Adaptation of CCIM Technology for HLW Treatment: Results of Research and Development

Results of feasibility tests of application of Cold Crucible Inductive Melting (CCIM) technology to high level waste (HLW) treatment on examples of Savannah River Site, USA, and PA “Mayak”, Russia, HLW, carried out at SIA Radon, and results of design of new perspective bench-scale HLW vitrification facility are presented in this report. Full-scale low level waste (LLW) vitrification plant is under operation at Radon since 2003. Successful Radon experience aroused an interest to this technology from US DOE. Since 2001 Radon performed tests on vitrification of surrogates of various types of HLW stored at US DOE Sites. Process variables were determined and vitrified wastes were characterized in details. Since 2007 Radon was a subcontractor in the project on design and construction of a new CCIM based vitrification facility at PA “Mayak”. From preliminary tests on Mayak HLW surrogates the main technological features of CCIM process were determined and principles of the process control were formulated. Radon performed the design of the cold crucible and automated control system. On the base of analysis of previously and newly obtained data the main requirements to designing of cold crucible melters and auxiliary equipment, intended for actual HLW treatment, were worked out.