scholarly journals Corrosion evaluation of ICPP high-level liquid waste storage tanks

1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Waste ◽  
Storage Tanks ◽  
High Level Liquid Waste ◽  
Waste Storage ◽  
Corrosion Evaluation ◽  
High Level

Challenges During the Decommissioning of the WAK Site: Dismantling of Highly Contaminated HLLW-Storage Tanks

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Dux ◽  
Oliver Fath
Keyword(s):  
Concrete Structures ◽  
Liquid Waste ◽  
Nuclear Test ◽  
Process Equipment ◽  
Storage Tanks ◽  
Nuclear Fuels ◽  
High Level Liquid Waste ◽  
Test Operation ◽  
High Level ◽  
Reprocessing Plant

The German pilot reprocessing plant WAK was shut down in 1990 after reprocessing about 200 Mg of nuclear fuels and is decided to be dismantled completely to the green field until year 2023. During the years 1994 until 2008 approximately 2.000 Mg of partly highly contaminated process equipment and 1.500 Mg of concrete structures corresponding to 99% of the radioactive inventory of 5E14 Bq of the WAK reprocessing building have already been dismantled. A major prerequisite for the complete dismantling of the WAK is the management of the 60 m3 high-level liquid waste (HLLW) with a total β/γ-activity of 8.0E17 Bq resulting from reprocessing. For this purpose the Karlsruhe Vitrification Plant (VEK) was constructed in the years between 2000 and 2005 and inactively tested in 2007. The subsequent nuclear test operation and routine hot operation of the VEK plant are planned to start mid-2009. In parallel to vitrification operation, dismantling of the four HLLW tanks in the storage buildings will be prepared for remote dismantling.

scholarly journals Vitrification of HLW Produced by Uranium/Molybdenum Fuel Reprocessing in COGEMA’s Cold Crucible Melter

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Do Quang ◽  
V. Petitjean ◽  
F. Hollebecque ◽  
O. Pinet ◽  
T. Flament ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atomic Energy Commission ◽  
Liquid Waste ◽  
Glass Layer ◽  
Cold Crucible ◽  
High Level Liquid Waste ◽  
Process Waste ◽  
Glass Formulation ◽  
High Level ◽  
Fuel Reprocessing ◽  
High Frequency Induction

The performance of the vitrification process currently used in the La Hague commercial reprocessing plants has been continuously improved during more than ten years of operation. In parallel COGEMA (industrial Operator), the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and SGN (respectively COGEMA’s R&D provider and Engineering) have developed the cold crucible melter vitrification technology to obtain greater operating flexibility, increased plant availability and further reduction of secondary waste generated during operations. The cold crucible is a compact water-cooled melter in which the radioactive waste and the glass additives are melted by direct high frequency induction. The cooling of the melter produces a soldified glass layer that protects the melter’s inner wall from corrosion. Because the heat is transferred directly to the melt, high operating temperatures can be achieved with no impact on the melter itself. COGEMA plans to implement the cold crucible technology to vitrify high level liquid waste from reprocessed spent U-Mo-Sn-Al fuel (used in gas cooled reactor). The cold crucible was selected for the vitrification of this particularly hard-to-process waste stream because it could not be reasonably processed in the standard hot induction melters currently used at the La Hague vitrification facilities: the waste has a high molybdenum content which makes it very corrosive and also requires a special high temperature glass formulation to obtain sufficiently high waste loading factors (12% in molybednum). A special glass formulation has been developed by the CEA and has been qualified through lab and pilot testing to meet standard waste acceptance criteria for final disposal of the U-Mo waste. The process and the associated technologies have been also being qualified on a full-scale prototype at the CEA pilot facility in Marcoule. Engineering study has been integrated in parallel in order to take into account that the Cold Crucible should be installed remotely in one of the R7 vitrification cell. This paper will present the results obtained in the framework of these qualification programs.

Agents and Processes Design for TRU Elements Back Extraction in TRPO Process

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Wei ◽  
Xuegang Liu ◽  
Jing Chen
Keyword(s):  
Organic Phase ◽  
Liquid Waste ◽  
Back Extraction ◽  
High Level Liquid Waste ◽  
Trpo Process ◽  
Extraction Processes ◽  
Treatment And Disposal ◽  
High Level ◽  
Disposal Cost

To reduce the long-term risk of the high-level liquid waste (HLLW) and the waste disposal cost, transuranium (TRU) elements should be removed from HLLW. A so-called TRPO process has been developed by Chinese scientists to partition HLLW. In this process, the extractant, trialkyl phosphine oxide (TRPO), is able to extract TRU elements into organic phase completely, which makes the treatment and disposal of raffinate HLLW much easier. However, the treatment of extracted TRU elements in organic phase, in return, becomes new troublesome issue. Generally, there are three promising ways to treat the extracted TRU elements: (1)transmutation; (2)conditioning; (3)recycling U+Pu in Purex-TRPO Integrated Process. In any of the three ways, the back extraction agents and processes play significant roles. In this paper, the investigations on back extraction agents for TRU elements, such as TTHA, DTPA, AHA, HEDPA, DOGA, and carbonates are introduced. The corresponding back extraction processes and experimental results are reviewed.

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