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Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, has successfully tested a remote welding process to seal radioactive waste containers prior to hot isostatic pressing (HIP). Since the 1990s, a variety of radioactive and hazardous waste forms have been remotely treated using HIP during trials within Idaho National Laboratory (INL) hot cells. For HIP treatment at INL, waste was loaded into a stainless-steel or aluminum canister, which was evacuated, seal welded, and placed in a HIP furnace. HIP simultaneously heats and pressurizes the waste, reducing its volume and increasing its stability, thus lowering the cost and risk associated with disposal. Weld integrity must be ensured in order to prevent the spread of contamination during HIP. This paper presents a process for sealing HIP canisters remotely using modified, commercially available equipment. This process includes evacuation, heating, welding, and weld inspection. The process and equipment have proven to reliably seal canisters in continued HIP trials.

Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), LLC, has developed processes and equipment for a pilot-scale hot isostatic pressing (HIP) treatability study to stabilize and volume reduce radioactive calcine stored at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). In 2009, the U. S. Department of Energy signed a Record of Decision with the state of Idaho selecting HIP technology as the method to treat 5,800 yd3 (4,400 m3) of granular zirconia and alumina calcine produced between 1953 and 1992 as a waste byproduct of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. Since the 1990s, a variety of radioactive and hazardous waste forms have been remotely treated using HIP within INL hot cells. To execute the remote process at INL, waste is loaded into a stainless-steel or aluminum can, which is evacuated, sealed, and placed into a HIP furnace. The HIP simultaneously heats and pressurizes the waste, reducing its volume and increasing its durability. Two 1-gal cans of calcine waste currently stored in a shielded cask were identified as candidate materials for a treatability study involving the HIP process. Equipment and materials for cask handling and calcine transfer into INL hot cells, as well as remotely operated equipment for waste can opening, particle sizing, material blending, and HIP can loading have been designed and successfully tested. These results demonstrate BEA’s readiness for treatment of INL calcine.