Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste - U.S. ...

4.36
may be contact-handled. The quantities of failed equipment and noncombustible wastes esti-
mated for a MOX-FFP could be contained in a mixture of packages comprising 0.38 boxes/GWe-yr
and 7.5 drums/GWe-yr. All of these packages could be contact-handled.
4.3.3.3 Combustible and Compactable Waste Treatment
Three major alternatives have been used for treating general trash and combustible
waste: incineration, packaging without treatment, and compaction. Incineration consists
of burning the waste and treating the off-gas for removal of radionuclides and other noxious
materials, thereby decreasing the waste volume and rendering it noncombustible. Incinera-
tion also reduces the potential of biological action occurring in the waste. Packaging
Without treatment consists of simply packaging general trash and ventilation filters in
steel drums for interim storage or interment at the repository. The third alternative, com-
paction, consists of compacting the waste and packaging it in steel drums for interim
storage or interment at the repository. All three methods have been widely used in the
nuclear industry, although incineration has not been applied to wastes requiring remote
handling. The latter two methods may not give waste packages that meet waste package cri-
teria for the repository.
Incineration was chosen as the example treatment process for this Statement because it
both renders the waste noncombustible and reduces the volume. Several incineration pro-
cesses have been successfully operated with radioactive combustible wastes (Perkins 1976,
Borduin and Toboas 1980). The process assumed here and described in DOE/ET-0028 employs a
controlled-air, dual-chamber incinerator. Packaging without treatment was also examined in
detail as an alternative since it represents the other end of the spectrum in terms of cost,
volume reduction, and flammability of the packaged waste.
Incineration (Example Method)
The FRP wastes include both materials that must be handled remotely and those that can
be contact-handled; we assume the use of separate but identical incinerators for the two
waste categories. The wastes sent to these two units are sorted and high-density combus-
tibles are shredded, as are wooden filter frames after filter media have been removed in a
filter media removal and pelletizing press. Pelletized filter media and noncombustibles are
packaged in 55-gallon drums for disposal. The sorted and shredded combustibles are inciner-
ated, and the ash (which contains essentially all of the radionuclides present in the waste)
is collected for transfer to the wet waste and particulate solids immobilization facility.
The off gas from the incinerator is sent through a high-energy gas-scrubbing system for
cooling and for removal of volatilized radionuclides, acidic gases, and particulates before
being filtered and routed to the FRP atmospheric protection system. The scrubbing solution
is concentrated and sent, along with the ash, to the wet waste and particulate solids immo-
bilization facility. Figure 4.3.9 provides a simplified flow diagram of these operations.
We assume that the MOX-FFP is located apart from the FRP and that a separate incinera-
tion facility is therefore required. The facility design is nearly identical to that in the
FRP; however, because of the relatively small volume of off-gas scrubbing solution, it does
not provide for solution concentration before immobilization.