(224a) Process Challenges and Changes in the Sludge Batch 10 Flowsheet at the Defense Waste Processing Facility

Researchers at the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) have recently completed testing to support the implementation of a chemical processing strategy to treat Sludge Batch (SB) 10 High-Level Waste (HLW) at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, SC. Sludge Batch 10 is a paradigm-shifting campaign for HLW treatment at SRS due to the full-scale implementation of several programs. SB 10 will be the first sludge batch campaign undertaken at the SRS that will experience complete support under the nitric-glycolic flowsheet in which the production of flammable hydrogen gas is dramatically decreased by the elimination of formic acid. Second, SB 10 will be the first sludge batch operated from start-to-end with added waste from the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF). Finally, SB 10 will be the first sludge batch processed entirely with the latest antifoamer formulation specified by SRNL. All of these changes reflect a need to understand novel processing challenges that have not until recently been prioritized.

The research presented here will discuss findings from recent SRNL investigations into the effect of the changes discussed above on processing parameters such as flammable gas generation, sludge thickness and processability, reduction/oxidation potential during vitrification, and chemical conversions. Additional discussion will be given to key differences between SB 10 and previous SB campaigns and implications for waste treatment at the SRS going forward.