Consensus Standardization of Slurry Simulant Development Process to Reduce Design Risk Within the DOE Complex

A critical responsibility of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management is the design, construction, and operation of equipment and facilities to process legacy radioactive waste slurries for safe, long-term disposal. The accomplishment of this mission requires the extensive use of physical and chemical simulants to represent the hazardous radioactive waste. Development and characterization of simulants can often be difficult to compare or utilize as questions exist as to the basis, techniques, or consistency associated with reported parameters. In addition, controversy has existed in the interpretation and application of the characterization data for the wastes that the simulants are intended to represent.