices for waste containment. These studies allowed defining the calcination rules, in particular for very hard to process solutions such as effluents with high boron, molybdenum and sodium contents. The feedback from industrial operation of the calcination process with fission products and effluents from D and D operations, highly loaded with sodium, is also presented. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Qualification of Pre-existing Containers According to the Acceptance Criteria of the Repository Konrad - 17204

As well as working in the field of waste management, Kerntechnische Entsorgung Karlsruhe GmbH (KBE) is, for historical reasons, one of Germany's three constructors of repository containers for the repository Konrad. The focus of this container production is merely on the side of requalification of the existing legacy containers, which are partly already loaded and grouted. To a smaller extend, KTE also produces new containers for its own use because the containers exactly match the waste properties present on the Karlsruhe site. There are three major container types in the process of requalification: - The Type-IV-Drum-Steel-Container FSC-IV-D was successfully licensed in 2014 and regularly produced thereafter. At the same time, the pre-existing containers of this type are re-qualified on the basis of this license by proof of the compliance with this license. - The Type-IV-Product-Container PSC-I-D is identical to the FSC-VI-D in terms of steel construction but also contains a liner of concrete for shielding and protection of the steel construction. This container is designed for large components and demolition waste. After a successful drop test, it is currently in the advanced process of licensing. - Type I cylindrical concrete containers are simple single drum shieldings which were produced in large numbers in the 1970's and 1980's. KTE owns 7,000 of those containers, thus making requalification and licensing cheaper than retreatment of the waste after demolition of the containers. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Savannah River Remediation Liquid Waste Operations Making the Workplace Safer - Lean and Human Performance Improvement Initiatives - 17244

The Savannah River Site, a U.S. Department of Energy facility, contracted Savannah River Remediation (SRR) to manage its liquid waste project, which is a unique, high hazard nuclear waste treatment and disposal facility consisting of 51, one million gallon underground waste tanks, a solvent extraction processing unit, a vitrification facility for the highest radioactive waste, and a grout solidification and disposal facility for a decontaminated salt solution. Our Project mission is to treat the nuclear waste and close the associated storage and treatment facilities, of which, 8 of the 51 tanks have been closed to date. Over the past three years, SRR implemented a Lean Business Management System to address site inefficiencies, aging infrastructure concerns and budget constraints. The Lean philosophy started with the work of W. Edwards Deming and his contemporaries. In more recent years the process has matured in the Toyota Production System and migrated into fields as diverse as services industries, health-care, and now the DOE complex. Like safety, continuous improvement is a fundamental core business value that starts at the top. The Lean Business System, led by our executive management team, drives quality, production and waste elimination by focusing on People using a structured Process that allows the workforce to identify and fix problems in their workplace. Many inefficiencies and quality related issues start with the desire to make systems fail-safe without defining the core requirements for which that process or program was created. This leads to added complexity and latent or inherent human performance issues embedded within our processes. While Lean can't fix all problems, a combination of strong nuclear safety culture, robust conduct of operations, active human performance improvement process, and a business practice of continuously looking for improvements leads to excellence across our industry and creates a culture that is worthy of promoting. Without strong management, our systems fail because no one sponsors or encourages those attributes we covet. Leadership starts at the top with our customer defining what provides 'value' to them, and filters down through to the organization and ultimately the workforce in day to day conduct of operations. It is imperative that our customer drives these desirable ideals through recognition and contractual requirements to encourage and support those behavioral traits that are critical to our ongoing success.This paper focuses on how the Lean Business Management System supports those attributes that we value: a strong nuclear safety culture; disciplined conduct of operations; and a culture of robust human performance and continuous improvement. These attributes in our daily work environment propel a safer, more consistent, more efficient workplace. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Savannah River Remediation Liquid Waste Operations Lifecycle Savings through a Lean Business System at the Savannah River Site - 17245

