INDUSTRIALIZATION OF A COMPACT SLUDGE RETRIEVAL SYSTEM

The Compact Sludge Retrieval system (CSR system) has been industrialized by COGEMA, for retrieval of sludge waste, from STE 2 storage silos at UP 2 reprocessing plant at La Hague, France. STE 2 is a liquid waste treatment facility which was operated by COGEMA from 1966 to 1998. The facility treated low- and intermediate-level liquid waste produced by UP 2 reprocessing plant. Sludge produced by liquid waste treatment was stored in waste storage silos. The scope of the STE 2 sludge retrieval and conditioning project is to retrieve, transfer and bituminize approximately 9,000 m 3 of sludge from seven STE 2 waste storage silos, which have a total radioactive content of 70,000 TBq of beta-gamma emitters and 3,400 TBq of alpha emitters. The sludge dry content (3,300 tons) includes 82 % of precipitated salts and 18 % of soluble salts, such as sodium nitrate. While the bituminization is already in operation in the STE 3 facility, retrieval of STE 2 sludge is a new industrial operation for the La Hague site. It has been designed and planned with great care to provide COGEMA with an effective, reliable and cost-effective retrieval system.