Senior Engineer/Project Manager
Senior Engineer/Project Manager

Biography

Renee L. Russell joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) as a technical specialist in 1994. In 1997, she was promoted to research engineer and in 2008 was promoted to senior research engineer. Her professional experience acquired before joining PNNL includes basic and applied research in the areas of materials development and metallurgical processing. 

At PNNL, her focus has been on Hanford Site tank waste simulant development, process flowsheet development, and chemical processing for waste vitrification. She also specializes in waste glass development and testing, as well as managing research projects funded by the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management and by Bechtel National Inc. Russell is based in the Radiological Materials group in PNNL’s Nuclear Sciences Division. 

Research Interest

  • Simulant development, including composition, preparative method, and analysis
  • Waste treatment plant pretreatment operations (leaching and filtration)
  • Melter feed preparation
  • Physical property characterization
  • Waste glass formulation and testing

Disciplines and Skills

  • Project management

Education

  • BS in chemical engineering, University of Nevada, Reno
  • MS in metallurgical engineering, University of Nevada, Reno

Awards and Recognitions

  • Outstanding Project Manager, Energy and Environment Directorate, PNNL, 2023

Publications

2023

2022

2017

  • Saslow S.A., W. Um, R.L. Russell, G. Wang, R.M. Asmussen, and R. Sahajpal. 2017. Updated Liquid Secondary Waste Grout Formulation and Preliminary Waste Form Qualification. PNNL-26443; RPT-SWCS-009 Rev 0. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. doi:10.2172/1373004. Updated Liquid Secondary Waste Grout Formulation and Preliminary Waste Form Qualification
  • Schonewill P.P., R.L. Russell, R.C. Daniel, H.A. Colburn, S.A. Bryan, P.A. Gauglitz, and S.D. Rassat, et al. 2017. "Low Activity Waste Pretreatment System Bench-Scale Testing: Supporting Integrated Testing and Facility Safety Analyses - 17171." In Proceedings of the 43rd Annual Waste Management Conference (WM 2017): Education & Opportunity in Waste Management, March 5-9, 2017, Phoenix, Arizona, 4, 2694-2708. Tempe, Arizona:Waste Management Symposia, Inc. PNNL-SA-123178.

2012

  • Crum J.V., T.B. Edwards, R.L. Russell, P.J. Workman, M.J. Schweiger, R.F. Schumacher, and D.E. Smith, et al. 2012. "DWPF STARTUP FRIT VISCOSITY MEASUREMENT ROUND ROBIN RESULTS." Journal of the American Ceramic Society 95, no. 7:2196-2205. PNNL-SA-78315.
  • Russell R.L., D.E. Rinehart, G.N. Brown, and R.A. Peterson. 2012. "Cesium Ion Exchange Loading Kinetics Testing with SRF Resin." Separation Science and Technology 47, no. 14-15:2129-2135. PNNL-SA-83579.
  • Russell R.L., D.E. Rinehart, G.N. Brown, and R.A. Peterson. 2012. "Ion Exchange Temperature Testing with SRF Resin." In Waste Management Symposium (WM 2012): Improving the Future in Waste Management, February 26 - March 1, 2012, Phoenix, Arizona, Paper No. 12088. Phoenix, Arizona:Waste Management Symposia, Inc. PNNL-SA-84237.
  • Schonewill P.P., R.C. Daniel, R.L. Russell, R.W. Shimskey, C.A. Burns, J.M. Billing, and B.M. Rapko, et al. 2012. "Development of an S-Saltcake Simulant Using Crossflow Filtration as a Validation Technique." Separation Science and Technology 47, no. 14-15:2098-2107. PNNL-SA-84086.

