Title: The%20Archimedes%20Filter
1The Archimedes Filter
2Hanford Site Location
WTP
3Potential Location of Archimedes Filter Plant at
Hanford
4Hanford Tank Waste is Extremely Challenging to
Process
- Hanford tanks hold 53 million gallons of Defense
Waste - 26 wt sludge
- 44 wt saltcake
- 30 wt supernatant
- Archimedes is focused on the sludge fraction, the
most challenging to process - chemical complexity with different past
operations and subsequent mixing - significant variability from batch to batch
- Hanford has planned an aggressive campaign to
chemically separate this material in order to
reduce the volume of waste that must be vitrified
as High Level Waste (HLW) glass. - There is great uncertainty and practical limits
to the effectiveness of chemical separations due
to - waste inventory uncertainty
- batch sampling uncertainty
- chemical processing times
- processing temperatures required
- unintended chemical reactions
- recycle streams
- additional waste generated from added agents, etc.
5Hanford ORP Solids Dissolution Targets Result in
IHLW ReductionArchimedes Offers an Alternative
for Even Greater Reduction
- Hanfords baseline targets dissolution of 90 of
the tank HLW oxides to yield an inventory of
9,860 MT solids to be sent to vitrification,
producing 34,676 MT of HLW glass and take 22
years to process.2
Notes (1) HLW glass production assumes ORPs
relaxed glass model. (2) Assumes 6 MTG/day
with 70 utilization for HLW Vit and 1.1 MT
oxide/day per Archimedes Filter with 70
utilization.
6Archimedes Approaches the Problem from a Physics
Perspective Separating HLW Oxides Based on Atomic
Mass
Hanford HLW Solids(17,553 MT Water Washed
Solids Inventory)
- Archimedes Filter Separates heavy from light
ions. - This effectively separates radioactive from
non-radioactive elements. - The Filter could isolate 99.9 of the
radioactivity in just 10 of sludge mass. - Thus, deployment of Archimedes at Hanford enables
up to 90 of the HLW sludge to be treated as Low
Activity Waste. - Separation of ions in plasma is relatively
indifferent to the chemical complexity of waste
feed.
Radioactivity
Waste Mass
99.9
Heavy Fraction
10
AMU 89
90
Light Fraction
0.1
7Company Mission
- From the time of its founding in 1998 Archimedes
primary corporate mission has been the
development of a breakthrough separations
technology for treatment of high level waste from
nuclear weapons production. - A new invention, called the Archimedes Filter,
promises to reduce the required number of HLW
canisters at Hanford by up to 85. - Archimedes has raised 100 million dollars of
private funds to insure speed, flexibility and IP
ownership necessary to support this mission. - An international team of 12 institutions supports
the Filter technology development as well as
associated systems development, plant design and
licensing work for US waste site applications. - Archimedes now believes that our development of
plasma based separation represents a platform
technology that may be applied to commercial
endeavors such as spent fuel recycling.
8Archimedes Team Has Deep Domain Expertise
- Archimedes has attracted a world-class team of
physicists, chemists, and engineers, including - Tihiro Ohkawa Chairman Vice
Chairman, General Atomics Company John
Gilleland CEO Chief Scientist
and VP Commercial Programs, Bechtel - Larry Papay Senior VP SVP, SAIC,
Bechtel and Southern California Edison - Richard Freeman VP Science Tech. Dev.
