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At least 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Preliminary performance assessment for the Waste Management Area C at the Hanford site in southeast Washington - 15331

A performance assessment of Single-Shell Tank Waste Management Area C located at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southeastern Washington is being conducted to satisfy the requirements of the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, as well as other Federal requirements and State-approved closure plans and permits. The Waste Management Area C performance assessment assesses the fate, transport, and impacts of radionuclides and hazardous chemicals within residual wastes left in tanks and ancillary equipment and facilities in their assumed closed configuration and the subsequent risks to humans into the far future. The part of the performance assessment focused on radiological impacts is being developed to meet the requirements for a closure authorization under U.S. Department of Energy Order 435.1 that include a waste incidental to reprocessing determination for residual wastes remaining in tanks, ancillary equipment, and facilities. An additional part of the performance assessment will evaluate human health and environmental impacts from hazardous chemical inventories in residual wastes remaining in Waste Management Area C tanks, ancillary equipment, and facilities needed to meet the requirements for permitted closure under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. Preliminary results of the performance assessment are evaluating the groundwater and air pathways to determine radiation exposure once radionuclides are released to the environment due to degradation of the engineered barriers. Per DOE Order 435.1, results of the preliminary analyses are being compared to the performance objectives during the 1,000-year post-closure period of compliance. Per the Order, performance assessment results are also being compared to the performance measures related to acute and chronic inadvertent intruder analyses and groundwater protection. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

Operational plant lifetime assessment - UK national nuclear laboratory experience - 15366

Inspection and monitoring of the condition of key plant assets at the Sellafield Site is an important task in helping to enable the continued operation of the reprocessing and waste management facilities. This takes place within a range of environments, from non-active areas to highly active black cells where no man-access is possible. NNL staff work closely with the plant operators and other contractors in carrying out inspection and monitoring tasks, and have a particular expertise in the black cell environments where increased challenges exist. As plants age more work is required in order to underpin ongoing operations and understand the operational lifetime of key assets in order to achieve maximum throughput and utilisation. This paper discusses how expertise in a variety of different technical disciplines is combined in order to both understand and extend the operational life of the Highly Active (HA) evaporators at Sellafield, and a small number of further similar examples are also discussed. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

Submersible ROVs pioneer decommissioning of a legacy nuclear fuel storage pond - 15368

Submersible Remote Handling Vehicles (ROVs) are being used in innovative ways at the Sellafield decommissioning, reprocessing and nuclear waste management facility in the UK in a legacy fuel storage pond in support of pond decommissioning. A wide range of sensors and tooling attached to submersible ROVs are being used to characterise the contents of the pond and perform a wide range of maintenance and material retrieval tasks. Visual surveys, sludge and liquor sampling and radiological surveys are just some of the characterisation projects undertaken with the help of the ROVs. The ROVs have also been deployed with tooling including manipulators which can retrieve debris from the pond floor. A variety of mini and work class ROVs are used in the ponds and these can access areas of the pond that the traditional technologies such as long reach tooling and manipulators from overhead cranes cannot reach safely, efficiently and cost effectively. The ROVs are controlled at a distance from the pond to minimise operator exposure to radiation and avoid potential radiological contamination. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

Methods for radiological assessment of C-14 in air effluents - 15419

The purpose of this paper is to report on methods used for the assessment of -dose significant- C-14 being discharged into the air from nuclear facilities. GEL laboratories, LLC and GEL Engineering LLC, (GEL) undertook the task of developing new and improved methods to better identify the release of C-14 in the various chemical forms released from nuclear reactors and fuel reprocessing facilities. To completely understand the environmental releases and impact to the public a two-step approach was selected. The first step was to develop a sampling method that would enable an accurate assessment of the ratio of C-14 discharged as carbon dioxide compared to organic gases like methane. This is very important to dose modeling calculations to members of the public. Once this ratio was understood, the second step was to develop a method to track inorganic forms of C-14 with standard environmental air monitoring equipment and achieve a detection limit that was in line with NRC 10CFR Appendix I dose modeling requirements. GEL development efforts focused on using a solid sample cartridge that would fit into standard air sampling equipment used at nuclear plants. The cartridge and sorbent needed to be capable of running 7 days at 24 hours per day and not saturate with stable carbon dioxide. The process developed for analyzing the sorbent involves chemically removing the carbon dioxide and ultimately counting by liquid scintillation counting. The method yields a detection limit for C-14 of 0.02 Bq/m{sup 3} which provides a dose calculation of approximately 0.1 mSv/yr when applied to the child model. This paper will describe the methods and results used to determine field environmental monitoring for C-14 using GEL cartridges also known as -GELsorb C14-. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