Savannah River Remediation (SRR) was contracted by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage its liquid waste project at the Savannah River Site. The liquid waste project is a unique, high hazard nuclear waste treatment and disposal facility consisting of 51 one million-gallon underground waste tanks, a solvent extraction processing unit, a vitrification facility for the highest radioactive waste, and a grout solidification and disposal facility for lower radioactive decontaminated salt solution. Our Project mission is to treat the nuclear waste and close the associated storage and treatment facilities, of which, 8 tanks have been closed to date. The Lean philosophy took root decades ago in the manufacturing sector and started with the work of W. Edwards Deming and his contemporaries. In more recent years the process has matured in the Toyota Production System and migrated into fields as diverse as services industries, health-care, and now the DOE complex. At SRR, a Lean business management system was adopted to address site inefficiencies, aging infrastructure concerns and budget constraints. With yearly escalation and flat budgets, continuous improvement is taking on a larger role - improving the work accomplished for each dollar. This paper focuses on the program results achieved to date, including the lifecycle savings identified through the Rapid Improvement Event (RIE) process. The RIE process is a Lean tool which creates a cross-functional team to analyze, develop and implement improvements for a given process. DOE-EM has recently emphasized the value of contractor's continuous improvement programs through their implementation of Plan of Action and Milestone (POAM): Goal 2 (Increase Efficiency/Improve Performance) Reduce EM Operations Cost in FY16. POAM Goal 2 was a FY 16 effort to achieve 5% cost savings across most programs. This past year's cost savings initiatives will likely become a trend as DOE and its contractors look to do more with less. In support of our own business objectives, as well as, DOE's motivation to improve efficiencies, SRR has held over one hundred formal Lean events and dozens of 5S events that have driven improvement across the Project, including tank closure and production facilities. These improvements have significantly reduced the time required to process material and achieve the overall goal of hazard reduction and tank closure. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

SRR's 'Next Step' in the Lean Journey -Taking Lean to the Workforce - 17247

The Savannah River Site, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility, contracted Savannah River Remediation (SRR) to manage its liquid waste project, which is a unique, high hazard nuclear waste treatment and disposal facility consisting of 51, one million-gallon underground waste tanks, a solvent extraction processing unit, a vitrification facility for the highest radioactive waste, and a grout solidification and disposal facility for a decontaminated salt solution. Our Project mission is to treat the nuclear waste and close the associated storage and treatment facilities, of which, 8 tanks have been closed to date. At SRR, the Lean business management system has been adopted to address site inefficiencies, aging infrastructure concerns and budget constraints. The Lean philosophy took root decades ago in the manufacturing sector and started with the work of W. Edwards Deming and his contemporaries. In more recent years the process has matured in the Toyota Production System and migrated into fields as diverse as services industries, health-care, and now the DOE complex. The first step of the SRR Lean Journey was to formally identify areas of improvement and initiate Value Stream Analysis (VSAs) and Rapid Improvement Events (RIEs). SRR has achieved improvements in procedure implementation, work planning and control, project schedule compression, and engineering requirements. SRR is now phasing in the next phase of Lean through Managing for Daily Improvement (MDI), Visual Management and 5S (sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain). MDI is a fundamental Lean principle in that we use our most valuable asset, our employees, to drive continuous improvement versus a smaller population through formal events. Part of MDI includes visual management where the workforce can go to a 'dashboard' to see and understand the company mission and status. 5S is a process where a work group improves performance in an area by addressing physical organization, efficiency, uniformity, standardization, and mechanisms to sustain improvements. 5S stands for: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. This paper will focus on the 'Next Step' in SRR's Lean journey by address how SRR is implementing MDI and 5S to improve CONOPs, Project efficiencies, and worker engagement in day to day operations. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Developing High-Energy Laser-Driven Bremsstrahlung Radiation Sources for Imaging and Analysis of Nuclear Waste Packages - 17300

Radiographic imaging of small scale simulated nuclear waste packages (a 28 mm uranium penny encapsulated in grout) was achieved using a single pulse exposure from an x-ray source driven by a high-power laser. The high-energy laser pulse was generated at the Vulcan laser facility, which focused the photon burst onto a tantalum target foil in order to produce a bright burst of highly penetrating x-rays (with energy >500 keV) from a source size less than 0.5 mm. The sample was imaged using BAS-TR and BAS-SR image plates alongside a Thallium doped Caesium Iodide scintillator-based detector coupled to CCD chips for rapid image acquisition. The penny was resolved to sub-mm accuracy over a 30 cm{sup 2} scan area from a single shot. In addition, on a parallel beamline, neutron generation (of 10{sup 7}-10{sup 9} neutrons per steradian per pulse) was achieved, thereby demonstrating the potential application for criticality testing of waste packages. The principle concern regarding intermediate level waste (ILW) containers is the internal volumetric expansion due to the formation of corrosion products. Therefore, simulated waste samples with hydride corrosion have been formed and characterised in order to emulate this phenomenon. In addition, samples containing controlled isotopic ratios have been formed. This next generation of simulated waste samples have been produced in preparation for a second phase of analysis at the Vulcan laser facility to quantify the identification ability of radiographic imaging and characterisation accuracy of neutronics measurements. This feasibility study successfully demonstrated non-destructive radiography of encapsulated, high density, nuclear material and this paper details the next phase of technological development. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Remediation of 130 mSv/hr. Soil Contamination Under a Hot Cell - 17301