General Atomics Company, RF Physics Leigh
Sevier VP Engineering General
Atomics, Princeton, Plasma Systems Stephen Agnew
Senior Chemist Los Alamos
Chemical Sciences Division Sergei Putvinski
Senior Physicist International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor - Government Relations
- David Gerson, Vice Chairman of Archimedes is also
Executive Vice President of the American
Enterprise Institute and a former Associate
Director of the White House Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) - Daniel Evans, Director of Archimedes, former
United States Senator and Governor of the State
of Washington - John Wagoner, Vice President of Archimedes,
former DOE Hanford Site Manager (1990-1999) - Business
- Scott Tierney, President and Chief Operating
Officer, former Morgan Stanley investment banker - Industry Consultants
- Harold Forsen, former VP Bechtel, member National
Academy of Engineering - David McAlees, former President Siemens Nuclear
Fuels - Harry Harmon, former Hanford tank waste manager
- Greg Choppin, Professor of Nuclear Chemistry,
Florida State University - Archimedes has also attracted prominent
scientists as investors in the Company - Ted Geballe, Stanford University, Professor
Emeritus in Applied Physics - Daniel Koshland, UC Berkeley, Professor
Emeritus, past Manhattan Project scientist - Ken Fowler, former Associate Director Lawrence
Livermore National Labs
9Archimedes Has Created a Global RD EffortKey
Partnerships Have Helped us Meet Technical
Milestones
Demonstration Program Commercial Plant Collaboration / Role in the Archimedes Process
UC San Diego ? Physics tests and diagnostics equipment Start-up electrode
UC Berkeley ? Physics tests and diagnostics equipment
Univ. of Texas ? Physics tests and diagnostics equipment Plunge probe
St Petersburg Univ. Russia ? Torch used to vaporize waste into Filter Studies on molten NaOH
Budker Institute Novosibirsk, Russia ? Electrode/ Light Collector Design and fabrication Electrode power supply design and component fabrication
CEA, France ? Calcination of HLW and LAW waste Glass studies Off-gas
EDF, French Utility ? Two visiting scientists/engineers
Oak Ridge Natl Lab ? ? RF Antenna Modeling Conceptual Design Remote Maintenance
Battelle/PNWD ? Pacific Northwest Division. Hanford process flow Archimedes integration and cost savings analysis chemical engineers
Westinghouse SMS ? Criticality Safety analysis for commercial plant design
Jacobs Engineering ? Hanford Teaming Agreement Partner (Plant Design) Conceptual Design AFP Design Balance of Plant
Cogema/SGN ? Conceptual Design Off-gas treatment Waste removal Systems design
Nuvotec ? Filter plant detailed process flow model
BWXT ? Hanford Teaming Agreement Partner (Plant Operator)
10Archimedes Plasma Mass Filter Separates Ions by
Mass
- Filter takes advantage of the mass gap in
Hanford tank waste between radioactive and
non-radioactive species.
Na-23 Al-27 Fe-56
Sr-90 Cs-137 TRU
Archimedes Filter Function
90 mass
100
99.9
radionuclides
relative amount
50
59
89
atomic weight (g/mol)
11Filter Subsystems
RF Antennas (Ionize Waste)
Electrodes (Rotate Plasma)
Light Collector
Heavy Collector
Sub-Micron Powder Injector
12The Archimedes Two Filter Plant is Small and has
Modest Infrastructure Needs
13Hanford ORP Solids Dissolution Targets Result in
IHLW ReductionArchimedes Offers an Alternative
for Even Greater Reduction
HLW Glass Estimates (MT)1
HLW Solids 84,403 MT
17,553 MT
10,100 MT 9,858 MT
HLW Glass 272,000 MT
73,000 MT
46,100 MT 34,676 MT
(ORP revised target)
Archimedes Filter Plant
50 of W.W Solids
Reduction of 17,000MT HLW Glass
- Hanfords baseline targets dissolution of 90 of
the tank HLW oxides to yield an inventory of
9,860 MT solids to be sent to vitrification,
producing 34,676 MT of HLW glass and take 22
years to process.2 - Deployment of a 2-Unit Archimedes Filter Plant
could process 50 of the W.W. Solids inventory
would yield a total reduction of 17,000MT HLW
glass produced by WTP. - provides WTP operational flexibility as an
alternative pre-treatment path for HLW solids
Notes (1) HLW glass production assumes ORPs
relaxed glass model. (2) Assumes 6 MTG/day
with 70 utilization for HLW Vit and 1.1 MT
oxide/day per Archimedes Filter with 70
utilization.
