Americium/Curium Vitrification Process Development Part II
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Andrew P. Fellinger, Mark A. Baich, Jon W. Duvall, Timothy M. Jones, John E. Marra, Carey B. Miller, Donald H. Miller, David K. Peeler, Theresa K. Snyder, Michael E. Stone and Douglas C. Witt, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Savannah River Site, Aiken, SC 29808 ABSTRACT
At the Savannah River Site (SRS) we are currently finalizing the design for a multi-system vitrification process that will be installed in the F-Canyon Multi-Purpose Process Facility (MPPF), an existing highly shielded, remotely operated facility. Authorization to proceed beyond the preliminary design based on the recommendation of a Formal Design Review Board was requested in May of 1999. The Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) Process Development Group has been conducting research and developing a process to identify equipment design bases and process operating parameters since 1996. The goal of the project is to stabilize a tank of-I 1,000 liters of nitric acid solution containing valuable isotopes of americium (Am) and curium (Cm). Vitrification has been selected as the most attractive alternative for stabilization and provides the opportunity for recovery and eventual reuse of the actinides. The final glass form will be placed in interim storage awaiting a disposition by the Department of Energy. This paper presents a brief history of the stabilization program and an overview of the entire Am/Cm stabilization process. This paper also provides details of a specific processing issue related to drain tube pluggage (devitrification) that was encountered during the development of the baseline batch vitrification process, and the remedy employed to reduce the potential for further drain tube pluggage. INTRODUCTION
The SRTC Process Development Group has been developing a process to stabilize -11,000 liters of nitric acid solution containing valuable isotopes of americium (Am) and curium (Cm) at the request of the Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board since 1996. This solution also contains relatively high concentrations of rare-earth fission products formed during production of the Am and Cm in SRS reactors. The originally proposed process entailed an application of resistance heating to a slightly modified, commercially available platinum-rhodium slab-type bushing melter. Challenges with off-gas system pluggage, feed system pluggage and melter durability associated with efforts to directly vitrify the nitric acid feed solution in the slab-type bushing melter were encountered through four developmental melter designs between 1996 and 1998. Technical issues 'associated with processing and difficulties of the continuous feed Am/Cm bushing melter pilot system have been documented by Smith, et.al. [1] In January of 1998 an alternative batch process was proposed. The background for changing to a batch vitrification process and the simplification of the melter system as compared to the bushing melter are described by Marra, et.al.[2] As a new induction heated, cylindrical melter was being installed, the development of vitrification experiments wi
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