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Current Projects - FY2002
The JCCEM Program has developed and deployed numerous new technologies that have enabled the DOE to fulfill its clean-up mission more effectively and less costly. During a typical Fiscal Year, the JCCEM Program conducts 10 to 20 projects which address the high-priority needs of the Focus Areas of the DOE. The IICER provides technical assistance and organizational support for these projects. The projects that are active during FY02 are summarized below.
Click here to visit the Efficient Chemical Separations Processes page.
- Application of Russian Separations Technology to the Processing of US DOE Wastes
The Cobalt Dicarbollide Universal Extraction (UNEX) Process, which has been jointly developed at the Khlopin Radium Institute (KRI), St. Petersburg, Russia and the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), removes cesium, strontium, and actinides from acidic waste in a single step. The original process removed only cesium and strontium using cobalt dicarbollide and polyethylene glycol in a nitrobenzene diluent. Since nitrobenzene is considered to be hazardous in the U.S., scientists at the KRI have developed alternate diluents. This process, based on a universal solvent, provides a simplified and cost-effective method for waste treatment as compared to the currently used method that utilizes two or three separate processes.
Testing in FY01 focused on dynamic testing of UNEX-process with simulated actual wastes, improvement and verification of procedures for determination of UNEX-solvent composition, development of methods for solidification of high-level products and secondary wastes from UNEX-process, and preliminary estimates on the effect of waste composition and UNEX-solvent compositions on UNEX-process efficiency.
In FY 2002, the following tasks are to be performed:
- Perform laboratory studies to select a recyclable strip agent, such as an amino carbonate. Evaluate the stripping properties of the recyclable agent, verify that the new agent introduces no hydrodynamic problems with third phase or foaming, and assess the potential and difficulty of recovering/recycling the strip agent. Degradation of the strip agent and the effects of degradation products in the recycle stream will be investigated to identify and degradation products that could accumulate and hamper any portion of the UNEX-flowsheet.
- Develop an "optimized" flowsheet using the recyclable strip agent. The flowsheet should minimize the number of stages required and the waste volume produced. The flowsheet will include recovery and reuse of the strip agent. The optimized flowsheet will be tested in Russia using simulants and in the U.S. using real wastes, if the budget for the U.S. portion of the work is funded sufficiently for the tests.
- Evaluate both the expected volumes of secondary wastes and methods for handling the recycled wastes. These will include spent solvents and strip agent(s) after operations end or are changed. Materials that become incorporated into either the HLW (strip) or the LLW (raffinate) will be evaluated only to determine that they will not affect disposal of the HLW in glass or the LLW in concrete (grout).
Click here to visit the High Level Waste Tank Remediation page.
- Russian Chemical Decontamination of Tanks (Phase 3)
High-level sludge waste is stored in large storage tanks (750,000 to 1,300,000 gallons) at the Hanford and Savannah River DOE sites. A technology that uses oxalic acid and other chemicals to remove the hardened sludge and residual contaminants from the waste tanks was developed at the Khlopin Radium Institute in St. Petersburg and the Mining Chemical Combine, Krasnoyarsk-26, Russia. The technology "cleans the heel" of the waste tank by a mechanical, remote-cleaning method and effectively removes the waste. The current project is aimed at developing the nuclear criticality safety basis to allow the use of oxalic acid to chemically dissolve high-level waste sludge at the Savannah River Site (SRS) by ensuring that the neutron poisons (iron, manganese, and uranium-238) remain with the fissile isotopes; by determining if another cleaning agent would be more effective for cleaning the (SRS) tanks (dissolving the sludge), but not be corrosive to the carbon steel waste tanks; by studying the selective removal from PUREX sludge of technetium 99, a main radioisotope of concern from a tank closure dose perspective; and by recommending possible chemical cleaning protocols for deposits adhering to the walls of INEEL stainless steel acid side waste tanks.
In FY 2002 - 03, the following tasks are to be performed:
- Continue to assist the Savannah River Site to develop the nuclear criticality safety basis to allow the use of oxalic acid to chemically dissolve high-level waste sludge at the Savannah River Site (SRS) by ensuring that the neutron poisons (iron, manganese, and uranium-238) remain with the fissile isotope.
- Determine if another cleaning agent would be more effective for cleaning the (SRS) tanks (dissolving the sludge), but not be corrosive to the carbon steel waste tanks.