2011

  • Brown G.N., R.L. Russell, and R.A. Peterson. 2011. "Small-Column Ion Exchange Testing of Spherical Resorcinol-Formaldehyde." In WM 2011: Global Achievements and Challenges in Waste Management, February 27- March 3, 2011, Phoenix, Arizona, Paper No. 11379. Tucson, Arizona:WM Symposia. PNNL-SA-77254.
  • Brown G.N., R.L. Russell, and R.A. Peterson. 2011. Small-Column Cesium Ion Exchange Elution Testing of Spherical Resorcinol-Formaldehyde. PNNL-20603. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. doi:10.2172/1034590. Small-Column Cesium Ion Exchange Elution Testing of Spherical Resorcinol-Formaldehyde
  • Daniel R.C., J.M. Billing, R.L. Russell, R.W. Shimskey, H.D. Smith, and R.A. Peterson. 2011. "Integrated pore blockage-cake filtration model for crossflow filtration." Chemical Engineering Research & Design 89, no. 7:1094-1103. PNNL-SA-75467. doi:10.1016/j.cherd.2010.09.006

2010

  • Edwards M.K., R.L. Russell, R.W. Shimskey, and R.A. Peterson. 2010. "Bench-Scale Testing of the Continuous Sludge Leaching Process." Separation Science and Technology 45, no. 12-13:1807-1813. PNWD-SA-8769. doi:10.1080/01496395.2010.493799
  • Russell R.L., and R.A. Peterson. 2010. "Boehmite Dissolution Model Based on Simulant Data." Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 49, no. 10:4542-4545. PNNL-SA-65718.
  • Russell R.L., L.A. Snow, and R.A. Peterson. 2010. "Methods to avoid post-filtration precipitation in treatment of high-level waste." Separation Science and Technology 45, no. 12-13:1814-1821. PNNL-SA-69051.

2009

  • Peterson R.A., R.L. Russell, and L.A. Snow. 2009. "Boehmite Dissolution Studies Supporting High Level Waste Pretreatment - 9383." In Symposium on Waste Management: Waste Management for the Nuclear Renaissance, 6, 3794-3803. Phoenix, Arizona:WM Symposia Inc. PNNL-SA-63384.
  • Russell R.L., J.M. Billing, H.D. Smith, and R.A. Peterson. 2009. "Validation of Ultrafilter Performance Model Based on Systematic Simulant Evaluation." Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research 48, no. 22:10077-10086. PNNL-SA-66804.
  • Russell R.L., W.C. Buchmiller, K.J. Cantrell, R.A. Peterson, and D.E. Rinehart. 2009. Results of Aging Tests of Vendor-Produced Blended Feed Simulant. WPT-RPT-198 Rev 0; PNNL-18291. Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Results of Aging Tests of Vendor-Produced Blended Feed Simulant

2004

  • Chellappa R., R. Russell, and D. Chandra. 2004. "Thermodynamic modeling of the C(CH2OH)4-(NH2)(CH3)C(CH2OH)2 binary system." CALPHAD 28. PNNL-SA-43026. doi:10.1016/j.calphad.2004.03.007
  • Russell R., R. Chellappa, and D. Chandra. 2004. "Determination of the phase diagram of the binary system C(CH2OH)4-(NH2)(CH3)C(CH2OH)2 by high resolution Guinier diffractometry scanning calorimetry." CALPHAD 28, no. 1:41-48. PNNL-SA-43025. doi:10.1016/j.calphad.2004.04.001

2002

  • Palmer R.A., H.D. Smith, G.L. Smith, M.R. Smith, R.L. Russell, and G.K. Patello. 2002. "Chemical and Physical Characterization of the First West Valley Demonstration Project High-Level Waste Feed Batch." In Environmental Issues & Waste Management Technologies in the Ceramic & Nuclear Industries VII: Proceedings - Science & Technology in Addressing Environmental Issues in the Ceramic Industry and the Ceramic Science & Technology for the Nuclear Industry Symposiums; 103rd Annual Meeting, American Ceramic Society, April 22-25, 2001, Indianapolis, IN.: Ceramic Transactions, edited by DR Spearing, GL Smith and SK Sundaram, 132. Westerville, Ohio: The American Ceramic Society. PNNL-SA-35400. doi:10.1002/9781118371435.ch33

2001

  • Terry T.N., R.L. Russell, H.D. Smith, L. Liang, and G.L. Smith. 2001. "Aqueous-Based Latex Systems for Producing Durable Waste Forms-Initial Characterization." Journal of Undergraduate Research 1. PNNL-SA-33570.