A full-scale pilot direct-heated vitrification furnace produced its first melting at the experimental test stand located at the Fuel Recovery Plant of the Mining and Chemical Combine (an enterprise of Rosatom State Corporation, Environmental Solutions Division): 300 litres of borosilicate glass. In the future, based on the experiments conducted, an industrial furnace for vitrification of radioactive waste, which will be generated during the technological process of extracting valuable components from spent nuclear fuel, will be developed. vitrification will ensure long-term, reliable and safe storage of radioactive waste due to the fact that a complex mixture of fission products dissolves well in molten glass and is safely retained in it after cooling down. In this way, the volume of waste will be significantly reduced and the resulting mould will be environmentally stable and suitable for long-term safe storage.
- On 9 January, we poured glass frit - the source material - into the glazing furnace, and on 19 January, the first glass portion was drained," Denis Tikhomirov, Chief Technologist for the EDC, tells about the progress of work. - After the first melting of glass frit, the furnace is constantly under the glass melt. Heating is direct: current is fed through the molten glass and gradually heats it up to the required temperature. This is economical and ensures high productivity.
This glazing furnace is a full-scale prototype that has been fully developed at MCC. In the course of the experiments that have begun, the optimal values of current strength on the electrodes depending on the furnace operation mode are to be selected, batch draining of glass is to be worked out, correlation dependences of temperatures are to be studied, and much more.
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