Advanced dismantling techniques applied in an industrial project for the dismantling of highly activated equipment - 15446

Commissioned in 1958 on the CEA nuclear site of Marcoule (France) and shut down in 1997, the former UP1 plant was dedicated to reprocess the spent fuel from G1, G2 and G3 GCR reactors. Since 1998, a wide program for cleaning-up and dismantling the plant has been developed in order to dismantle the process equipment, eliminate any radiological risk in all buildings concerned and remove all the resulting waste. Major technical challenges are related to the wide range of complex components and equipment in the facilities such as chemical dissolvers, extractor batteries, evaporators, tanks; and to a high risk of exposure, due to the presence of fission products. To address these challenges, CEA led R and D programs to develop advanced tools for complex dismantling projects: immersive virtual reality, laser cutting techniques, special remote-controlled arms combining dexterity and high resistance to irradiation The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of a practical implementation and to show first results of these advanced techniques on a real case: the dismantling of dissolver's equipment from the dissolution workshop of UP1 plant. ONET Technologies has been chosen by CEA to design, build and operate the overall dismantling and waste treatment system for this project. ONET Technologies designed two main subsystems to meet all the requirements for this project: first, the 'Remotely-Operated Handling and Cutting Unit' and second the 'Waste Extraction and Conditioning Unit' and the combining innovative technologies. During the design phase, the 'Immersive Virtual Reality' has been used to qualify the kinematics in the final environment and the preliminary dismantling scenario. Following a first R and D program of CEA regarding the laser cutting technique applied to nuclear decommissioning, ONET Technologies and CEA realized elementary inactive tests based on a 6 kW Nd-Yag laser source to qualify the cutting performance according to material and thickness. Main objective was to meet the safety criteria and to check the physical characteristics of waste resulting from the laser cutting operation. The Remotely-Operated Handling and Cutting Unit was equipped with a MAESTRO manipulator, resulting from ten years of research and development cooperation between CEA and Cybernetix. This manipulator, a 6 axis hydraulic manipulator-arm specifically designed to work in harsh environment, entered in its industrial phase. ONET Technologies was responsible for the overall system integration, confinement and performance. A comprehensive qualification program in real conditions has been driven during 2014. The dismantling scenario was tested with a mockup at a full scale of dissolver equipment and confirmed at this stage the expected level of performance and safety. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

Overcoming challenges in delivering 5 Avantech water treatment systems at Fukushima - 15544

The Great East Japan Earthquake has left the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Station with many challenges related to water treatment. This paper will provide information on three systems provided for the treatment of [1] accumulated water associated with the Circulated Water Cooling System, [2] sub-drain water removed from wells adjacent to the Unit 1-4 Reactor and Turbine Buildings, and [3] wash water from decontamination of vehicles and equipment. Specific information will be presented on work that was completed to overcome process, installation and logistical challenges associated with these water streams including the following: - Selection of technology and equipment for removal of specific radionuclides - Performance results of highly selective adsorbents used for removing radionuclides in the presence of varying concentrations of chlorides and other natural constituents - Description of process flowsheets and equipment configuration - Discussion of the post-accident work environment and the related work site restrictions Results show that the customized solutions will enable the utility to clean-up the wastewater for cooling, reuse and potential discharge. The technologies used for the three water treatment systems are directly applicable to the treatment of similarly challenging water streams at commercial nuclear power plants, fuel reprocessing plants and governmental nuclear facilities worldwide. The use of these technologies will aid in the lowering of radioactivity released to the environment, worker radiation exposure and the amount of secondary waste requiring long term storage and/ or disposal. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2015

