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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

A Design Document: Custom Analytical Tools and Automation for the Industrial Hygienist

This report outlines an approach for developing a modular and scalable web-based application suite, Internal Data Access and Visualization (I-DAV), that would be developed to meet the specific analytic requirements for Industrial Hygienist (IH) analysts and tank vapors Subject Matter Expert’s (SME) at the Hanford site. Through interviews and requirements elicitation with IH analyst, and on-site in depth review of workflow patterns and expected outcomes, PNNL has developed a framework for proposed collection of interdependent goal oriented software applications. Commercial off the shelf applications, which require only minimal custom code, were deployed this year as a mechanism of rapid prototyping and providing proof of concept. This report describes these efforts and accomplishments to date, as well as concepts for future applications and general enhancement of the DAV and core concepts for the I-DAV. Additional content was integrated into this report as of March 2019. Updated content was added to reflect the inclusion of I-DAV concepts and ideas, and refined versions of original concepts set forth as the work commenced and continued through the first half of FY19. New and refined concepts have been the product of ongoing weekly meetings, outreach, and elicitation with WRPS.

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DOE OSTI2020

Testing of an AP-105 Precipitation Simulant

A tank AP-105 chemical simulant was developed and diluted with Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS)-supplied raw water to evaluate the stability of AP Farm wastes with respect to precipitation under Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW)-typical waste feed staging operations. The current report provides a high-level summary of the basis for simulant selection, the recommended (and prepared) simulant chemistry, and observed stability with respect to solids formation upon simulant preparation and subsequent dilution with raw water.

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DOE OSTI2019

A Design Document: Custom Analytical Tools and Automation for the Industrial Hygienist

This report outlines an approach for developing a modular and scalable web-based application suite, Internal Data Access and Visualization (I-DAV), that would be developed to meet the specific analytic requirements for Industrial Hygienist (IH) analysts and tank vapors Subject Matter Expert’s (SME) at the Hanford site. Through interviews and requirements elicitation with IH analyst, and on-site in depth review of workflow patterns and expected outcomes, PNNL has developed a framework for proposed collection of interdependent goal oriented software applications. Commercial off the shelf applications, which require only minimal custom code, were deployed this year as a mechanism of rapid prototyping and providing proof of concept. This report describes these efforts and accomplishments to date, as well as concepts for future applications and general enhancement of the DAV and core concepts for the I-DAV. Additional content was integrated into this report as of March 2019. Updated content was added to reflect the inclusion of I-DAV concepts and ideas, and refined versions of original concepts set forth as the work commenced and continued through the first half of FY19. New and refined concepts have been the product of ongoing weekly meetings, outreach, and elicitation with WRPS.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Technical Gaps in Hanford High-Level Waste Solids Settling Behavior and Settling Time Evaluation for Direct Feed High-Level Waste (DFHLW) Operations

Settling of high-level waste (HLW) solids in process vessels is a key conceptual process step in providing HLW feed directly to the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) HLW Vitrification Facility. Direct Feed High-Level Waste (DFHLW) is a potential approach to initiating HLW vitrification prior to completing of the WTP Pretreatment Facility. Settling would be used with subsequent supernatant decant to concentrate HLW feed. To support planning for DFHLW, Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) requested support from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to evaluate the current data set available to predict the time needed for HLW solids to settle, to identify gaps in the understanding and predictive capability of HLW solids waste settling times, and to provide scoping estimates of the potential settling time. Eight technical gaps were identified for predicting settling times and characteristics of the formed sediment layers including: Gap 1: In-Tank Settling Rates Faster than Settling of Laboratory Samples, Gap 2: Effect of Sludge Leaching/Washing on Predicted Settling Times, Gap 3: Predicting Waste Settling from Waste Chemistry (Waste Type), Gap 4: Predicting Waste Settling from Particle Size and Density Distributions (PSDDs), Gap 5: Insufficient Laboratory and In-Tank Settling Data to Represent Hanford Waste, Gap 6: Methods for Real-Time, In-Tank Tracking of Settling, Gap 7: Prediction of Sediment Erosion Resistance as a Function of Settling Time, and Gap 8: Prediction of Sediment Solids Content as a Function of Settling Time. In addition to the data gaps, an overarching observation of the settling rate and settled layer data is the significant variation in behavior. At similar solids concentrations, settling rates can vary by as much as 3 orders of magnitude depending on the source waste tank, and significantly different settling rates are noted between laboratory and in situ tests for the same waste tank. The range of average solids concentration in existing HLW sediment, which may have been quiescent for decades, can vary from less than 7 wt% to greater than 74 wt% solids. The shear strengths (or yield stresses) measured on laboratory samples range from less than 27 Pa to greater than 6400 Pa. These variations can challenge process planning for the application of a settle/decant process for DFHLW. This report describes the significance of the gaps to the settle/decant process and presents uncertainties by way of examples. Potential technical approaches for resolving these gaps are described and the estimated difficulty in resolving these gaps is evaluated. Based on the significance of the gap and the difficulty of resolution, recommendations are made to address specific gaps. Scoping estimates of the potential settling times for DFHLW solids have been made based on the existing data set with its associated gaps. Depending on the process vessel depth and final sediment concentration, substantial fractions of the scoping estimate results for settling times for characterized HLW exceed the 2-week period that has been previously assumed for process planning. There is also significant disparity, potentially greater than a factor of 5000 difference, in the estimated settling times depending on process vessel depth and final sediment solid concentration. This variation in results underscores the significance of the identified gaps and uncertainties with respect to process planning for utilizing settle/decant operations for DFHLW.