- Study the selective removal from PUREX sludge of technetium 99, a main radioisotope of concern from a tank closure dose perspective, and
- Recommend: a) possible chemical cleaning protocols for deposits adhering to the walls of INEEL stainless steel acid side waste tanks and b) methods that INEEL could use to better identify the material adhering to their tank walls.
- Evaluation of Russian Induction-Heated Cold-Crucible Melter Technology for DOE High-Level Radioactive Waste Streams
Some U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) radioactive wastes contain high refractory oxides or other waste components, such as aluminum, zirconium, or chromium, that are technically challenging to efficiently treat and immobilize. It is possible that these wastes can be melted at higher glass waste loadings if the melter operating temperature is higher than the nominal 1150°C used by current DOE production applications of Joule-heated melter technology. It has been proposed that the induction-heated, Cold-Crucible Melter (ICCM) Technology may be able to achieve these higher temperatures while also being less susceptible to corrosion by high halide and sulfate feeds than current high-level waste (HLW) melters, because of the formation of a cold glass layer at the glass/crucible interface. The goal of this project is to evaluate the Russian-developed ICCM for potential applicability to DOE site needs. This evaluation will be based on a thorough review of information on the technology, the compatibility of ICCM operations to U.S. waste, and a demonstration of the ICCM on simulated DOE. waste.
In FY 2002, the following task is to be completed: Glass preparation and laboratory-scale demonstration of the cold-crucible melter technology.
- Evaluation of Russian Induction-Heated Cold-Crucible Melter (ICCM) Technology for DOE Radioactive Waste Streams - Engineering Scale
Russian research centers have developed laboratory and pilot-scale waste vitrification equipment and processes that may be applicable to DOE high-level radioactive waste (HLW), and low-volume radioactive wastes of other types. To evaluate the ICCM technology, DOE proposes to fund through the Joint Coordinating Committee on Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (JCCEM), a sixteen month joint U. S. and Russian project in which the ICCM Technology will be described and demonstrated to DOE vitrification experts. The objective of this project is to conduct laboratory-scale and engineering-scale ICCM melter demonstrations using an integrated feed and offgas system. The results will demonstrate the ability of the ICCM Technology to produce high-quality products that meet U.S. requirements.
The U.S. collaborators will provide recipes for the preparation of two U.S. high-level radioactive waste (HLW) simulant compositions (non-radioactive surrogates). The compositions represent Idaho National Environmental Engineering Laboratory (INEEL) acid "sodium bearing waste" (SBW) and a representative combination of the Hanford Site alkaline HLW and the Savannah River Site (SRS) alkaline HLW . The SIA Radon (Moscow, Russia researchers will evaluate these compositions for compatibility with ICCM operations, and the U.S. collaborators will compare the performance versus joule-heated melting. Changes to waste loading and glass former compositions will be recommended by the SIA Radon researchers as required to adjust to ICCM operations.
- Testing and Prediction of Long-Term Waste Glass Performance - Russian In-situ Testing
SIA Radon has been performing field experiments evaluating the long-term performance behavior of a high sodium glass buried in a loamy soil for over 12 years. To enhance understanding of long-term glass performance, DOE proposes to fund, through the Joint Coordinating Committee on Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (JCCEM), a twelve-month joint U. S. and Russian project in which collaborative performance testing will be performed and data will be exchanged. The proposed collaborative program will continue the field testing and will also subject the samples of the radioactive Russian glass to Product Consistency Test (PCT) and Vapor Hydration Test (VHT) procedures.
The goals of this project are to share data and testing methods on the long-term performance of waste glasses including long-term in-situ burial tests and short term laboratory-scale tests. Additional tests on Russian glasses and soil and water samples from their in-situ burial tests will be conducted in order to increase the confidence in making long-term predictions of waste glass performance based on short term testing and modeling. A better understanding of the existing data and methods, along with further testing and analyses on the Russian glass samples, will aid in the assessment of Hanford LAW glass performance.
Click here to visit the Nuclear Materials page.