Department of Energy (DOE) contractor CH2M HILL Plateau Remediation Company (CH2M) is currently engineering a system to safely remove and dispose of highly contaminated soil underneath Building 324 located adjacent to the Columbia River on the Hanford Site in Washington State. Cleaning up the waste site will allow for the eventual demolition of the building, which is a top priority for DOE and CH2M due to the proximity of the Columbia River and City of Richland. Building 324 at Hanford was originally constructed in 1966 and was operated for a number of years serving various missions. One of the missions involved development of treatment processes for liquid high activity waste. As of result of one particular mission, liquid high activity waste was spilled in one of the building's hot cells (known as 'B' Cell) and the liquid leaked from a breach in a sump and through construction joints in the hot cell floor and into the soil. Sampling efforts using borehole technology revealed significant under-building contamination with dose rates measuring has high as 130 mSv/hr (13,000 R/hr.). The Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) between the Washington State, Department of Ecology (Ecology), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the DOE has established a 2021 milestone for demolition and removal of the Building 324. Before building demolition can be undertaken, the highly contaminated soil must be removed from beneath the hot cell while the hot cell structure remains in place to provide shielding and containment during the soil remediation. CH2M will fabricate and install remotely operated equipment that will remove debris and grout in the cell, the floor of the hot cell, and the contaminated soil beneath the hot cell and package that soil for disposal. To ensure that the structure remains intact and does not shift during soil removal, support for the building structure must also be constructed as a prerequisite for the planned work. CH2M will use a full-scale mock-up of the Building 324 B Cell and airlock area to assist in the testing of the remotely operated equipment and the training of the soil removal team in a contamination-free environment to ensure efficient and safe performance of the challenging work of the project. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Achieving Leak Tightness in New Savannah River Site Saltstone Disposal Units - 17454

Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) 6 is a new disposal unit at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site Saltstone Disposal Facility. The Saltstone Facility is part of the site's overarching waste management and disposal system. It receives the low-level waste stream and will immobilize in grout more than 90 percent of the liquid volume generated during treatment of the site's liquid high level waste. SDU-6 is the first in a series of large disposal units to be constructed on site. Its internal diameter and height are 114 m (375 ft) and 13.1 m (43 ft), respectively. It uses a cylindrical wire-wrapped concrete water tank design (AWWA D110, Type I), and at 121 ML (32 Mgal), it is one of the largest structures of its kind in the country. Because of its size, SDU-6's base slab was placed in ten sections. Earlier placed sections restrained newer adjacent sections, resulting in shrinkage cracking. Visible cracks were repaired with epoxy. However, the SDU basemat leaked at less than an estimated 4 L/min rate during its first full-height hydrostatic test (2015). The project baseline was to install a coating system to chemically protect the concrete from the high-pH, high-sulfate Saltstone solutions. The coating was not installed during the first hydrostatic test, and subsequently, an adhered elastomeric liner system was chosen to provide higher assurance of bridging floor cracks and preventing leakage. A robust process was used to select and install a liner that will not only provide chemical protection but also achieve leak tightness, which was successfully demonstrated in a second hydrostatic test late in 2016. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Waste Form Development for Solidification of Liquid Secondary Wastes to Support Hanford Direct Feed Low Activity Waste Vitrification - 17484

The US Department of Energy/Office of River Protection DOE/ORP has funded a program led by Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) to develop and test cementitious waste forms for immobilization of liquid secondary waste (LSW) at the Hanford site in Southeastern Washington State. The LSW comprises a concentrated brine from processing liquid effluents at Hanford's Effluent Treatment Facility. The liquid effluents include condensates from the 242-A tank waste evaporator and future offgas condensates from the Low Activity Waste (LAW) Vitrification Facility. To facilitate waste form formulation development and testing, WRPS developed LSW simulants and engaged subject matter experts at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). This paper describes results of recent work done to develop and test a grout formulation tailored to address the elevated sulfate levels in Hanford LSW. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2017