Zircaloy Cladding as Starting Precursor for Ceramic Waste-Forms - 15562

Zircaloy cladding of spent fuel is regular waste-stream related to the process of reprocessing. It remains in the apparatus after spent fuel dissolution. The most common technique of zircaloy cladding treatment is cementation and disposal in metallic containers. In view of the high cost of the cladding material (mainly zirconium), there have been a number of proposals for this material to be recovered and re-used. However, the residual contamination of the claddings following the dissolution of the fuel and the chemical stability of the zirconium militate against any proposal for a recycling process that might be economically reasonable. At the same time there is a lot of information available about synthesis of mineral-like materials based on zirconium for immobilization of long-lived radionuclides. The object of this work was to study experimentally electrochemical dissolution of fuel rod cladding for further obtaining starting precursor for the synthesis of ceramic-waste forms. The results of experiments on electrochemical dissolution of zirconium and zirconium alloy (fuel rod cladding) in nitric acid solutions are presented. The peak dissolution rate of specimens is shown to be observed in dilute nitric acid at elevated temperatures. The rate of dissolution rises with temperature, reaching ∼40-70 mg/cm{sup 2}.h at 90 deg. C. The current yield at this point is 0.6-0.7 g/A.h. The results of analysis of the surface oxide film on specimens and residues formed during dissolution are also presented. An electrochemical dissolution of zircaloy claddings is the common technique for preparation of zirconium solutions to be used for ceramic waste form synthesis. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Preparation of Waste Fingerprints for the Miscellaneous Beta Gamma Waste Feeds to the Box Encapsulation Plant at Sellafield - 16080

There are a number of legacy pond and silo storage facilities on Sellafield Site that contain a broad range of ILW arising from the early Windscale Pile and Magnox Fuel Reprocessing Programmes. The waste comprises of solid Miscellaneous Beta Gamma Waste (MBGW) from operations (including filters, containerised waste, thermocouple wire, support struts, pumps, soft wastes) and associated sludges that have arisen from the corrosion of the fuel, Magnox Swarf cladding and the MBGW. It is intended to retrieve and package this waste to meet the requirements of interim storage and final disposal in the Box Encapsulation Plant (BEP) at Sellafield. As part of this process each package must be assigned a realistic and justifiable radionuclide and material inventory. These inventories can either be assigned by radiometric measurements including the associated errors or developed by fundamental data underpinning these assessments and a 'chain of custody' approach of knowing where the waste has been and how it has evolved. The subject of this paper is concerned with the development of the waste fingerprints for these legacy waste streams. As the wastes have arisen over a ∼70 year period there have been an assortment of different working practices and developments in equipment design that have led to significant variations in the waste condition and its composition. During storage the waste items have become mixed, corroded and sludge deposits have arisen. Because of this, and that early consignment records are either incomplete or missing, the task of assigning material and radionuclide fingerprints has been very challenging. In addition, to comply with regulatory requirements the inventory assignment has to be sufficiently robust to meet the processing envelope of the encapsulation process i.e. to allow controls to be made on the amounts of reactive materials (e.g. aluminium, Magnox and uranium) that can be processed within each product and allow identification of excluded items from being consigned from the donor plants. Also, as the waste comprises actinides, fission and activation products it was noted that whilst the UK standard inventory code FISPIN10 predicts the actinides and fission products well, there was a significant discrepancy in the prediction of activation products when compared with those predicted by the specialised fusion code FISPACT. It should be noted that the use of FISPACT to predict actinides and fission products is not recommended. To address these issues, - position statements were produced for each of the waste streams that would be consigned to BEP; - gaps within the data were assessed and where possible inactive trial work was identified to address it; - material and radionuclide fingerprint justification documents were developed from the position statements based upon available data, the experimental work and justified assumptions; - where FISPIN runs were required, these were run with a modified activation data library based on the European Activation File 2010 (EAF2010) to model the activation products. This paper summarises the BEP process, discusses examples of how the material and radionuclide waste stream fingerprints have been justified by revisiting the sample data, original consignment records, engineering drawings and recent remotely operated vehicle (ROV) pond surveys and making reasoned assumptions based on operational practices and non-active experimental work. Incorporation of the EAF2010 library within the FISPIN code has offered significant benefits to BEP and indeed other plants processing mixed fission and activated wastes as it allows comparable predictions of activation products compared with that made by FISPACT and for the plant to maintain one data processing stream rather than two if it had to utilise both modelling codes. This work will underpin the inventory submission in support of the Interim Letter of Compliance (ILoC) to Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWM). The process of examining the original records, plant operation schedules and engineering drawings has enabled removal of some of the pessimisms that have been made in previous assessments. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

The INFODEM Information Centre at CEA Marcoule: A Unique Information Tool in Europe About Nuclear Decommissioning - 16217