- Porous Crystalline Matrix for Stabilizing Actinide Solutions
Actinide solutions requiring stabilization exist in various compositions at the Savannah River Site (SRS) and the Hanford site, including approximately 15,000 liters containing isotopes of americium and curium at SRS and approximately 4,300 liters of plutonium nitrate solutions. A stabilization technology using a new matrix material, called "Gubka" (Russian for sponge), has recently been developed from coal power plant fly ash by the Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Krasnoyarsk, Russia. This glass-ceramic matrix material is capable of adsorbing radioactive components such as plutonium, americium, and curium from high-level waste tank solutions at ambient to moderate temperatures. The goal of the current project between the DOE Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and the Designing-Constructing and Industrial-Inculcating Enterprise "Daymos, Ltd." (DC IIE "Daymos, Ltd."), the Khlopin Radium Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia, the Mining Chemical Combine, Zheleznogorsk, Russia and the Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Krasnoyarsk, Russia is to complete sufficient testing of the Gubka technology to allow the completion of a report describing Gubka as "ready for deployment" for stabilizing laboratory waste solutions.
In FY 2002 and 2003, comprehensive tests of applications of the Gubka technology to the waste solutions containing hazardous metals and organics will be conducted. The tests need to be completed to determine if Gubka is effective to stabilize these solutions and the more stringent applicable waste acceptance requirements can be met. Minimal testing is also proposed to support further deployment of Gubka to stabilize other acidic radioactive liquid technical standard solutions at new DOE sites as required. Other activities proposed in this Scope of Work include development of: design and cost estimate for manufacturing industrial scale amounts of Gubka, methods for modifying and subsequent testing of Gubka for selective ion trapping, contaminant trapping from vitrification off gas, and feasibility of hydrogen getter applications to waste storage and transportation. Studies will use experimental and pilot-scale Gubka blocks and surrogate and spiked surrogate solutions as needed for the proposed testing, with test conditions and solution compositions determined by the Russian and U.S. principal investigators.
Click here to visit the Deactivation and Decommissioning page.
- Distance Method for the Determination of Activity Density Distribution on a Surface
The Deactivation and Decommissioning Focus Area (DDFA) is evaluating commercially available non-U.S. technologies for implementation to meet specific needs at DOE facilities. One such need, to perform remote radiological characterizations effectively, may be met by a Russian technology commonly referred to as the Gamma-Locator Device. It may considerably enhance the DOE's capabilities as well as those of commercial sites in the United States. This device was developed by the Research and Development Institute of Construction Technology (NIKIMT), Moscow, Russia. The remotely operated Gamma Locating Device (GLD) was demonstrated at INEEL in FY 2001 (see, Success Stories). The GLD quantifies the gamma radiation and provides isotopic identification in a remotely operated non-tethered system. The system also provides video footage, which would be critical in areas where radiation levels prohibit human entry. The system was mounted on INEEL robot ATRV-Jr that is also operated in a non-tethered mode. The technology was demonstrated at the Liquid Waste Treatment Facility at Test Area North (TAN)-616 facility, and for deployment at Cubicle #13 at the INEEL Power Burst Facility (PBF).
In FY 2002, NIKIMT will provide all necessary technical data to the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in the development of a detailed assessment of the Gamma Locator Device/Isotopic Identification Device (GLD/IID) technology for potential application at the Idaho National Engineering & Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). If the assessment proves successful, this technology could be utilized for collecting video, gamma radiation readings and identifying isotopes present in nuclear decommissioning and dismantlement projects in the United States, Russia, and worldwide. The DOE NETL has a separate Contract with RedZone Robotics, Inc. which is aimed at comparing the performance of competing baseline and improved technologies to the Russian GLD/IID. Under this Contract, RedZone Robotics is to develop a plan to deploy and commercialize the GLD/IID technology.
- Technology Demonstration/Deployment for Hot Cell Decommissioning
The purpose of this Project is to provide the Los Alamos LSDDP managers with the data for cost effectiveness and advantages of the Russian electrochemical decontamination technology in comparison with the existing baseline domestic technologies. The Designing-Constructing and Industrial -Inculcating Enterprise (Daymos, Ltd), St. Petersburg, Russia, and the U.S. Principal Investigator shall jointly develop and approve a test plan for demonstration of the Electrochemical Decontamination Technique in St. Petersburg, Russia. The test plan shall be focused on decontamination of a plutonium contaminated glovebox. The test plan shall address the objectives of the demonstration and data to be collected for comparison to competing technologies. Daymos, Ltd., shall conduct the demonstration per the approved test plan. The U.S. shall have the opportunity to witness the demonstration which is estimated to occur in October, 2002. The demonstration date(s) will be agreed upon between the U.S. and Russian Principal Investigators.
