May 20, 2004
Report

Vacuum Drying of Actual Transuranic Waste from Hanford Tanks

Abstract

Composites of sludge from Tanks 241-B-203, 241-T-203, 241 T 204, and 241-T-110 at the Hanford Site were prepared at the Hanford 222-S Laboratory from core samples retrieved from these tanks. These tank composites may not be representative of the entire contents of the tank but provide some indication of the properties of the waste within these underground storage tanks. The composite samples were diluted with water at the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory to represent the slurries that are expected to be received from tank retrieval operations and processed to produce a final waste stream. The dilutions were vacuum dried at 60°C and 26 in. of mercury (~ 100 torr). Semi-quantitative measurements of stickiness and cohesive strength were made on these dilutions as a function of drying time. Mass loss as a function of drying time and total solids concentration of the initial dilution and at the conclusion of drying were also measured. Visual observations of the sludge were recorded throughout the drying process.

Revised: June 14, 2004 | Published: May 20, 2004

Citation

Tingey J.M. 2004. Vacuum Drying of Actual Transuranic Waste from Hanford Tanks Richland, WA: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.