GA is a member of a team headed by Parsons to design, build, and operate for one year the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) at the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, SC. The SWPF will concentrate and separate the highly radioactive waste constituents [principally actinides (alpha-particle emitters), long-lived strontium (beta-particle emitter) and cesium (gamma-ray emitter)] from dilute salt-waste solutions that will be pumped from the SRS high level waste tanks. GA serves as the Technology Manager for the SWPF project and has responsibility for the development of the overall process mass balance model as well as oversight of developmental, pilot- scale and near-full-scale test programs.
Upon receipt at the SWPF, actinides and strontium isotopes are removed by contact with monosodium titanate (MST), which is then removed from the aqueous feed stream via cross-flow filtration (CFF). GA is overseeing CFF testing using representative processes, equipment, and materials at the Parsons Pasco, WA facility. Results of this test program are used to confirm key process design parameters.
Cross flow filter test system
Once actinide and strontium species have been removed, the process stream then passes on to the Caustic Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) system that is used to concentrate cesium isotopes to allow for their long-term disposal in borosilicate glass (concentrated cesium stream) or cementatious grout (dilute cesium stream). Following testing of a pilot-scale CSSX system, GA prepared the design for the near-full-scale CSSX system and supported testing at both GA and near the SRS site at Barnwell, SC. As with the CFF testing, data from the CSSX and related test programs will be used to finalize key process parameters and operating conditions.
CSSX system installed at GA