In September 2014, the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) inaugurated a unique information center focused on decommissioning of its nuclear facilities. This facility, named INFODEM information center, is inside the main building of the G1 nuclear reactor at Marcoule, a nuclear site in the south of France with world-recognized expertise in decommissioning. Constructed in the 1950's, the G1 reactor was the first industrial-scale reactor for plutonium production in France; it was also used to produce electricity. Operations ceased in 1968, and it was progressively dismantled (through removal of fuel and main components) and placed in monitoring status. In the 1980s, mockups of fuel cycle process equipment were built under a temporary mission to support development activities for the La Hague reprocessing plant. When that ended, further dismantling occurred, and during 1996 through 2010, the site established itself as a reference example for worldwide nuclear dismantling activities. In 2012, the project to establish an information center at the reactor began, targeting three main audiences: the public, agency personnel and politicians, and technical professionals. Considerable thought went into the facility design, to address the interests and information needs of these three audiences. The INFODEM concept extended over 800 square meters (about 960 square yards), to host an informative tour addressing several major themes: CEA's D and D strategy, programs, skills, tools and methodologies and 'everyday life' on decommissioning projects. Illustrating its unique value and considerable success, INFODEM received the Public Information Prize from the French Nuclear Energy Society (SFEN) in June 2015. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Preferred Concepts for Disposal of the UK Inventory of Depleted, Natural and Low Enriched Uranium - 16382

Depleted, natural and low enriched uranium (DNLEU) forms a significant quantity of the UK inventory of higher activity radioactive materials. The great majority comprises uranic materials produced from uranium enrichment operations and from reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels. The most recent estimate of the total quantity (stocks plus arisings) of UK-owned DNLEU from civil nuclear operations is 170,000 tU. Current UK Government strategy is for DNLEU to be stored indefinitely in existing or new facilities, as required. However, Government strategy for long-term management of uranic materials is under review and a change could potentially cause this material to be reclassified as a waste. An Integrated Project Team (IPT) was formed in 2012 with the objective of identifying and addressing the issues associated with the potential need to dispose of DNLEU, in order to inform wider decision-making on the long-term management of UK DNLEU. Key technical issues considered by the IPT relate to the following: 1. The need for an improved understanding of the UK DNLEU inventory. 2. The identification of preferred chemical and physical form(s), and preferred packaging and disposal concepts for DNLEU - the main subject of this paper. 3. The approach to safety assessment of DNLEU disposal. This paper summarises the disposal concepts under consideration by the IPT, and the rationale for identification of preferred concepts for disposal of DNLEU inventory components. The conclusions will be of interest to other programmes and countries with a requirement to manage large quantities of similar materials. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Application of Modular Design in Abatement of Fuel Element Debris (FED) Liquid Waste Stream - 16635

This paper provides a description of the processes applied within the Aqueous Discharge Abatement Plant (ADAP) at Bradwell nuclear power plant in the UK. This incorporates the Fuel Element Debris (FED) abatement plant and the Modular Active Effluent Treatment Plant (MAETP). These plants are housed in adjacent, but separate, structures and are inter-linked and share common services and control systems. The FED abatement plant, which has a shorter mission than MAETP, can be removed for decommissioning or redeployment without any impact to MAETP operation. ADAP treats aqueous waste streams generated during the ongoing decontamination and decommissioning (D and D) operations for release from the Bradwell Power Station. The plant is designed to receive and treat two major classes of liquids: 1. Slightly contaminated water from various D and D sources and collected rainwater from the power station, referred to as Aqueous Effluent (AE). 2. Dissolved fuel element debris solution. This comprises of contaminated magnesium alloy (generated during the stripping of external structures from spent Magnox fuel elements prior to shipment for reprocessing) which has been dissolved in nitric acid. All received wastes are treated to remove heavy metals and radioactive constituents prior to isolation, sampling, verification, and ultimately release to the Blackwater Estuary. The treatment consists of multiple processes including precipitation, filtration, adsorption and ion exchange carefully designed to remove targeted radionuclides and heavy metals. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Use of advanced optimization algorithms for the design of critical experiments

