Ferrocyanide safety program: An assessment of the possibility of ferrocyanide sludge dryout

Abstract

This report wasprepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of t h e United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, make any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by t h e United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of t h e United States Government or any agency thereof. DISCLAIMER Portions of this document may be illegible in electronic image products. Images are produced from the best available original document.

Quarterly report on the Ferrocyanide Safety Program for the period ending June 30, 1994

“…Nominal heat loads calculated by McLaren (1994aMcLaren ( , 1994b) compared very favorably with those calculated independently in 1993 (Crowe et al 1993). A dryout analysis was also completed and released in FY 1994 (Epstein et al 1994 241-BY-104 (McLaren 1993) suggested that if hot spots with temperatures of concern are possible, surface temperature differences might be great enough to be detected by IR mapping.…”

“…The new data that have warranted this action include the following: (1) many of the TC elements in the existing trees have been returned to service, and measured temperatures are as expected; (2) thermal modeling to date (McLaren 1994a(McLaren , 1994b and an enhanced understanding of waste properties show that formation of hot spots in ferrocyanide tanks is not credible (Dickinson et al 1993, Epstein et al 1994; and (3) new calculations of tank heat content based on tank temperatures show lower values than previous estimates (Crowe et al 1993, McLaren 1994a.…”

“…Further analyses have been performed to assess potential dryout of the ferrocyanide waste (Epstein et al 1994 (Fowler 1994). Types of cooling systems might include, but are not limited to the following:…”

“…Since dryout of the waste under the present storage conditions (Epstein et al 1994) is not credible, a special cooling system for the ferrocyanide tanks is not considered necessary. This task provides continuous monitoring of presently installed (and operable) temperaturesensing elements for the ferrocyanide tanks.…”

“…Studies are underway to evaluate the moisture retention properties of ferrocyanide tank sludge and saltcake simulants as they relate to possible waste tank leaks, tank stabilization by pumping, and possible evaporation from exposed surfaces. Previous work (Epstein et al 1994) has shown that ferrocyanide sludge cannot dry sufficiently to be chemically reactive during interim storage, either globally or locally. Dryout mechanisms evaluated included global evaporation, removal of liquid by leakage or pumping, boiling as a result of hot spots, and enhanced surface evaporation from hot spots.…”