14Integration of Archimedes offers Broad Technical
and Operational Benefits for Hanford and the WTP
- Provides an alternate pretreatment path for HLW
solids to HLW vitrification operations - Reduced burden on the HLW melter performance and
utilization requirements due to significant
reduction of solids inventory and removal of key
elements that limit waste loading in the HLW
glass, such as chrome, sulfate and phosphate - Filter separation process is less vulnerable to
waste batch uncertainty and variability - Could eliminate need for Oxidative Leaching
process - Net reduction of ILAW glass due to reduction of
caustic leaching and sodium added - Reduces residual environmental impact by
directing 99Tc and 129I to IHLW rather than ILAW - Reduces burden on HLW interim storage,
transportation and repository requirements
15Archimedes Filter Plant Deployment AnalysisWaste
Inventory Based on ORP Refined Target Case,
RPP-23412
- Deployment of 2-Filter Archimedes Filter Plant
(AFP) would - treat selected batches (46 of water-washed
solids mass) over 14 years - reduces overall IHLW glass production by 50
- reduces estimated WTP processing time by 8 years
WW Solids Treatment Path 1 WTP Only WTP with 2-Filter AFP
Archimedes Filter Plant 0 46
WW Solids Pretreatment by WTP 100 54
IHLW MT Glass Produced 2 34,000 17,000
Processing Years 4 Processing Years 4 Processing Years 4
WTP Operations 3 22 14
Completion 4 2037 2029
Notes 1 Estimated 17,550 MT HLW water washed
solids in 590 batches 2 Assumes DOE "relaxed"
glass model 3 Assumes 6 MTG/day with 70
utilization for HLW Vit and 1.1 MT oxide/day per
Archimedes Filter with 70 utilization. 4
Assumes startup in 2013 plus 2 years
commissioning (no production)
16How the Archimedes Filter Works
17How the Filter Works
Magnet Coils
Magnetic field
Heavy ions
Electric field
Electric field
Light ions
Electrodes
Electrodes
Waste injected as sub-micron powder
Side view of the plasma column
18Filter Physics Ions are Guided by Electric and
Magnetic Fields
Axial magnetic field (B) confine light ions
(blue) Radial electric field (E) expels heavy
ions (red)
B
side view
end view
Radial force balance on ions of mass m and charge
Ze rotating with speed vq
electric
magnetic
centrifugal
Heavy ions are expelled if their mass exceeds the
cutoff mass mc
19Effects of Collisions Simulated with Monte-Carlo
Model
- Design of Archimedes Filter Plant requires a high
throughput 0.26 ion-mol/s. - Collisions between ions and other plasma
particles can degrade separation. - Monte-Carlo computer simulation tracks ion
trajectories in Filter E and B fields, including
collisions with background plasma and neutrals. - Good separation at high density with reasonable
electric and magnetic fields
Light Elements
Light Elements
Heavy Elements
Side View
End View
Each curve shows the trajectory of an ion in the
plasma
20Archimedes Filter Process
plasma formation
LAW
rotation / separation
aqueous slurry
collection / removal
IHLW
feed preparation
injection
21Photo of DEMO - the Archimedes DEMOnstration Unit
Vacuum pumps
RF Transmission Lines
Magnetic Field Coils
Electrodes
Vacuum Vessel
22Demo Diagnostics
Gattling Gun (Heavy Coupons)
Bolometer
IR Inspection Periscope
LIBS-L
Plunge Probe w/4 Point Tip
LIBS-H
Light Coupon System (Both Sides)
Heavy Collector
Boroscope
Light Coupon and Handler
Microwave Interferometer
Light Collector
Optical Arrays
23So How Is It Working So Far?
24Filter DemonstrationOverview
- Six steps will separate waste into LAW and HLW
streams - Feed preparation receive water-washed slurry
from waste tanks calcine and convert to powder
for injection into Filter - Injection deliver waste to Filter in a form that
plasma can digest - Plasma formation convert injected waste to
plasma ions - Rotation/Separation rotate waste plasma to
separate heavy ions from light ions - Collection Accumulate distinct light and heavy
waste deposits at collectors - Removal Clean collectors to remove heavy and
light waste deposits - This talk will give results for each step to
date, and describe the objectives to demonstrate
each step on Hanford surrogates
25Feed Preparation Process Will Convert Water
Slurry to Calcined Powder
aqueous slurry
feed receipt initial sizing / milling
spray drying to lt 50 mm powder
Feed preparation
ICP
calcination, submicron powder production
Filter
sizing particle / gas separation
26Calcination and Conversion of Surrogate to Dry
Powder has been Demonstrated
Spray Dryer System to be tested with Niro Inc.
Plasma Calcination System tested with CEA
- Niro Inc. has successfully completed feasibility
testing with Hanford surrogate elements, and is
ready to perform a pilot study on the full
surrogate - Plasma calcination from slurry to dry powder has
been demonstrated with Hanford Envelope D
surrogate at CEAs Marcoule facility in France.