The need for validating molybdenum and rhodium cross sections in the thermal energy range has arisen for many years for reprocessing activities and burnup credit calculations. An Integral Experimental Request (IER) sheet was submitted by IRSN to the NCSP (Nuclear Criticality Safety Program) in 2015. A preliminary design was therefore proposed for review. In order to define experiments that meet the requirements and that exhibit optimized sensitivities of k{sub eff} to the capture cross sections of {sup 95}Mo and {sup 103}Rh, advanced algorithms of the PROMETHEE workbench, developed at IRSN, were used. The methodology as well as the main results are presented in this paper, which focuses only on the molybdenum experiments design. (authors)

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Regulating Operational Safety at a Future Geological Disposal Facility in the UK - 18038

The United Kingdom (UK) has generated commercial nuclear energy for over 60 years; generating a significant and varied inventory of higher activity radioactive waste (HAW). In accordance with international practice, UK Government policy for long-term management of HAW is disposal in a geological disposal facility (GDF). The nuclear materials comprising HAW include high level waste, intermediate level waste and some low level waste, not suitable for disposal to the Low Level Waste Repository. In addition, other nuclear materials may be reclassified as waste in the future and will require to be managed as HAW for disposal to a GDF; these include spent fuel, uranium and plutonium. The operator of a GDF will be required to obtain a nuclear site licence from the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), as the nuclear safety and security regulator, in order to construct and operate the facility. In the period prior to submission of a licence application, ONR is working to develop its regulatory expectations and provide advice on its regulatory role with regards to a future GDF. ONR has developed regulatory guidance on operational safety, benchmarked against the relevant IAEA Safety Standards and the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA) Safety Reference Levels for Disposal. This guidance draws upon ONR's current expectations for nuclear sites; including operational reactors, fuel manufacture and reprocessing facilities, and reactors undergoing decommissioning; and incorporates relevant good practice drawn from international programmes for geological disposal and related industries (eg mining). In addition to the technical assessment guidance, ONR has developed guidance on the licensing process specific to a GDF; providing clarity for example on when a licence will be required. A review of the standard licence conditions applied to all nuclear sites concluded no significant amendment would be required for application to a GDF. Through its voluntary agreement with Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWM), the developer and future operator of a GDF in the UK, ONR exerts regulatory influence on the design and organisational development of the future licensee. As part of this scrutiny, ONR has assessed RWM's generic Disposal System Safety Case. Subjecting the generic design and safety case to regulatory review provides opportunity for early engagement to ensure the appropriate standards will be achieved. ONR will only grant the necessary regulatory permissions if RWM adequately demonstrates the GDF will be constructed, operated and closed safely. Future challenges faced by ONR with respect to a GDF include building and maintaining regulatory competence and confidence, and engaging effectively with the public as the UK begins its search for a suitable site to provide appropriate assurance that a GDF will be operated safely and securely. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Exploiting Knowledge of Technetium in the Subsurface to Develop Remediation Strategies - 18223

Technetium-99 (Tc) contamination remains a major environmental problem at legacy nuclear reprocessing sites, such as the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State, where the total inventory of released Tc is estimated at 700 curies (Ci). The environmental risk associated with Tc is due to its long half-life (213,000 years) and the high mobility of the oxidized anionic pertechnetate species (Tc(VII)O{sub 4}{sup -}). Thus, there is a critical need to resolve scientific and technical issues underpinning the ability to safely, cost-effectively, and efficiently remediate Tc-contaminated vadose zone sediments and groundwater. Developing enhanced attenuation strategies for released Tc that reduce contaminant migration, while mitigating risk to human health and the environment, requires characterization of any retardation processes and Tc mass flux. The current conceptual model for Tc transport in the vadose zone assumes that Tc is predominantly present in its oxidized form as TcO{sub 4}{sup -}, which is highly soluble and mobile. However, under certain conditions, Tc can become entrained in solid phases. Tc-containing mineral phases from sediment cores extracted from various Hanford waste disposal sites were characterized to determine Tc present in vadose zone sediments as (i) TcO{sub 4} - that remains in water films associated with fine-grained sediments; (ii) Tc co-precipitated with other lanthanides in phosphate mineral phases; and (iii) Tc present as TcO{sub 2}.nH{sub 2}O in localized reducing zones. These results will be used to develop improved long-term Tc remediation strategies that are most likely to succeed during field application, through stimulation of conditions that enhance Tc attenuation. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Electrochemical behavior of Nd and its co-reduction with Bi in molten LiCl-KCl salts - 18360