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DOE OSTI2020

Iodine Flowsheet Status Report

A simplified flowsheet was developed to evaluate the impact of varied assumptions of I-129 decontamination factors on the overall I-129 material balance in the Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) facility. The flowsheet allows inputs for I-129 feed and Decontamination Factors (DFs) for multiple DFLAW unit operations and provides information on I-129 partitioning to output streams. A series of 6 DFs were evaluated, including baseline DFs from a prior Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) study and refined values based on a Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) review. The Microsoft Excel flowsheet spreadsheet will be provided to WRPS to allow further evaluation of the impact of DF assumptions on output streams. The spreadsheet is not specific to iodine, the partitioning of any species can be estimated by entering the assumed DFs for each unit operation. Flowsheet outputs matched results from the prior WTP study and show that different assumptions for the DFs can greatly impact iodine partitioning to primary and secondary waste streams. Results from SRNL's baseline DF values suggest less than 50% of I-129 would be retained in glass versus the 96% when using the BNI DF values. In addition, the flowsheet demonstrated that more than 5 DFLAW operational cycles are required to achieve a steady-state of I-129 to the primary waste stream. It is not possible with the data available to determine whether the BNI approach or the approach taken in this study will be a better match for the iodine partitioning once the LAW facility begins operation.

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DOE OSTI2020

Iodine Speciation Basis and Gap Analysis for Hanford Tank Farm Inventory and during Processing

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is providing baseline technical support to Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) for the One System River Protection Project (RPP) Integrated Flowsheet team. This report documents the evaluation of the technical bases available to support iodine speciation and distribution within Hanford wastes and subsequent waste streams generated during direct feed low-activity waste (DFLAW) pretreatment operations (specifically, waste retrievals and staging, and particle filtration and cesium decontamination using crystalline silicotitanate (CST) ion exchange [in the tank side cesium removal (TSCR) system]. The task performed a literature survey of information related to iodine species in environments analogous to Hanford tank waste and the subsequent waste streams to define a technical basis for the possible iodine speciation in Hanford waste. In doing so it can be determined how likely laboratory studies on iodine speciation in tank waste are to be universally relevant across the Hanford tanks. The task evaluated iodide and iodate as the primary species of interest with a focus on organo-iodine where appropriate.

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DOE OSTI2020

Biotic degradation of acetonitrile. Limitations, controls and conversion rates

This document has been prepared to support Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) in their evaluation of technologies to remediate organic compounds in the Liquid Effluent Retention Facility (LERF)/Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) during direct feed low activity waste (DFLAW) operations at Hanford. This report summarizes the results of a review of the available literature describing aerobic and anaerobic biological treatment of acetonitrile and proposes a test matrix to evaluate microbial degradation rates of acetonitrile. Numerous studies describe acetonitrile degradation by pure culture strains of bacteria, fungi, and yeast; however, the purpose of this review was to provide estimations of degradation under conditions that more closely approximate the Liquid Effluent Retention Facility (LERF) basins at the Hanford Site. To this end, documented limitations, controls, and conversion rates are summarized for mixed and natural microbial communities being maintained or operated as a biological treatment for wastewater processing. Based on the literature evaluation, the inherent capacity and rates of microbial degradation of acetonitrile are sufficiently high that if applied in the LERF basins, acetonitrile removal would be achieved. To be clear, though, published studies have not been conducted under conditions that approximate or that could be directly related to the LERF basins. Thus, a focused test matrix the encompasses LERF relevant conditions to specifically measure microbial degradation of acetonitrile is proposed and the results would provide the strong technical justification for use of this low-cost efficient biological process at LERF during DFLAW operations and beyond.

