In-Drum Drying

A waste drying system under vacuum at low temperature, drying directly inside a transport, storage and/or disposal container

• The Challenge

  Radioactive waste may contain up to 70% of water (sludge, ions-exchange resins (IER), debris), which can generate the followings concerns :

  • Amount residual water unacceptable for  storage, transport or disposal,
  • Corrosion of containers,
  • Generation of hydrogen from radiolysis.

  What is more, radioactive waste may be reactive to high-temperature making thermal treatments difficult to implement.

  To compensate these difficulties, it is necessary to reduce as much as possible the amount of water. Several technologies exist but none allowing waste drying at low temperature directly in the waste container.

   

• The Solution

  Orano is developing an innovative drying process operating under vacuum, at low temperature and directly in the container used for transport, storage or disposal. This process reduces significantly the volume of water in waste.

  • Up to less than 1% in water mass content,

  • Reduction of the container corrosion risk

  • Reduction of the generation of hydrogen form radiolysis.

  The volume waste is reduced to free disposal and storage spaces.

  In-Drum Drying is compatible with many packages  including those supplied by Orano NPS.

   

   

   

• Key Features

  • Drying technology : Electric heating around the containers
  • Implementation :  in-situ, transportable on a skid
  • Adaptable to many types of waste : sludge, ions-exchange resins, debris
  • Low operating temperature  : 30°C
  • Performance : up to less than 1 % of water
  • Vacuum drying  : 50 mbar absolute
  • Compatibility : cylindrical or cuboidal containers

• Expertise & Experiences

  Satisfactory dryness level are obtained for different types of waste in 20 L containers :

   

  Test on carbonate sludge:

  Drying of 8 kg (70% of initial water content) : 0.8 % of residual water.

   

  Test on sulphate sludge:

  Drying of 10 kg (60% of initial water content) : 2.9 % of residual water.

   

  Test on IER:

  Drying of 10 kg (60% of initial water content) : 2.5 % of residual water.

• Your Benefits at a glance

  Easy qualification

  • Testing possible at a 10 kg and 200 kg scale
  • Quick implementation
  • Low cost

  
  

  Advantageous Industrial process

  • Safety gain : reduction of the generation of hydrogen form radiolysis and of the container corrosion risk
  • Financial gain : only one container, no reconditioning,
  • Time saving : no content-transfer operation between drying and transport, storage and/or disposal
  • Space saving : great waste volume reduction

   

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