Modular Caustic-Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) Improved Solvent Quality and Processing Results - 17496

The Modular Caustic-Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) Unit (MCU) is a process for Cs-137 removal from legacy nuclear waste. MCU began hot operations in 2008 with an initial planned operating life of three years and a design life of five years. After eight years of operation, MCU has processed more than 23.8 million liters (6.3 million gallons) of waste. The MCU process uses a solvent developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to extract the fission product Cs-137 from liquid salt waste, or salt solution (SS), stored in the Tank Farms at Savannah River Site (SRS) after the material has been treated through the Actinide Removal Process (ARP). Batches of SS are prepared and first fed to the ARP, where it is treated to become clarified SS (CSS), then fed to MCU. Once the Cs-137 has been extracted by the solvent, the CSS becomes decontaminated SS (DSS), which is ultimately processed into a cementitious grout at the Saltstone Production Facility (SPF) and subsequently disposed of at the Saltstone Disposal Facility (SDF). The Cs-137 is then stripped from the solvent into an aqueous strip effluent (SE) stream for incorporation into borosilicate glass at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). The solvent used in the MCU process is made of four components: the extractant (extracts Cs-137 from CSS), the modifier (increases solubility of extractant and suppressor in the diluent), the suppressor (suppresses the effects of anions and improves stripping), and the diluent (controls density and viscosity). There have been two solvents utilized during the lifetime of MCU. The first solvent was developed by ORNL and was used to design the plant based on its cesium removal capability. Due to the extended life of MCU, in order to continue to minimize the curies disposed at SDF, a new solvent capable of removing more cesium from the CSS was developed by ORNL and implemented at MCU. The second MCU solvent, Next-Generation Solvent (NGS), uses the same modifier and diluent as the original solvent, but a different extractant and suppressor. Subsequent changes to the overall MCU flowsheet were made for the use of NGS. The success of cesium removal from the CSS is often presented as the cesium decontamination factor (DF) achieved for each batch processed. The DF is the ratio of the concentration of cesium in the CSS to the cesium concentration in the DSS. The BOBCalixC6 based solvent was capable of achieving DFs between 100 and 400 for each DSS batch. The NGS solvent is capable of achieving DFs greater than 40,000 for each DSS batch. The NGS blend solvent is currently meeting the goals of the pure NGS solvent. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2015

Deployment of large tank monosodium titanate strike to increase salt processing at the Savannah river site - 15115

The treatment of high level waste (HLW) salt solutions using the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) and Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU) began at Savannah River Site (SRS) in 2008. Since that time, over 6 million gallons of liquid HLW have been treated and the resulting low level waste (LLW) effluent immobilized in cementitious grout at salt-stone. In addition to the continued stabilization of liquid HLW, operating experience from the ARP/MCU facilities has also been valuable in considering the design and construction of the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) which will utilize similar unit operations on a much larger scale. ARP removes actinides by contacting waste with monosodium titanate (MST) which is a solid adsorbent for soluble strontium and actinides. Once the sorption reaction is complete, the MST solids are separated from salt solution via ultrafiltration through a crossflow filter. The throughput of initial operations of ARP/MCU was limited by the flowrate through the extraction process. However, after the implementation of a new solvent flowsheet, filtration of MST will be the rate limiting step in salt processing. For the entirety of ARP/MCU operation, Savannah River Remediation (SRR) has sought to improve process efficiency and performance through optimization and modification of the original facility design. These efforts have resulted in a best-single-year throughput of 4.9 million liters of decontaminated salt solution. In keeping with these practices, SRR recently initiated a project to improve filtration throughput by relocating the MST strike from small batches immediately upstream of the filtration unit to the underground waste tank used to batch and store salt solution feed for ARP/MCU. This process change will allow the bulk of MST solids to decant in the waste tank prior to filtration which should improve both the nominal operational filter flux as well as the achieved utility of filter operation. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2015

