Use of plasma reactor to viabilise the volumetric reduction of radioactive wastes

Abstract

© 2019Nuclear reactors, hospitals, industries and research institutes generate considerable amounts of radioactive waste every day. To dispose this waste in a safe and cost-effective manner, it must be treated by immobilising the radionuclides and, for better stocking capacity, it must be volumetrically reduced as much as possible. To this end, plasma technology, among other promising technologies for radioactive waste treatment, exposes radioactive waste to temperatures above 1400 °C, thereby substantially reducing its volume. In the planning and managing of radioactive waste, the challenges related to plasma technology are presented as a motivation factor for the possible implantation of plasma reactors in nuclear plants and research centres, thereby improving radioactive waste management. In this study, a thermal plasma treatment process was established, and a plasma reactor was used for compactable waste processing. After 30 min of thermal plasma treatment, the volume reduction factor reached 1:99. The results demonstrate the viability of using a thermal plasma process for the volumetric reduction of radioactive waste in a safe and cost-effective manner.