Supernatant Treatment Considerations for the Neutralized Waste at West Valley

1982 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. Gockley ◽  
E. J. Lahoda ◽  
J. M. Pope
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Inorganic Ion ◽  
Treatment Considerations ◽  
Exchange Resins ◽  
High Level ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Plant

ABSTRACTThe neutralized high-level waste, stored at the Western New York Nuclear Service Center in West Valley, New York, was produced during the operation of the Nuclear Fuel Service, Inc. commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing plant. The supernatant is a highly concentrated salt solution (NaNO3 , NaOH, Na2SO4 and NaCl) containing essentially all of the dissolved cesium as the primary radioactive component. The sludge is primarily iron and aluminum hydroxides and contains strontium and the bulk of the long-lived isotopes. The supernatant will be treated to remove essentially all of the radioactivity and then be concentrated and disposed of as low level nuclear waste. The following supernatant treatment considerations have been evaluated on a laboratory scale using simulated West Valley waste: 1) Organic ion exchange resins; 2) Inorganic ion exchange media; 3) In-tank processing. These processes will be described and preliminary laboratory data will be presented.

Characterization of Electroactive Cs Ion-Exchange Materials using XAS

1996 ◽  
Vol 465 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. J. Hess ◽  
J. H. Sukamto ◽  
S. D. Rassat ◽  
R. T. Hallen ◽  
R. J. Orth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ion Exchange ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Cubic Phase ◽  
Loaded State ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Exchange Resins ◽  
High Level ◽  
Initial Results ◽  
Deposition Conditions

ABSTRACTVarious ion exchange materials have been proposed for the removal of Cs from high level waste streams produced during the reprocessing of fuel rods. Cs can be released from loaded traditional exchange resins by elution and then the resin can be reused. However large quantities of secondary wastes are generated. Another class of “single use” exchangers is directly incorporated in the loaded state into a solid waste form (e.g. borosilicate glass logs). A third alternative is electroactive ion-exchange materials, where the uptake and elution of Cs are controlled by an applied potential. This approach has several advantages over traditional reusable ion-exchange resins including much reduced secondary waste, higher Cs selectivity, and higher durability.XAS experiments were conducted at the Fe K-edge and Cs Lm-edge on a series of electrochemically produced nickel ferrocyanide films to determine the effects of deposition conditions and subsequent alkali exchange on structural and chemical aspects of the films. The deposition conditions include methods described in the literature and PNNL proprietary procedures. Although the performance and the durability of the films do vary with processing conditions, Fe K-edge EXAFS results indicate that all deposition conditions result in the. formation of the cubic phase. Initial results from Cs Lm-edge EXAFS analysis suggest that the Cs ion is present as a hydrated species.

West Valley Demonstration Project High Level, Transuranic, and Greater Than Class C Wastes

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
James A. Blankenhorn
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
New York State ◽  
The State ◽  
Demonstration Project ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
York State ◽  
Class C ◽  
High Level

Located in the scenic hills of Western New York, 35 miles south of Buffalo, the 68 hectare West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) is a unique and challenging environmental cleanup project that currently manages High Level, Transuranic, and Greater than Class C wastes. Before the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) assumed the responsibility of cleaning up the site, the site was the location of the only commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) reprocessing facility to operate in the United States. Operated by Nuclear Fuels Services from 1966–72, the site was owned by the State of New York and licensed by the Atomic Energy Commission. During operations, the plant reprocessed approximately 640 metric tons of commercial and defense nuclear fuel. When commercial operations were discontinued and the facilities were returned to New York State, there were nearly 2,271,247 liters (nearly 600,000 gallons) of liquid high-level radioactive waste (HLW) in an underground storage tank, there were approximately 750 unprocessed fuel assemblies, and there was a highly contaminated Main Plant Process Building (MPPB). The West Valley Demonstration Project Act of 1980 (the Act) authorized DOE to conduct a cleanup of the site, in cooperation with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), the State agency responsible for managing the property. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license was placed in abeyance and DOE arrived on site in 1981. Since that time, several significant cleanup milestones have been completed, including vitrification (solidification in a glass matrix) of the high level liquid waste, containing approximately 15 million curies, into 275 high level waste canisters and the disposition of more than 19,000 subsequent drums of low-level radioactive waste (LLW); the shipment of the remaining 125 SNF assemblies that were in storage on site; and the shipment of more than 304,800 cubic meters (1,000,000 cubic feet) of LLW for offsite disposal. More recent accomplishments at West Valley have included deactivation and decontamination of the still-very-contaminated MPPB, management of the underground high level waste tanks (4) and their associated vaults (3), and processing and packaging of both legacy waste and waste generated as a result of decommissioning activities. This paper focuses on the high level, greater than Class C, and Transuranic waste challenges at West Valley and the options to address those challenges.