Commercial submersible mixing pump for SRS tank waste removal - 15223

The Savannah River Site Tank Farms have 45 active underground waste tanks used to store and process nuclear waste materials. There are 4 different tank types, ranging in capacity from 2839 m{sup 3} to 4921m{sup 3} (750,000 to 1,300,000 gallons). Eighteen of the tanks are older style and do not meet all current federal standards for secondary containment. The older style tanks are the initial focus of waste removal efforts for tank closure and are referred to as closure tanks. Of the original 51 underground waste tanks, six of the original 24 older style tanks have completed waste removal and are filled with grout. The insoluble waste fraction that resides within most waste tanks at SRS requires vigorous agitation to suspend the solids within the waste liquid in order to transfer this material for eventual processing into glass filled canisters at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). SRS suspends the solid waste by use of recirculating mixing pumps. Older style tanks generally have limited riser openings which will not support larger mixing pumps, since the riser access is typically 58.4 cm (23 inches) in diameter. Agitation for these tanks has been provided by four long shafted standard slurry pumps (SLP) powered by an above tank 112 kW (150 HP) electric motor. The pump shaft is lubricated and cooled in a pressurized water column that is sealed from the surrounding waste in the tank. Closure of four waste tanks has been accomplished utilizing long shafted pump technology combined with heel removal using multiple technologies. Newer style waste tanks at SRS have larger riser openings, allowing the processing of waste solids to be accomplished with four large diameter SLPs equipped with 224 kW (300 HP) motors. These tanks are used to process the waste from closure tanks for DWPF. In addition to the SLPs, a 224 kW (300 HP) submersible mixer pump (SMP) has also been developed and deployed within older style tanks. The SMPs are product cooled and product lubricated canned motor pumps designed to fit within available risers and have significant agitation capabilities to suspend waste solids. Waste removal and closure of two tanks has been accomplished with agitation provided by 3 SMPs installed within the tanks. In 2012, a team was assembled to investigate alternative solids removal technologies to support waste removal for closing tanks. The goal of the team was to find a more cost effective approach that could be used to replace the current mixing pump technology. This team was unable to identify an alternative technology outside of mixing pumps to support waste agitation and removal from SRS waste tanks. However, the team did identify a potentially lower cost mixing pump compared to the baseline SLPs and SMPs. Rather than using the traditional procurement using an engineering specification, the team proposed to seek commercially available submersible mixer pumps (CSMP) as alternatives to SLPs and SMPs. SLPs and SMPs have a high procurement cost and the actual cost of moving pumps between tanks has shown to be significantly higher than the original estimates that justified the reuse of SMPs and SLPs. The team recommended procurement of 'off-the-shelf' industry pumps which may be available for significant savings, but at an increased risk of failure and reduced operating life in the waste tank. The goal of the CSMP program is to obtain mixing pumps that could mix from bulk waste removal through tank closure and then be abandoned in place as part of tank closure. This paper will present the development, progress and relative advantages of the CSMP. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

Demonstration of SuperLig{sup R} 605 and SuperLig{sup R} 644 in a Regeneration Flow Sheet to Remove Radioactive Strontium and Cesium from Seawater - 16236

Remediation techniques are needed for efficient removal of radioactive strontium and cesium from seawater. Molecular Recognition Technology, using selective SuperLig{sup R} resins, demonstrates a clean chemistry approach to solving this problem. Molecular Recognition Technology offers high levels of separation of chemically pure metal contaminants, whose subsequent disposal is compatible with simple waste forms (grout and glass). SuperLig{sup R} resins can be regenerated with common reagents and used many times, limited by a dose of 1 E+9 Rad, which assures low volumes of secondary solid waste. The metal selectivity of the SuperLig{sup R} resin ensures that the solid waste is of low residual activity. These properties of sustainability are illustrated in a project that demonstrated the ability of two SuperLig{sup R} resins to selectively remove Cs and Sr from a seawater mimic representative of the contaminated seawater in Fukushima, Dai'ichi, Japan harbor. Removal of radioactive Sr-90 and Cs-134/Cs-137 from seawater using conventional ion exchange or a complexing agent is complicated by the presence of large excesses of competing ions such as Na, K, Ca, and Mg, which can be co-extracted. These competing ions, if co-extracted, reduce the capacity of a single pass resin with the consequent increase in volume of spent resin or decrease in capacity of a regenerable resin. The successful demonstration reported in this study has shown the ability of two proprietary resins, SuperLig{sup R} 605 and SuperLig{sup R} 644, to remove Sr and Cs, respectively, with high selectivity from simulated solutions containing these metal ions together with major constituents of seawater at their normal concentrations. This effort was part of a demonstration project to investigate methods for removal of Sr-90 and Cs-134/Cs-137 from 160,000 cubic meters of seawater impounded at Fukushima, Dai'ichi, Japan harbor. SuperLig{sup R} resins can be regenerated by elution with small volumes of simple acid solutions. SuperLig{sup R} resins have a high tolerance to radiation, with their performance not being degraded by doses of 1.0 E+9 Rad. Estimates, based on the results obtained, are that Cs and Sr levels in the volume of seawater in the Fukushima, Dai'ichi, Japan harbor could be reduced to desired discharge limits in 200 days with some 30 cubic meters of the two SuperLig{sup R} resins and that decontamination factors of 10 or more could be achieved. Results of the demonstration, together with advantages of the Molecular Recognition Technology process over conventional procedures for these separations are presented and discussed. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