A molten salt phase is used as the solvent in pyrochemical reprocessing. The molten salt waste generated in pyro-processes contains the residual lanthanides and actinides as various compounds. Various methods have been proposed for recovering and recycling these useful elements. The separation of actinides from lanthanides is performed by electrolysis or reductive extraction. Herein we have studied PyroRedSox-based co-reduction of Nd and Bi via electrolysis in a molten chloride salt. The redox behavior of Nd and the formation potential of intermetallic compounds of Nd and Bi were determined using cyclic voltammetry (CV). Electrorefining was performed under a constant reductive potential at 773 K in LiCl-KCl eutectic mixture; the co-reduction potential was -1.37 V. Lastly, the co-reduction potential of the intermetallic compound was applied to reduce the amount of Nd and Bi. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that various kinds of intermetallic compounds were formed in Bi and Nd, and were deposed in the lower part of the molten salt, allowing purification of the contaminated molten salt. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Unique Facilities, Innovative Treatment Processes, and a Talented Workforce Allow Fluor Idaho to Successfully Disposition Transuranic Waste - 18388

Fluor Idaho is utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, treatment technologies, and employee expertise at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho Site to treat contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste, as well as extremely challenging remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste forms, to prepare the material for shipment and permanent disposal at the Department's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Nowhere else in the DOE Complex - perhaps the world - will one find the compilation of tools and an experienced workforce with an unparalleled history of safely retrieving, characterizing, treating, repackaging, certifying, and shipping TRU waste. Since 2003, the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP) has used both conventional and unique retrieval concepts, high-tech characterization equipment - including real-time radiography and radioassay - robotics, and automated treatment processes to retrieve and treat 65,000 cubic meters of above-ground CH-TRU waste. Additionally, engineered controls and specialized personal protective equipment have allowed employees to make thousands of entries into high-radiation areas without a skin or clothing contamination incident - evidence of the employees' commitment to safety. AMWTP has encountered and found solutions for many challenging waste forms, including polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated wastes, TRU waste containers with up to 1,000 fissile gram equivalent plutonium-239, oversized TRU boxes, and partially absorbed organic sludge waste. By utilizing additional facilities and equipment at the Accelerated Retrieval Project V and VII, Fluor Idaho has developed new processing lines and capabilities to ensure worker safety and milestone completion. These two soft-sided buildings, located at a facility adjacent to AMWTP, were originally constructed to exhume Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) TRU wastes from a section of a 97-acre landfill. After a total of 1,150 cubic meters of targeted waste were removed, personnel, working in collaboration with state regulators, successfully implemented a unique regulatory strategy that allowed these CERCLA facilities to be modified and permitted to treat Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) wastes from the AMWTP - a savings of tens of millions of dollars over the cost of constructing new buildings. Adding to the AMWTP's technological uniqueness is its ability to treat wastes from other facilities in the DOE Complex. Two prior decision documents and an agreement with the state of Idaho have allowed AMWTP to treat wastes from 15 other DOE sites. It is the only project in the complex to have done so. At another project located next to AMWTP, targeted waste exhumation within the Subsurface Disposal Area is approximately two years ahead of schedule. Crews have removed more than 8,600 cubic meters of CH-TRU and hazardous wastes from eight exhumation areas that equal a combined footprint of 4.75 acres. Less than one acre remains to be exhumed to satisfy the 2008 Record of Decision waste exhumation end state between the DOE, Environmental Protection Agency, and state of Idaho. Construction of the final building where targeted waste exhumation will continue was completed during the summer of 2017. Exhumation will be completed within the next few years. Following exhumation completion, an evapotranspiration barrier (or cap) will be constructed over the entire landfill. Fluor Idaho continues to make progress on a more challenging project involving an inventory of RH-TRU waste that also contains the reactive metal sodium. Crews are utilizing hot cells, once used for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing and high-level waste treatment at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center, to render this challenging waste form safe for disposal in a national geologic waste repository. The treatment methods being employed on this RH-TRU waste are unique in the DOE Complex. Minute concentrations of water are sprayed onto the sodium-contaminated material in a process called 'spritzing' to chemically change the sodium from a reactive metal to a non-reactive salt. In other cases, sodium-contaminated waste is dipped in water to initiate a reaction in a process called 'immersion.' Lastly, for more challenging waste shapes that could not be successfully treated with the two prior methods, crews lower the sodium-contaminated RH-TRU waste into a one-of-a-kind distillation unit that uses high temperature and vacuum to volatilize the sodium and recapture it in a condenser unit for disposal. The RH-TRU waste treated with this technology is then safe for permanent disposal. Fluor Idaho is proud to operate DOE's CH- and RH-TRU waste treatment facilities, as well as use innovative processes and its talented workforce to complete this important work-scope. Such capabilities allow the contractor to meet the commitments made by the DOE to the state of Idaho. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Delivering Business Benefit to UK Decommissioning through Collaborative Innovation - Approach and Technologies - 18539

