French Industrial Vitrification Plant: 30 Years Old and Still Innovating

Abstract

AbstractIn 2008, AREVA NC Industrial Vitrification of High-Level Liquid Waste blows out its 30th candle, with always two main objectives during all the time: containment of the long lived fission products and reduction of the final volume of waste. During all this time AREVA with the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) developed and use in their industrial installations a selection of borosilicate glass that have been demonstrated as the most suitable containment matrix for waste from spent nuclear fuel. Consistent and long-term R&D programs associated to industrial feed back from operation have enabled continuous improvement of the process: throughput and waste loading factor enhancement. The Vitrification Process used and currently implemented in the AREVA facilities will be described.