Optimising Blends of Blast Furnace Slag for the Immobilisation of Nuclear Waste - 16245

The legacy of nuclear waste at the Sellafield site in the UK is an ongoing issue, and the current preferred route for the disposal of low and intermediate level waste is encapsulation in a cementitious matrix, formulated by blending Portland cement with blast furnace slag (BFS). Due to demands and economic challenges faced by the cement and steel industries, the supply of BFS to the UK nuclear industry has been inconsistent. These changes have caused the industry to move from a unique BFS powder supply with a certain specification to a combination of standard commercially available cementitious powders. The material currently used at the Sellafield site is a blend of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) and a coarser fraction of the same composition called Calumite, combined with Portland cement. This work involves future-proofing the supply of BFS for the UK nuclear industry by optimising the blend of the two fractions of BFS in order to replicate the unique specification required by Sellafield Ltd. The main emphasis is on the particle size distribution (PSD) and how this impacts the properties of the final wasteform. The study investigates the performance properties of the blended grouts such as workability, particle packing and heat evolution. Results show that the PSD of the cement powders affect both the physical and chemical properties of the cementitious matrix produced. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

Detection and Mitigation of Hanford Site Radioactive Waste Tank Surface Water Intrusion - 16396

The last single-shell underground radioactive waste storage tanks at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site, near Richland, WA, were removed from service in November, 1980. At that time the single-shell tanks contained 153,300 m{sup 3} (40.5 million gallons) of waste, including 34,400 m{sup 3} (9.1 million gallons) of liquids. Subsequently the Interim Stabilization Program and Waste Retrieval/Closure Project have removed 24,600 m{sup 3} (6.5 million gallons) of liquid from the tanks to reduce the potential for leakage to the environment. After interim stabilization, each tank was isolated by cutting and capping waste transfer lines, filling drains with grout, and covering likely surface water entry points. The minimum expected lifetime for the isolation features was 20 years, consistent with planned retrieval of all single-shell tank wastes by 2018. Since then the retrieval completion date has been extended. In 2011 the Tank Operating Contractor began a systematic review of the aging isolation barriers to determine if surface water was entering the single-shell tanks. This paper summarizes the results of the 2011 - 2015 activities including single-shell tank inspection results, methodologies used to identify intrusions and waste leaks masked by intrusion, and eventual deployment of a prototype forced ventilation exhauster in 2015 to evaporate water intrusion pools on the waste surface. Further efforts to limit water intrusion, including deployment of surface barriers, are discussed. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2016

Integration of National Laboratory and Low-Activity Waste Pretreatment System Technology Service Providers - 16435

The National Laboratories are a critical partner and provide expertise in numerous aspects of the successful execution of the Direct-Feed Low Activity Waste Program. The National Laboratories are maturing the technologies of the Low-Activity Waste Pretreatment System consistent with DOE Order 413.3B, 'Program and Project Management for the Acquisition of Capital Assets', expectations. The National Laboratories continue to mature waste forms, i.e., glass and secondary waste grout, for formulations and predictions of long-term performance as inputs to performance assessments. The working processes with the National Laboratories have been developed in procurements, communications, and reporting to support the necessary delivery-based technology support. The relationship continues to evolve from planning and technology development to support of ongoing operations and integration of multiple highly coordinated facilities. (authors)

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