RADON Operational Experience in High-Temperature Treatment of Radioactive Wastes

Abstract

FSUE Radon deals with collection, transportation, treatment, conditioning, and interim storage and final disposal of conditioned low-and intermediate-level radioactive wastes (LILW) as well as radiation monitoring, decontamination and environmental remediation of Moscow and Moscow area. Liquid LILW with high salinity is subject to vitrification at the Radon full scale vitrification plant using a cold crucible inductive melting (CCIM) at temperatures of 1150-1200 °C. The bench-scale cold crucible based unit is used for research works and feasibility study on new promising ceramic and glass-ceramic waste forms based on incinerator slag and ash. Solid and liquid organic LILWs are treated in a plasma shaft furnace with liquid slagging at temperatures of 1400-1500 °C. Molten slag is solidified in containers yielding a glass-crystalline material with high chemical durability and strong mechanical integrity suitable for safe long-term storage and disposal in both interim repositories and underground sites. One of the promising methods for LILW treatment is application of thermochemical reactions – self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) with high energy release which is considered as a potential technology for treatment of spent ion-exchange resins, silts and grounds and some specific wastes.