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DOE OSTI2020

Evaluation of Technologies for Enhancing Grout for Immobilizing Hanford Supplemental Low-Activity Waste (SLAW)

An expert panel consisting of the document authors was assembled by Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) and tasked with (1) identifying technical and regulatory limitations to treating and disposing of grouted low-activity waste (LAW), and (2) with identifying and evaluating a wide range of technical solutions to these limitations. The analysis included technologies to allow inventory management and/or improve retention of iodine, technetium, and nitrate either in the waste packages, or within the Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF), and, technologies to ensure regulated organics are below Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) Land Disposal Restriction (LDR) levels.

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DOE OSTI2020

Development and Characterization of Cementitious Waste Forms for Immobilization of Granular Activated Carbon, Silver Mordenite, and HEPA Filter Media Solid Secondary Waste

At the Department of Energy’s Hanford site, over 53 million gallons of chemically complex and radioactive wastes have been stored in 177 underground tanks. The Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) is under construction and is designed to treat and immobilize these wastes. During operations of WTP, solid secondary wastes (SSWs) will be generated as a result of waste treatment, vitrification, off-gas management, and supporting process activities. SSW treatment processes and resulting disposal pathways for the final disposition form of the SSW are needed to support direct feed low activity waste (DFLAW) operations and facilitate continued operation of WTP. The SSWs produced through WTP operations are expected to include used process equipment, contaminated tools and instruments, decontamination wastes, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, carbon absorption beds (granular activated carbon, GAC), silver mordenite (AgM) and spent ion-exchange resins. These waste streams are planned to be immobilized in a cementitious waste form and disposed of either as stabilized/blended (non-debris) or encapsulated (debris) in a cementitious waste form. Accordingly, cementitious waste forms from these streams were included in the 2017 Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF) Performance Assessment (PA). The input data used to represent these SSW forms in the 2017 IDF PA involved many assumptions and associated uncertainties. This data limitation was due to the lack of material- and site-specific data available for representative SSW materials in cementitious matrices. To verify the assumed values used in the IDF PA and fill this limitation in available data, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS), has initiated a program targeted toward gathering site specific data relevant to Hanford SSW disposal. The work within this report is a continuation of this ongoing program.

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DOE OSTI2021

Ion Exchange Processing of AP-105 Hanford Tank Waste through Crystalline Silicotitanate in a Staged 2- then 3-Column System

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is working to expedite processing of Hanford tank waste supernate at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). To support this goal, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS, Richland, WA) is designing a system for suspended solids and cesium (Cs/ 137 Cs) removal from Hanford tank waste supernate. The effluent will then be sent to the WTP Low-Activity Waste (LAW) Facility for vitrification. The Cs removal is critical for eliminating the high dose rate associated with 137 Cs and facilitating a contact maintenance philosophy for the LAW Facility. The maximum 137 Cs concentration in the LAW sent to the WTP is targeted to be below the 3.18E-5 Ci 137 Cs/mole of Na waste acceptance criteria (WAC) limit. The filtration and ion exchange systems will be placed near the Hanford tanks and are collectively termed the Tank Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) system.

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DOE OSTI2021

Crystalline Silicotitanate (CST) Ion Exchange Media Performance Evaluations to Support TSCR DSA IX Media Equilibrium Contacts

The primary objective of this work is to calculate the maximum loading expected on the Hanford Tank Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) ion exchange columns. A key consideration in the design of the columns is the amount of 137 Cs that loads onto the Crystalline Silicotitanate (CST) and the heat generated by the loaded column during storage. Per request of Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS), Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has utilized ZAM, a computer program developed by the research group of Professor Rayford G. Anthony of Texas A&M University, to predict the cesium loading on the CST for a variety of waste compositions expected to be processed by TSCR. The study evaluated cesium loadings for the following waste compositions: 1. Seventeen DFLAW campaign batches to cover projected supernate composition ranges within which TSCR may be expected to operate within the first ten years, 2. Hanford tank AP-105 and AP-107 waste solutions that will be processed by the TSCR system.