Selective Radionuclide (Cs+, Sr2+, and Ni2+) Ion-exchange by K2xMgxSn3-xS6(x=0.5-0.95) (KMS-2)

2010 ◽  
Vol 1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Leighton Mertz ◽  
Emmanouil J. Manos ◽  
Mercouri Kanatzidis
Keyword(s):  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Nuclear Power Plants ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Inductively Coupled ◽  
Inorganic Ion ◽  
The Stability ◽  
High Level

Abstract137Cs and90Sr, both byproducts of the fission process, make up the majority of high-level waste from nuclear power plants.63Ni is a byproduct of the erosion-corrosion process of the reactor components in nuclear energy plants. The concentrations of these ions in solution determine the Waste Class (A,B, or C) and thus selective removal of these ions over large excesses of other ions is necessary to reduce waste and cut costs. Herein we report the use of the Inorganic Ion Specific Media (ISM) K2xMgxSn3-xS6(x=0.5-0.9) (KMS-2) for the ion exchange of Cs+, Sr2+, and Ni2+in several different conditions. We will also report the stability of this new material in the general conditions found at nuclear power plants (pH ˜6-8) and DOE sites (pH>10). Measurements at low concentrations were conducted with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and Kd values are reported for each of the ions in a variety of conditions.

THOR® Steam Reforming Technology for the Treatment of Ion Exchange Resins and More Complex Wastes Such as Fuel Reprocessing Wastes

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Brad Mason ◽  
Corey A. Myers
Keyword(s):  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Steam Reforming ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Radioactive Wastes ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Ion Exchange Resins ◽  
Savannah River ◽  
Exchange Resins ◽  
High Level

The THOR® fluidized bed steam reforming process has been successfully operated for more than 10 years in the United States for the treatment of low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes generated by commercial nuclear power plants. The principle waste stream that has been treated is ion exchange resins (IER) and Dry Active Waste (DAW), but various liquids, sludges, and solid organic wastes have also been treated. The principle advantages of the THOR® process include: (a) high volume reduction on the order of 5:1 to 10:1 for IER and up to 50:1 for high plastic content DAW streams depending on the waste type and waste characteristics, (b) environmentally compliant off-gas emissions, (c) reliable conversion of wastes into mineralized products that are durable and leach-resistant, and (d) no liquid effluents for treatment of most radioactive wastes. Over the past ten years, the THOR® process has been adapted for the treatment of more complex wastes including historic defense wastes, reprocessing wastes, and other wastes associated with the fuel cycle. As part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) environmental remediation activities, the THOR® dual bed steam reforming process has successfully processed: (a) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Sodium-Bearing Waste (SBW), (b) Savannah River Tank 48 High Level Waste (HLW), (c) Hanford Low Activity Waste (LAW), and (d) Hanford Waste Treatment Plant Secondary Waste (WTP-SW) liquid slurry simulants. The THOR® process has been shown in pilot plant operations to successfully process various simulated liquid, radioactive, nitrate-containing wastes into environmentally safe, leach-resistant, solid mineralized products. These mineralized products incorporate normally soluble ions (e.g. - Na, K, Cs, Tc), sulfates, chloride salts, and fluoride salts into an alkali alumino-silicate mineral matrix that inhibits the leaching of those ions into the environment. The solid mineralized products produced by the THOR® process exhibit durability and leach resistance characteristics superior to borosilicate waste glasses. As a result of this work, a full-scale THOR® process facility is currently under construction at the DOE’s Idaho site for the treatment of SBW and a full-scale facility is in the final design stage for the DOE’s Savannah River Site for the treatment of Tank 48 high level waste. Recent work has focused on the development of new monolithic waste formulations, the extension of the THOR® process to new waste streams, and the development of modular THOR® processes for niche waste treatment applications. This paper will provide an overview of current THOR® projects and summarize the processes and outcomes of the regulatory and safety reviews that have been necessary for the THOR® process to gain acceptance in the USA.

Innovative Highly Selective Removal of Cesium and Strontium Utilizing a Newly Developed Class of Inorganic Ion Specific Media

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark S. Denton ◽  
Mercouri G. Kanatzidis
Keyword(s):  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Liquid Waste ◽  
Selective Removal ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Ion Exchangers ◽  
Inorganic Ion Exchangers ◽  
Inorganic Ion ◽  
High Level

