Characteristics of STP Pre-2004 Archived KE Basin Sludge Samples Before and After Re-Jarring in the RPL - April 2012

Abstract

SummaryThe Sludge Treatment Project (STP), managed for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) by CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Company (CHRPC), is responsible for operating the K West (KW) Basin fuel storage pool and managing the sludge (and other materials) that it contains. The STP mission includes characterization, containment, safe removal, treatment, and transportation of all sludge (treated or untreated) from the KW Basin. Since the 1990s, samples of K Basin sludge have been collected during several sampling campaigns. In support of these campaigns, samples have been sent to the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) for characterization and process testing. At the request of the STP, sludge materials from these campaigns are being maintained and archived at PNNL as contingency for future testing requirements. Experience has shown that the archived sample materials have been very useful for the resolution of emerging issues as the sludge disposition path forward has evolved and as project design activities have been implemented. Experience has also shown that obtaining, transporting, and analyzing/testing new sludge sample material from K Basins remains a major investment for the K Basin project in terms of both time (years) and funds (millions of dollars).This report describes results of work performed in the Shielded Analytical Laboratory (SAL) at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL) Radiochemical Processing Laboratory (RPL) with archive K East (KE) Basin sludge samples obtained before the year 2004, with some of them composited and initially characterized five years ago . The previously performed testing included the physical properties determinations for selected samples (settled and particle densities, water and solids concentrations), the pH, as well as identification of crystalline phases by X-ray diffractometry (XRD) for selected samples. Another objective of the previous characterization and testing campaign was to transfer some sludge composites and individual samples into new storage containers to overcome the embrittlement effect which develops in original glass containers as a result of extended exposure to high radiation fields and which increases probability of sample loss.With more than five years of storage of the abovementioned sludge samples in a hot-cell environment, concerns regarding gradually developing glass embrittlement and degradation of its mechanical strength were raised again and it was decided to transfer all valuable samples into new glass containers of unified geometry (240-ml Qorpak jars). This geometry is ideal for placement of groups of four to six samples inside of stainless steel bins available in the SAL for the long-term storage and regular inspection of archived samples. Some original samples available in amounts exceeding the capacity of a single 240-ml jar were split into two subsamples (denoted as X-jar and Y-jar) to accommodate all the content of the original container. Two subsamples of KC-6 organic ion exchange resin (OIER) beads held in the c...

STP K Basin Sludge Sample Archive at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory FY2014

“…The other 29 tracked samples are from pre-2004 sludge collection activities from the K East and West Basins (22 samples stored wet and seven samples stored dry). These samples were placed into new containers around April 2012 as described by Sinkov et al (2012) and incorporated into the K Basin PNNL project 52578 monthly monitoring program in November 2012 (see Appendix C). The only change to this current inventory is KENLOP #2, which was split into two jars per TI 52578-TI052.…”

“…(c) The sludge sample contained a large monolithic structure in addition to settled sludge that confounded calculations of settled sludge volume and mass. Therefore, sludge volume and mass were copied from original data collection, Sinkov et al (2012), to provide a sense of the sludge mass and volume these samples represent. (d) The volume and mass were small and were copied from data reported by Sinkov et al (2012).…”

“…Therefore, sludge volume and mass were copied from original data collection, Sinkov et al (2012), to provide a sense of the sludge mass and volume these samples represent. (d) The volume and mass were small and were copied from data reported by Sinkov et al (2012). (e) The volumes are low and thus have high relative uncertainties.…”

“…Summaries of the samples collected prior to 2004 are provided in Table C.1 and Table C.2. These tables were originally published in Sinkov et al 2012 (Table S.1 and S.2) and are provided here to show sample genesis and measured sludge volumes and densities prior to the current monthly samplemonitoring effort.…”