The first seven sodium shields that we sent to the Veolia Nuclear Solutions Federal Services facility in Andrew, Texas, have all been successfully melted. Veolia used its GeoMelt® technology to convert the waste into a stable, durable glass for safe, permanent disposal.
This legacy waste from the 1960s and 70s was used to pioneer radiation shielding research at ORNL. The shields present unique hazards for treatment because they are unstable and can be reactive when brought into contact with water.
The GeoMelt® process was a viable solution because it uses heat, not liquid, to treat the waste and avoids generating other challenging waste streams during the process. UCOR sent a limited number of shields to validate that this technology could safely and compliantly treat this waste.
“With the demonstration process being such a success, it represents a path forward for the remaining inventory of shields here and other similar waste streams across the DOE complex,” Waste Disposition Specialist John Witzeman said.
The seventh and final melt is currently cooling down before it goes to its final disposition at Waste Control Specialists.
Today, the waste management organization hosted a luncheon to celebrate the group effort in making this project a triumph. Way to go team!