27Generation of Sub-Micron Powders from Hanford
Surrogate has been Demonstrated On-Site
- Conversion of waste surrogate (representative of
AZ-101) from spray-dried dimensions to sub-micron
scale has been demonstrated on-site - Optimization of vapor condensation conditions
will allow control of conversion efficiency and
powder size - Calcination efficiency of this process needs to
be characterized
ICP input waste surrogate powder with typical
dimension 20 mm
ICP output surrogate powder with typical
dimension lt 1 mm
28Direct Powder Injection System is Installed at
the Demo Filter
Powder Injection in Plasma
Injection Nozzle
Powder Plume
Evaporation Model
- A fluidized bed delivery system is currently
installed on the Demo Filter. 0.05 mm powders
have been radially injected into the Filter with
low driving gas flow rates - Injection rates up to 2 g/s have been reached
(target is 5 g/s) - Modeling of particle trajectories in the Filter
plasma predicts full evaporation of 0.20 mm
alumina particles
Powder Injection Nozzle
29Waste Throughput is Maximized by Control of
Plasma Shape
Plasma center
- The RF power deposition profile is controlled by
phasing of currents in each antenna strap - Flat density profiles will maximize waste
throughput and ionization efficiency
30Conversion of Submicron Surrogate Powder into
Plasma has been Demonstrated
- A complex waste surrogate (75 Al2O3, 15
Fe3O4, 6 ZrCaO3, 4 BiO2) has been injected - Emitted light measurements from the plasma
indicate successful evaporation and conversion to
plasma ions - Current work is focused on maximizing ionization
efficiency and throughput through injection
control - The injection region is controlled by injection
nozzle shape and location
RF power ramps up
Ion Light Intensity
Alumina powder injection starts
31Separation Demonstration Geometry
Heavy Collector
Light Collector
Surrogate Vapor
- Separation experiments were performed with edge
injection of AZ-101 surrogate by laser
evaporation - Major constituents in AZ-101 target Si, Al, Fe,
Zr, Bi - Spectroscopic measurements (red lines) and
surface coupon measurements (red arrows) are used
to study injected surrogates
32Plasma Profiles are Ideal for Separation
Plasma center
Plasma center
- Source control in sodium plasma maintains filled
profiles in rotating plasma - A parabolic electric potential applied to the
light collectors causes the plasma to rotate - Probe measurements in the plasma show that the
applied potential penetrates along the magnetic
field
33Doppler Measurements Confirm Rigid Body Rotation
at E x B Velocity
- Doppler spectroscopy measures plasma rotation
speed in the Heavy Collector region for Bi and Fe
from injected Hanford AZ-101 Surrogate - Rotation scales with applied electric field
34Applying Cutoff Electric Field Sends Heavy
Elements to the Heavy Collector
- Battelle AZ-101 tank waste surrogate injected
into sodium background plasma by laser
evaporation - 100 V bias at 900 Gauss (cutoff mass 134 AMU)
used to separate bismuth (208 AMU) from lighter
elements
35 Surface Measurements at Light and Heavy
Collectors Show Cutoff of Bismuth at Expected
Voltage
Light Collector
Light Collector
Heavy Collector
Heavy Collector
Bi Vc63.6V
No cut-off 99 of collected sodium is on the
light collector
Below cut-off 99 Bismuth -gt light
collector Above cut-off 85 Bismuth -gt heavy
collector 15 Bismuth -gt light collector
36Filter Function Matches Numerical Simulation for
Edge Injection
Si
Fe
Zr
Bi
- ICP and XRF diagnostics give similar results
- Edge injection of vapor leads to scrape-off
effect - Monte Carlo simulations using measured plasma
parameters are in quantitative agreement with
the data
37Full Throughput Demonstration Filter Simulation
Shows Good Cutoff of Heavy Elements
Al
Na
Cr
Fe
Bi DF400
Cs DF900
Sr DF30
Cutoff 84 AMU
- Monte Carlo simulation at full Filter density,
magnetic field, and electric field show high
decontamination factors for heavy elements - Injection for this simulation is at radii less
than 20 cm
38Higher Density and Magnetic Field of AFP Improves
Filter Function
- The AFP Filter will operate at slightly higher
density and magnetic field, and has a different
collector geometry
39Hanford Test Program High Throughput Separation
Optimization
- The tests will confirm that the Filter can
- Separate Hanford waste at high throughput rates
and achieve separation decontamination factors
matching those specified below
Radionuclides Percent of HLW Batches Percent of WTP Contract Allowance for On-site Disp. Minimum Required AFP DF AFP Target DF Hanford Test Program Target DF
