DOE OSTI2018
Most of low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes must be solidified by a proper binding matrix and disposed at the centralized disposal site. So it is desirable to achieve a high loading of radwastes in a drum to reduce the disposal fee while meeting both the national regulations and the waste acceptance criteria of the disposal site. In general, the radioactive wastes (liquid, dried powder and sludge) were solidified by mixing with a proper binding matrix (cement, polymer, asphalt, etc.), but their solidified volume inevitably increases due to the limitation of incorporating of radwaste into a binding matrix. To solve this problem, some Korean NPPs operate both a CTS (Concentrate Treatment System, evaporation and granulation) and a polymer solidification system. The size distribution of granulated wastes produced by CTS is so broad (diameter; several μm ∼ several cm) that a polymer cannot impregnate the void space between particles due to their small size. However, if the powdered radwaste can be compacted into high density pellets, and the pellets can be loaded in a drum with maximum waste loading, then the binding matrix can fill the void between pellets, it might be more desirable to keep the size distribution of pellets constant to reduce the solidified waste volume. This compaction methodology can greatly reduce the disposal fee due to the reduction of the solidified waste volume, and can facilitate polymer solidification due to the constant size of the radwaste pellets. This methodology is also applicable to solidify powdered wastes such a depleted uranium used as a catalyst, ash and sludge. Loading radwaste compacted with bentonite pellets versus particles into a container serves, as an engineered or natural barrier in a deep geologic disposal system. Roll compaction is a typical agglomeration process for dry powders and depends on the device parameters and the material properties. This study, firstly, was focused on the design of roll compactor (briquetting machine), the shape and size of pellet, and secondly the loading method of pellets into a drum, their solidification in polymer, and evaluating the overall volume reduction. We used bentonite (particle size; 85 ∼ 100 μm) as a material to be compacted instead of radwaste powders (concentrates and depleted uranium wastes) without the addition of agglomeration agents. In the design of roll, we considered the diameter (200 mm) and width (41 mm) of roll, two types of pocket shapes (< 9 mm, 0.275 ml), and the surface of the pocket. Fig. 2 shows two pellet shapes, tetragonal and circular. The pressure of roll compactor, one of the main process variables, is > 320 kg f/cm{sup 2}, and the roll gap is 0.5 mm. The powders are compacted in a compaction zone between two counter-rotating rolls according to the complicated mechanisms. As a result of the state and the apparent density of the pellets obtained by changing the pressure from 0 to 286 kg f/cm{sup 2}, the pellets were unstable at pressure=0, but above 148 kg f/cm{sup 2} the pellets were more stable, and the apparent density of the pellets was 2.63 g/cm{sup 3} at 148 kg f/cm{sup 3}, and 2.68 g/cm{sup 3} at 286 kg f/cm{sup 2}. The roller speed (rpm) can determine the capacity (kg/h) of a compactor, and depends on both the compaction pressure and the feeding rate. By increasing the roll speed from 2 to 4 rpm, the apparent density of pellets was decreased gradually from 2.74 g/cm{sup 3} to 1.45 g/cm{sup 3}. We designed the special feeding system in order to feed powders uniformly to the roll gripping zone and to supply powders into the narrowest part of the roll gap. At a constant roll speed (3 rpm) and a constant compaction pressure (286 kg f/cm{sup 2}), the apparent density of the pellets was linearly proportional to the feeding rate from 2.18 to 2.74 g/cm{sup 3} by changing the feeding rate of powders from 8 to 12 rpm. In the polymer solidification of the obtained pellets, we used epoxy resin as a solidification agent, and showed their solidified waste forms in Fig. 5. The incorporation ratio (wt.%) of powders/polymer was about 71.7/28.3 in tetragonal pellets, 71.9/28.1 in circular pellets. We calculated the volume reduction in an aspect of powders itself and the solidified waste form. In powder case, through the comparison of the apparent density of the obtained pellets (2.74 g/cm{sup 3}) and raw powders (0.93 g/cm{sup 3}), the volume reduction was calculated as about 2.74/0.93 = 2.95 times. This means that powders can be compacted to 1/2.95 times. And in waste form case, the weight ratio of powder/polymer in a mixing method (workable) and a compaction method is about 0.42, 2.56, individually. Therefore the volume reduction was calculated as about 2.56/0.42 = 6.01 times. We found a compaction methodology for the volume reduction of powdered radioactive wastes, and their polymer solidification will be more effective to reduce the volume of radwastes to be disposed. After a characterization of the solidified waste form incorporated pellets (including sintered pellets), this methodology will be applied to treat depleted uranium wastes used as catalyst, and to solve the problem of NPPs' polymer solidification system, as mentioned above. (authors)
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