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DOE OSTI2021

Characterization of CST Post-Processing AP-105 Hanford Tank Waste

The primary goal of the Tank Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) system, under development by Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS), is to remove entrained solids and 137 Cs from the Hanford tank waste supernate to expedite production of low-activity waste. Ion exchange (IX) testing of 10.9 L of waste from Hanford tank 241-AP-105 (AP-105), performed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, used a lead-lag-polish column format, with a bed volume of 10 mL per column, to decontaminate tank waste supernate using crystalline silicotitanate (CST) as the IX media. The AP-105 Cs IX processing test, discussed elsewhere, resulted in a shorter transition zone (i.e., steeper load curve) than those defined by wastes from tanks 241-AP-107 and 241-AW-102.1 The shorter transition zone was indicative of a matrix effect retarding Cs capacity. Therefore, aliquots of spent CST from the lead, lag, and polish columns were subjected to a digestion protocol to quantify analytes retained by the CST and extrapolate the impact on Cs capacity. The spent CST was digested using a combination of 5 M HNO 3 and H 2 O 2 with vigorous heating and stirring. Due to the radiation dose accompanying the 137 Cs on the CST columns, a secondary Cs separation by ammonium molybdophosphate embedded in polyacrylonitrile (AMP-PAN) was performed to separate the 137 Cs from the CST so the samples could be contact-handled for analysis outside of a shielded facility.

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DOE OSTI2021

Temperature Effect of Cesium Exchange onto Crystalline Silicotitanate in AP-107 and AP-105 Hanford Tank Wastes and Two Simulants

Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) is charged with the development of the Tank Side Cesium Removal (TSCR) system to process Hanford tank waste supernates in preparation for vitrification. In addition to a filtration step, TSCR will remove cesium (Cs) using ion exchange columns filled with crystalline silicotitanate (CST) ion exchange media. CST is produced by Honeywell UOP, LLC. The documented safety analysis (DSA) developed for the TSCR system limits a single column loading to 141,600 Ci 137 Cs. Given a 137 Cs isotopic mass fraction of 20% and the planned CST bed size of 596 L (157.5 gal) in a TSCR column, this equates to 0.10 mmole Cs per g CST (Cs distribution coefficient, K d , 1400 mL/g). Factors that influence Cs uptake by CST include (but are not limited to) (1) CST production (lot-to-lot variations), (2) contact temperature, (3) contact duration, (4) competitors in the tank waste feed, (5) anionic composition of the tank waste feed, and (6) the 137 Cs isotopic mass fraction (differs slightly among tank wastes and decreases with time).

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DOE OSTI2021

Evaluation of Degradation Mechanisms for Solid Secondary Waste Grout Waste Forms

The overall objective of this work is to provide defensibility for the long-term performance of grouted Hanford SSW streams when disposed in a near surface disposal facility, IDF, on the Hanford Site. Providing defensibly for the long-term performance of the grouted waste forms is consistent with the research and development activities identified in the Performance Assessment Maintenance Plan, (Westcott et al. 2019), that are necessary to address the assumptions made in the PA. Specifically, this work addresses two areas identified for further research and development activities in the plan: (1) “Evaluate ongoing research on transport characteristics of cementitious materials using accelerated tests to approximate the effects of aging/alteration/weathering”; and (2) “Evaluate ongoing research on microbial effects on transport processes in cementitious materials.” The assembled subject matter expert team evaluated a list of degradation mechanisms and supporting processes and provided rankings of areas where further research and development (R&D) are needed. From this assessment, high priority R&D areas include: (1) the effects of carbonation, Ca leaching, and SSW dimensional change in grout waste forms; (2) updated model representations of grouted waste forms; and (3) scaled testing demonstrations. Moderate priority items including a paper study on possible microbial influence, reoxidation rates, radionuclide/contaminant dissolution from SSW in the grout and freeze thaw behavior. Other processes evaluated were either deemed unlikely to occur, to have little impact on the SSW waste forms, or to occur at time frames beyond those considered (>10,000 years). The assessments and proposed R&D approaches are expected to support an update to the WRPS SSW roadmap.