- A Detailed Evaluation of Russian Electrochemical and Foam Decontamination Methods for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Needs
The purpose of this Project is to provide the Los Alamos LSDDP managers with the data for cost effectiveness and advantages of the Russian foam decontamination technology in comparison with the existing baseline domestic technologies. All Russian Design and Scientific Research Institute of Complex Power Technology (VNIPIET), with cooperation with the U.S. Principal Investigator, shall provide assistance in planning and participation in the demonstration of the foam decontamination methods developed at VNIPIET, and, if required, shall participate in the subsequent discussions of the demonstration results. This will allow to evaluate the demonstration results and potential application of the VNIPIET developed technology. The demonstration will be conducted in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the time mutually agreed upon by the U.S. and Russian Principal Investigators.
- Biotechnology for Decontamination of Paint-and-Varnish Surfaces
The project is aimed to conduct basic research on biological processes to remove paints, varnishes, and other coatings from metal, concrete, and other surfaces contaminated with radionuclides. The results of the basic research should support further development of biological processes and systems for removal of coatings from radioactively-contaminated concrete, metal, and other surfaces
- Technology of Dust Suppression and Radioactive Contamination Localization on Concrete, Reinforced Concrete, and Steel Surface by Deposition of a Thin Film of a Fluoroepoxy Coating
The project is aimed to further develop the fluoroepoxy coating for long-term protection of workers, public, and the environment from radioactive and chemical contamination on metal and concrete surfaces. The fluoroepoxy coating is intended to retain its chemical and mechanical properties under severe environmental conditions including elevated radiation levels and extremes in temperature and moisture. Ideally, the fluorepoxy coating should withstand exposure to these conditions for more than 70 years.
- Use of Film Forming Compositions for Decontamination and Worker Protection
The objective of this project is to further develop the film forming compositions for decontamination of radioactively-contaminated surfaces, and fixing radioactive contamination onto concrete and metal surfaces to protect workers in the facilities and to prevent releases of radioactive contamination into the environment.
The film forming compositions include variations of polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl butyral, and other base coatings. Protective coatings can be used to fix airborne and surface radioactive contamination onto concrete and metal surfaces. In some cases, strippable coatings can be applied which remove the contamination as part of the stripped coating. The coatings can be applied in many ways including roller painting, paint spraying, and frothed foam which forms a film as the foam collapses. The use of foam is particularly applicable to coat objects and rooms with complex geometries. Remote and robotic systems can be used to apply the film forming compositions and is necessary for locations with high radiation or difficult-to-access areas.
- Development of Water Jet Cutting Technology
One of the new methods for cutting metal and concrete is to use the kinetic energy of a liquid jet operating at supersonic speed of 400-1000 meters per second under pressurized conditions between 100-500 Mpa (14,500-72,500 psi). Typically, the jet opening is 0.1 to 0.3 mm in diameter. There are many potential applications for the water jet cutting technology including mining, vessel cleaning; and repair of ships, railroad cars, and oil and gas pipelines. The objective of this project is to further develop the water jet cutting technology for cutting metal, concrete, and reinforced concrete structures and equipment.
- Automated Sorption-Spectrometric System for Continuous Monitoring of Gamma Emitting Nuclides in Air-Gas Discharge
The objective of this project is to further develop an automated and continuous system for on-line air monitoring of radioactive gamma-emitting gases and aerosols. The system includes a high-purity germanium detector, analyzer, and system software. The system can be used to monitor air in rooms and buildings and gas-air emissions from stacks and exhausts.
The automated and continuous air monitoring system was developed to monitor gas-aerosol releases. The mathematical modeling allows for the identification of possible releases of specific gamma-emitting radionuclides. This system has high sensitivity to gamma-emitting radionuclides; user-friendly interpretation of data; monitoring of each radionuclide; and ability to store and manipulate previous data
Click here to visit the Contaminant Transport Modeling and Site Characterization page.
- Mayak Regional Transient Model Calibration
- Modeling of contaminant transport (accounting for radionuclide retardation) at the Mayak site and long-term predictive calculations of Strontium-90, Nitrate-Ion, Cesium-137 and long-lived components (alpha-emitters).
