Additional facilities to handle PUREX tank farm vapor wastes. Project CG-719

Abstract

The liquid high-level radioactive wastes from the separations plant are stored in large underground tanks where radioactive decay of the fission products in storage gives off heat. In the case of the 241-A underground storage tank farm, for Purex wastes, advantage is taken of this heat to self-concentrate the wastes. The present practice is to permit boiling and concentration in the storage tanks. The vapors given off from the boiling wastes are collected in a vapor header and passed through a deentrainment vessel and on to two contact condensers where the vapors are condensed and intermixed with waste cooling water. Samples taken of the waste vapors have shown a considerable amount of cesium{sup 137} present as well as other types of radioactive material carry over from the waste tanks. For this reason the contact condenser effluent is discharged to an underground crib 216-A-8. Underground disposal of the increasing volume of condenser effluent as larger waste volumes are accumulated in the underground tanks presents a critical problem which is further complicated by the desirability to transfer the condensate waste to new disposal facilities near the 200 West area. The intent of this report is to present the scope of the facilitiesmore » required to reduce the volume of potentially radioactive condensate waste from the 241-A tank farm and to dispose of this waste through supplemental cribbing. An analysis of the 216-A-8 crib capabilities in relation to the projected flows clearly indicates that if other facilities to reduce the contaminated waste stream volume are not provided, an extensive and costly crib system will be required. The economical solution to the problem is to provide surface condensers to permit segregation of the condensed waste vapors from the cooling water, condensate collection and transfer facilities, and a new condensate disposal crib near the 200 West Area. Data which support this solution are provided in this report.« less