The UK's nuclear energy programme, dating from the post-war years, has left a mixed legacy to the country: numerous prototype reactors, fuel-manufacturing plants, research centres, reprocessing plants and 11 power stations. The Sellafield site in west Cumbria houses more than 200 nuclear facilities and 1,000 buildings, making it one of the world's most complex environmental decommissioning challenges. Many 'never-done-before' projects are under way, which require substantial levels of R and D and innovative engineering approaches. One of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA) responsibilities is to ensure that the right level of R and D is carried out to enable progress on delivering the full decommissioning programme. Since 2010, NDA has been collaborating with Innovate UK, the UK government's innovation agency, to engage the supply chain and develop innovative technologies and services to support the NDA's mission and the growing international nuclear decommissioning market. The paper will provide an overview of the approach (e.g. open calls, briefing events, independent assessment, technology showcases) and the associated benefits (e.g. attracting new ideas, end-user engagement, increased supply chain collaboration). The paper also highlights selected technologies developed through the process. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Treatment of Problematic Reactive Metal Wastes Using the GeoMelt{sup R} In-Container Vitrification (ICV{sup TM}) Process - 18639

Decommissioning of sodium cooled reactors and fast reactor technologies have generated a number of reactive metal waste configurations that are problematic to treat and typically lack cost effective treatment methods and disposition options. As a result, Veolia Nuclear Solutions, under contract with Idaho National Laboratory (owned by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC) demonstrated its GeoMelt{sup R} In-Container Vitrification (ICV){sup TM} technology to safely convert sodium metal to a non-reactive vitrified oxide form. The demonstration project, supported by glass formulation and crucible testing, consisted of a series of ICV{sup TM} melts that processed elemental sodium into stable non-reactive glass. Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC is evaluating the GeoMelt{sup R} technology as a means to safely and reliably convert radioactive reactive metal residues that contaminate components from sodium cooled reactors into waste forms that comply with existing disposition pathways. Reactive metal wastes at INL require treatment in order to remove the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) reactivity and ignitability characteristics in order to comply with land disposal restrictions. GeoMelt{sup R}, which is an alternative to other potential treatment approaches, provides a robust approach that chemically converts the reactive metals to an inert oxide while also immobilizing radionuclides in a vitrified waste form with durability equal to or better than vitrified nuclear fuel reprocessing wastes (very robust and inert waste forms). Most other treatment approaches generate hydrogen gas which is problematic. In 2016, Veolia Nuclear Solutions demonstrated the effectiveness of the GeoMelt{sup R} ICV{sup TM} process in deactivating reactive sodium metal. Crucible, bench-scale, and engineering-scale demonstrations were conducted on several surrogate waste configurations with various ratios of sodium metal and glassformers. Each ratio and configuration demonstrated complete deactivation of the surrogate sodium metal. Follow-on work in 2017 demonstrated the deactivation of reactive sodium by GeoMelt{sup R} ICV{sup TM} at a higher waste loading relative to previously demonstrated work performed in 2016. The higher waste loading optimized glass chemistry while enhancing the economical full-scale treatment of reactive metals. The GeoMelt{sup R} technology is a proven radioactive waste treatment technology capable of immobilizing radioactive wastes, including bulk rubble such as drums and other steel vessels usually without pretreatment. Utilizing the GeoMelt{sup R} technology to treat reactive metals eliminates pretreatment steps resulting from having to separate the reactive metal from steel containers or jackets as GeoMelt{sup R} can easily operate at temperatures sufficient to melt the steel and expose the reactive metal for treatment. Eliminating handling steps of reactive metals is a significant safety advantage since reactive metals are pyrophoric. The results of this two-year demonstration program and future planned activities are presented in the paper. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