- Development of a local 3-D hydrodynamic model and contaminant transport modeling of the source (Lake Karachay).
- Studying of the historical evolution of water-bearing rocks contamination (the solid phase of the Lake Karachay contaminant plume) and evaluation of groundwater secondary contamination by radionuclides leaching from the solid phase of the contaminant plume.
The facilities in Russia and the United States where plutonium was produced in large quantities during the Cold War now pose major threats to the environment because of the large amounts of radioactive waste materials that have been stored for decades at these facilities. A long-term and intensive cooperative effort at the Mayak Production Facility, Ozersk, Russia, and the DOE Hanford Facility is successfully addressing the immense problems involved. Based on geological and hydrological fieldwork at Mayak, an extensive computer model of the Mayak site, the surrounding land areas and water bodies, and the geological formations underlying the site was developed. This model has recently been adapted for the Hanford site, where the geological and hydrological situation is different. Its application to that site will make it possible to develop a comprehensive plan for addressing the potential threats to the environment, including the Columbia River Basin, which are posed by the expanding plume of liquid radioactive wastes that have escaped from the storage sites. Scientists and engineers of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) (Richland, Washington), the Joint Stock Company Geospetzgeologia (Moscow, Russia) and the Mayak Production Facility (Ozersk, Russia) are evaluating transient inverse modeling techniques and their applicability to the development of models used for long-term predictions. The development of a transient inverting modeling scheme will permit improved characterization of the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the radioactive plumes at the Mayak and Hanford sites.
- Tomsk Model Development
The goal of this project is to provide the geologic, hydrogeologic, and hydrologic characterization data necessary to develop a transient, three-dimensional regional hydrodynamic model containing the deep-well injection areas and the areas of the recharge and discharge of subsurface water. Major activities include the collection, generalization and analysis of geologic, hydrogeologic, and hydrologic data in the defined modeling region. The project also includes conducting a workshop in Seversk, hosted by the Russian side, to develop a plan of action for the future direction of joint activities to include discussions on the development of a plan for geochemical analysis and the progress of conceptual modeling and regional characterization.
Click here to visit the Vadose Zone Issues page.
- Evaluation of Characterization and Monitoring Technologies and Numerical Modeling of the Vadose Zone Flow and Contaminant Transport at Selected Field Sites in Russia
Field characterization and monitoring at sites across the DOE complex have illuminated cross-cutting inadequacies in the investigative methods, characterization and monitoring technologies, and predictive simulations conventionally used to quantify flow and contaminant transport in the vadose zone. These deficiencies are widespread in the DOE system and have led to questions of how to properly predict long-term performance and design and manage waste disposal sites. In response to these issues, DOE has launched the development of a complex program on vadose zone roadmapping. The integration of studies on radioactive and hazardous waste migration at chemical and nuclear waste disposal sites in Russia into the DOE program could offer a timely resolution to this pressing issue. The goals of this project are to: (1) provide critical evaluation of the performance of long-term vadose zone flow and chemical transport characterization and monitoring technologies to be used in the DOE-Complex Vadose Zone Roadmap; (2) develop conceptual, mathematical and numerical models for two field sites (to be conducted jointly with the U.S. partner); and, (3) conduct numerical modeling to simulate flow and contaminant transport in the vadose zone at two field sites to assess whether and how the field data can be used to build confidence in numerical models developed in the U.S.
Click here to visit the Program Management and Implementation page.
The U.S. Department of Energy, through its Office of Environmental Management, Office of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation have implemented a cooperative research and development program to address common environmental problems. This program is administered by the Joint Coordinating Committee for Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (JCCEM), which oversees these joint activities and determines the course of current and future research and development activities conducted jointly by U.S. and Russian scientists. This program began in 1990 and continues to address multi-faceted goals of environmental restoration and waste management. In 2000, the JCCEM Program marked 10 years of U.S. - Russian Cooperation in the Area of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management. During the 10th JCCEM meeting it was agreed that a joint report to be prepared to summarize the work performed during the 10-year history of the program and discuss the major achievements. The JCCEM Anniversary Report (published in 2002) highlights the program's significant accomplishments, which have contributed to the reputation of the JCCEM as a highly successful U.S.- Russian cooperative program.
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