Letter report: Evaluation of LFCM off-gas system technologies for the HWVP

Radioactive high-level liquid waste (HLLW), a byproduct of defense nuclear fuel reprocessing activities, is currently being stored in underground tanks at several US sites. Because its mobility poses significant environmental risks, HLLW is not a suitable waste form for long-term storage. Thus, high-temperature processes for solidifying and isolating the radioactive components of HLLW have been developed and demonstrated by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its contractors. Vitrification using liquidfed ceramic melters (LFCMs) is the reference process for converting US HLLW into a borosilicate glass. Two vitrification plants are currently under construction in the United States: the West Valley Demonstration Plant (WVDP) being built at the former West Valley Nuclear Fuels Services site in West Valley, New York; and the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), which is currently 85% complete at DOE`s Savannah River Plant (SRP). A third facility, the Hanford Waste Vitrification Plant (HWVP), is being designed at DOE`s Hanford Site.