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DOE OSTI2020

FY2020 Rotating Bed Reactor for Iodine Removal from WTP Melter Effluent to Support DFLAW Start-Up

In Performance Assessment (PA) of the Hanford Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF), 129 I is a significant contributor to the risk. The 2017 IDF PA accounted for 0.22% of the total 129 I inventory in Hanford tank waste as residing in the solidified liquid waste from the Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF). However, recent estimates suggest that higher percentages of the iodine processed at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) may be present in the liquid waste routed to the Liquid Effluent Retention Facility (LERF) for eventual treatment at the ETF. In addition, a recent integrated melter test performed at the Vitreous State Laboratory (VSL) at The Catholic University of America (CUA) showed the possibility that a significant fraction (>50%) of the total iodine in the melter feed could be present in the aqueous waste stream destined for the ETF. This stream represents a combination of the Effluent Management Facility (EMF) evaporator overhead condensate and the liquid waste from the WTP off-gas caustic scrubber. Higher levels of 129 I in this stream could affect the LERF and ETF Hazard Categorizations as well as the acceptability of the solidified ETF liquid secondary waste brine for disposal at the IDF. Accordingly, there is a need to investigate and develop potential methods and processes to mitigate this risk. Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) tasked Atkins and VSL to perform development and testing work to evaluate potential methods for removal of iodine species from the waste stream routed to the LERF. In particular, the testing investigated the use of an Atkins-SpinIonic™ Rotating Bed Reactor (RBR) system as a potential alternative to conventional column-based ion exchange or absorption processes. The present report provides results obtained from testing with an RBR system for the removal of iodine from simulants of the projected WTP waste stream that discharges to the LERF.

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DOE OSTI2022

FY2021 Rotating Bed Reactor for Iodine Removal from ETF Feed to Support DFLAW Start-Up

In FY20, Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS) began a program of work to evaluate potential technologies for removal of iodine from the ETF feed. Work at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) focused on ion exchange media and conventional column based deployment while Atkins and VSL focused on ion exchange media in a Rotating Bed Reactor (RBR) system. In the RBR system, the ion exchange media is loaded into a packed bed, which is rotated in the liquid to be treated. The work described in this report builds on the results from FY20 work, in particular, with regard to improving iodate removal, extending the data set to support process modeling, further comparison of RBR versus column performance, and RBR scale-up testing.

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DOE OSTI2017

Updated Liquid Secondary Waste Grout Formulation and Preliminary Waste Form Qualification

This report describes the results from liquid secondary waste grout (LSWG) formulation and cementitious waste form qualification tests performed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for Washington River Protection Solutions, LLC (WRPS). New formulations for preparing a cementitious waste form from a high-sulfate liquid secondary waste stream simulant, developed for Effluent Management Facility (EMF) process condensates merged with low activity waste (LAW) caustic scrubber, and the release of key constituents (e.g. 99Tc and 129I) from these monoliths were evaluated. This work supports a technology development program to address the technology needs for Hanford Site Effluent Treatment Facility (ETF) liquid secondary waste (LSW) solidification and supports future Direct Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) operations. High-priority activities included simulant development, LSWG formulation, and waste form qualification. The work contained within this report relates to waste form development and testing and does not directly support the 2017 integrated disposal facility (IDF) performance assessment (PA). However, this work contains valuable information for use in PA maintenance past FY17, and for future waste form development efforts. The provided data should be used by (i) cementitious waste form scientists to further understanding of cementitious dissolution behavior, (ii) IDF PA modelers who use quantified constituent leachability, effective diffusivity, and partitioning coefficients to advance PA modeling efforts, and (iii) the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) contractors and decision makers as they assess the IDF PA program. The results obtained help fill existing data gaps, support final selection of a LSWG waste form, and improve the technical defensibility of long-term waste form performance estimates.

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DOE OSTI2020

Analysis of Respirator Cartridge Performance Testing on Hanford Tank AX-101

Washington River Protection Solutions (WRPS) conducted tests using two types of chemical cartridges for use in air purifying respirators to determine the period of time that the cartridges would provide adequate protection to worker when exposed to a mixture of Chemicals of Potential Concern (COPCs) from vapors emanating from the headspace of tank AX-101 on the Hanford Site. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) was tasked with conducting an independent analysis of the analytical results and making recommendations based on the results for respiratory cartridge performance and change schedules.

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