Research and development of a high-efficiency one-stage melting converter-burial-bunker method for vitrification of high-level radioactive wastes

A new high-efficiency one-stage melting converter-burial-bunker method fdr vitrification of high-level radioactive wastes has been developed and inves tigated. The method includes evaporation (concentration), calcination, and vitrification of high-level radioactive wastes in a one-stage process insid e a melting converter for non-metallic minerals, followed by burial inside a bunker-storage facility located directly underneath a melting chamber. Sp ecific to the melting process is the direct combustion of a gas-oxygen-air mixture inside a melt. The experimental data for different aspects of the p roposed method are presented, including converter/bunker dimensions, burner types and sizes, data for used materials, contents of saturated salty solu tion and final glass product, and entrainment analysis. The effective flue- gases cleaning systems and the design of the burial-bunker storage facility are also discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.