Use of a Paraffin Based Grout to Stabilize Buried Beryllium and Other Wastes [electronic resource]

The long term durability of WAXFIXi, a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting of activated beryllium wastes in the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA), a radioactive landfill at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The evaluation conside...

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Bibliographic Details
Online Access: Online Access (via OSTI)
Corporate Author: Idaho National Laboratory (Researcher)
Format: Government Document Electronic eBook
Language:English
Published: Washington, D.C. : Oak Ridge, Tenn. : United States. Department of Energy. Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management ; distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Department of Energy, 2005.
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Summary:The long term durability of WAXFIXi, a paraffin based grout, was evaluated for in situ grouting of activated beryllium wastes in the Subsurface Disposal Area (SDA), a radioactive landfill at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex, part of the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The evaluation considered radiological and biological mechanisms that could degrade the grout using data from an extensive literature search and previous tests of in situ grouting at the INL. Conservative radioactive doses for WAXFIX were calculated from the "hottest" (i.e., highest-activity) Advanced Test Reactor beryllium block in the SDA.. These results indicate that WAXFIX would not experience extensive radiation damage for many hundreds of years. Calculation of radiation induced hydrogen generation in WAXFIX indicated that grout physical performance should not be reduced beyond the effects of radiation dose on the molecular structure. Degradation of a paraffin-based grout by microorganisms in the SDA is possible and perhaps likely, but the rate of degradation will be at a slower rate than found in the literature reviewed. The calculations showed the outer 0.46 m (18 in.) layer of each monolith, which represents the minimum expected distance to the beryllium block, was calculated to require 1,000 to 3,600 years to be consumed. The existing data and estimations of biodegradation and radiolysis rates.
Buried Beryllium; Wastes.
Item Description:Published through SciTech Connect.
12/01/2005.
"inl/con-05-00499"
7th International Energy Agency International Workshop on Beryllium Technology,Santa Barbara, CA,11/29/2005,12/02/2005.
Gretchen Matthern; Duane Hanson; Neal Yancey; Darrell Knudson.