Settling Test Using Simulants to Evaluate Uranium Metal Distribution in K Basin Sludge

Schmidt, Andrew J. ; Elmore, Monte R.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (U.S.)

关键词: Sludges;    Storage;    Testing;    Uranium Metal, Spent Nuclear Fuel, Settling, K East Basin, Ke Basin Sludge, Thermal Stability, Corrosion, Liquefaction, K West Basin, Safety Basis, Segregation, Large Diameter Containers, Safety Analysis, Simulant, Model, Modeling;    Spent Fuels;   

DOI  :  10.2172/15010222
RP-ID  :  PNNL-13854
RP-ID  :  AC05-76RL01830
RP-ID  :  15010222

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

This report presents the results of a large-scale settling test conducted with a K Basin sludge simulant that included metallic tungsten/cobalt (W/Co) fragments (density {approx}14.5 g/cm3) as a surrogate for uranium metal (density 19 g/cm3). The objective of the testing was to gain insight into how uranium metal is likely to be distributed within the K Basin sludge loaded into the large-diameter containers (LDCs) that will be used for storage at T Plant. In the LDCs, uranium metal will react with water and generate heat and hydrogen gas. During loading, transportation, and storage operations, the uranium metal distribution in the LDCs will have an impact on the thermal stability. Approximately 50 m3 of K Basin sludge have accumulated during the storage of more than 2100 metric tons of N Reactor fuel elements in two water-filled concrete pools (K East and K West Basins) in the 100K Area of the Hanford Site.