Highly selective removal of Cesium and Strontium is critical for waste treatment and environmental remediation. Cesium-137 is a beta-gamma emitter and Strontium-90 is a beta emitter with respective half-lives of 30 and 29 years. Both elements are present at many nuclear sites. Cesium and Strontium can be found in wastewaters at Washington State’s Hanford Site, as well as in wastestreams of many Magnox reactor sites. Cesium and Strontium are found in the Reactor Coolant System of light water reactors at nuclear power plants. Both elements are also found in spent nuclear fuel and in high-level waste (HLW) at DOE sites. Cesium and Strontium are further major contributors to the activity and the heat load. Therefore, technologies to extract Cesium and Strontium are critical for environmental remediation waste treatment and dose minimization. Radionuclides such as Cesium-137 and Strontium-90 are key drivers of liquid waste classification at light water reactors and within the DOE tank farm complexes. The treatment, storage, and disposal of these wastes represents a major cost for nuclear power plant operators, and comprises one of the most challenging technology-driven projects for the DOE Environmental Management (EM) program. Extraction technologies to remove Cesium and Strontium have been an active field of research. Four notable extraction technologies have been developed so far for HLW: solvent extraction, prussian blue, crystalline silicotitanate (CST) and organic ion-exchangers (e.g., resorcinol formaldehyde and SuperLig). The use of one technology over another depends on the specific application. For example, the waste treatment plant (WTP) at Hanford is planning on using a highly-selective organic ion-exchange resin to remove Cesium and Strontium. Such organic ion-exchangers use molecular recognition to selectively bind to Cesium and Strontium. However, these organic ion-exchangers are synthesized using multi-step organic synthesis. The associated cost to synthesize organic ion-exchangers is prohibitive and seriously limits the scope of applications for organic ion-exchangers. Further issues include resin swelling, potential hydrogen generation and precluding final disposal by vitrification without further issues. An alternative to these issues of organic ion-exchangers is emerging. Inorganic ion-exchangers offer a superior chemical, thermal and radiation stability which is simply not achievable with organic compounds. They can be used to remove both Cesium as well as Strontium with a high level of selectivity under a broad pH range. Inorganic ion-exchangers can operate at acidic pH where protons inhibit ion exchange in alternative technologies such as CST. They can also be used at high pH which is typically found in conditions present in many nuclear waste types. For example, inorganic ion-exchangers have shown significant Strontium uptake from pH 1.9 to 14. In contrast to organic ion-exchangers, inorganic ion-exchangers are not synthesized via complex multi-step organic synthesis. Therefore, inorganic ion-exchangers are substantially more cost-effective when compared to organic ion-exchangers as well as CST. Selective removal of specified isotopes through ion exchange is a common and proven treatment method for liquid waste, yet various aspects of existing technologies leave room for improvement with respect to both cost and effectiveness. We demonstrate a novel class of inorganic ion-exchangers for the selective removal of cesium and strontium (with future work planned for uranium removal), the first of a growing family of patent-pending, potentially elutable, and paramagnetic ion-exchange materials [1]. These highly selective inorganic ion-exchangers display strong chemical, thermal and radiation stability, and can be readily synthesized from low-cost materials, making them a promising alternative to organic ion-exchange resins and crystalline silicotitanate (CST). By nature, these inorganic media lend themselves more readily to volume reduction (VR) by vitrification without the issues faced with organic resins. In fact, with a simple melting of the KMS-1 media at 650–670 deg. C (i.e., well below the volatilization temperature of Cs, Sr, Mn, Fe, Sb, etc.), a VR of 4:1 was achieved. With true pyrolysis at higher temperatures or by vitrification, this VR would be much higher. The introduction of this new family of highly specific ion-exchange agents has potential to both reduce the cost of waste processing, and enable improved waste-classification management in both nuclear power plants (for the separation of Class A from B/C wastes) and DOE tank farms [for the separation of low level waste (LLW) from high level waste (HLW)]. In conclusion, we demonstrate for the first time a novel inorganic ion-exchanger for the selective removal of Cesium and Strontium. These inorganic ion-exchangers are chemical, thermal and radiation stable. These inorganic ion-exchangers can be synthesized in a cost-effective way which makes them significantly more effective than organic ion-exchange resin and CST. Finally, new thermal options are afforded for their final volume reduction, storage and disposal.

Tailored ion Exchange Resins for Combined Cesium and Strontium Removal From Soluble Srp High-Level Waste

1981 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha A. Ebra ◽  
Richard M. Wallace ◽  
Darrell D. Walker ◽  
Roice A. Wille
Keyword(s):  
Ion Exchange ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Ion Exchange Resins ◽  
Strontium Removal ◽  
Condensation Polymers ◽  
Exchange Resins ◽  
High Level ◽  
Chelating Groups ◽  
Column Performance

ABSTRACTNovel organic resins that achieve high selectivities for both cesium and strontium have been synthesized. They are condensation polymers of resorcinol and formaldehyde withattached chelating groups. Their column performance compares favorably with that of commercially available resins for either cesium or strontium removal. By combining Cs+ and Sr2+ removal in the same bed, these resins can significantly reduce the size and complexity of proposed facilities for processing defense high-level waste.

Production of Synroc Ceramics from Titanate Gel Microspheres

1993 ◽  
Vol 333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erden Sizgek ◽  
J.R. Bartlett ◽  
J.L. Woolfrey ◽  
E.R. Vance
Keyword(s):  
Spray Drying ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing ◽  
Controlled Porosity ◽  
High Level ◽  
Precursor Powders ◽  
Fuel Reprocessing ◽  
Titanate Ceramic

Synroc is a multi-component titanate ceramic, designed to immobilise High Level Waste (HLW) from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants [1]. Synroc precursor powders have been previously produced by various methods, such as oxide and alkoxide-hydrolysis routes [2]. However, various technological aspects of HLW processing make the use of free-flowing, dustfree, highly sinterable precursor powders desirable. Such powders have been produced by spray-drying colloidal precursors, yielding microspherical particles with controlled porosity.

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