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Division members promote the advancement of mathematical and computational methods for solving problems arising in all disciplines encompassed by the Society. They place particular emphasis on numerical techniques for efficient computer applications to aid in the dissemination, integration, and proper use of computer codes, including preparation of computational benchmark and development of standards for computing practices, and to encourage the development on new computer codes and broaden their use.
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2024 ANS Annual Conference
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Glass strategy: Hanford’s enhanced waste glass program
The mission of the Department of Energy’s Office of River Protection (ORP) is to complete the safe cleanup of waste resulting from decades of nuclear weapons development. One of the most technologically challenging responsibilities is the safe disposition of approximately 56 million gallons of radioactive waste historically stored in 177 tanks at the Hanford Site in Washington state.
ORP has a clear incentive to reduce the overall mission duration and cost. One pathway is to develop and deploy innovative technical solutions that can advance baseline flow sheets toward higher efficiency operations while reducing identified risks without compromising safety. Vitrification is the baseline process that will convert both high-level and low-level radioactive waste at Hanford into a stable glass waste form for long-term storage and disposal.
Although vitrification is a mature technology, there are key areas where technology can further reduce operational risks, advance baseline processes to maximize waste throughput, and provide the underpinning to enhance operational flexibility; all steps in reducing mission duration and cost.
Melissa Ghrist, Mike Ellis, David Bean, Cable Kurwitz, Frederick Best
Nuclear Technology | Volume 156 | Number 3 | December 2006 | Pages 282-288
Technical Paper | Thermal Hydraulics | doi.org/10.13182/NT06-A3791
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Phase separation in reduced gravity continues to be an obstacle for the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations' power programs. Phase separation would be necessary for the use of a Rankine power conversion cycle in microgravity. The vortex phase separator invented by Texas A&M University may be implemented in a microgravity Rankine cycle for successful phase separation. With the known characteristics of the separator/inventory control system, the Texas A&M University vortex phase separator can be operated successfully for a wide variety of uses in microgravity. The separator operating principle and envelope, test performance data, and inventory monitoring system are described.