TRU 95 Class C Requirement 76 gtgt100 gtgt100
Sr-90 100 20 50 100 30 - 60
Cs-137 100 4 60 gtgt100 gtgt100
40Light Ion Collection
- Conical Electrode/light Collector Design
- Water-cooled copper rings can
- withstand full throughput heat loads
- Collector surface intercepts all ion orbits
- Insulating stand-offs and feed-throughs are
protected from the plasma heat - Collection rate
- 5 mm per hour at full demo throughput
- Access ports available for coupon surface
sampling of collected deposits
41Heavy Ion Collector
- Paddlewheel Design
- Collector surface intercepts heavy ion orbits
- Tilted paddles minimize plasma refuelling by
sputtered heavy particles - Open geometry allows neutral gas pumping
- Collection rates
- less than 0.15 mm/hr at full Demo throughput
- Up to 1.5 mm/hr on the plasma edge due to radial
electric currents - Extended operation without cleaning is possible
- Cooling allows steady state operation at full
throughput
heavy ion orbit
42Demo StatusSummary
- Filter separation physics demonstrated
- Plasma rotates at required velocity for
separation - Expected decontamination factors are measured for
heavy elements - Separation scales with electrode voltage and
magnetic field - Basic technology solutions demonstrated
- Surrogate preparation calcination and conversion
to powder - Injection delivery of surrogate into the plasma
- RF heating conversion of injected surrogate into
plasma - Electrodes plasma rotation and separation
- Collectors collection and recovery of separated
surrogate
43DEMO Parameters are Near Target for Full
Throughput Separation Tests
Parameter Engineering Maximum Value Achieved Hanford Test Program Goal
Plasma Radius (m) 0.4 0.4
Plasma Length (m) 3.9 3.9
Magnetic Field (Gauss) 1600 1500
RF Frequency (MHz) 4 4
RF Power (MW) 3 3
Plasma Density (1e19 m-3) 2.0 2.0
Throughput (ion-mol/s) 0.04 0.1
Electrode Voltage (Volts) 300 500
Ion Temperature (eV) 7 13
Discharge Duration (s) 600 Steady State
44Plasma Based Separations 21st Century Technology
Solution for Nuclear Waste and a Proliferation
Resistant Commercial Fuel Cycle
45Background
- Currently the National Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of
1982, as amended, limits Yucca Mt. to 70,000 MT
of spent nuclear fuel - 7,000 MT is reserved for DOE defense waste
- Remaining 63,000 MT is adequate for spent fuel
from existing fleet of reactors if all plants are
shut down by 2010 - 120,000 MT is required if all operating reactors
are granted 20 yr extensions - Geologic exploration indicates Yucca Mt could
expand to 119,000 MT with NWPA amendment - The DOE must report to Congress on the need for a
second repository in 2010 - Future repository strategy is likely to
incorporate actinide burning in advanced
reactors to reduce storage capacity demands
46Expected U.S. Repository Needs in 2100 (AFCI
Source)
47Reprocessing Technologies for Spent Nuclear Fuel
- Reprocessing to recycle Pu in MOX reactor fuel
(PUREX) - Similar to French La Hague Plant in technology,
capacity cost - 700 acre, 6000 employees, 1700 MT/year capacity
- FP actinide waste immobilized in borosilicate
glass - After MOX recycle, Pu is separated and stored for
future reactors - Reprocessing to extract uranium (UREX) and
chemically separate FP from actinides (UREX) - Requires U extraction and FP separation, but no
Pu extraction - Uranium recycle or disposal as low-level waste
(LLW) - Cs Sr stored in surface repository for 300
years, then disposal as LLW - Actinides immobilized in glass with disposal in
Yucca Mt or stored for future use as nuclear fuel - Hybrid reprocessing with UREX and Archimedes
Filter - UREX uranium extraction followed by Filter
separation of FP actinides - U extraction (UREX) is the same, but FP
Pu/actinide separation by physical process - Achieves same objectives as chemical reprocessing
plant with much less by-product radioactive waste - Offers cost and schedule advantages
48Comparison of UREX, UREX and UREX-AFP Process
Streams
49Archimedes Filter Function Spent for Commercial
FuelGroup Separation
100
0
50UREX-AFP Mission and High Level Requirements
- Mission
- The hybrid UREX pretreatment and Archimedes
Filter Plant mass separation process will enable
expansion of Yucca Mt capacity to 250,000 MT of
spent nuclear fuel. - Requirements
- Process 2000 MT of spent nuclear fuel per year
- Separation of FP from Pu/actinides sufficient to
achieve desired repository capacity - Provide least environmental impact of all
alternative technologies - Plant startup consistent with first shipments to
Yucca Mt - Provide option to extract Pu if desired
51UREX-AFP Simplified Flow Sheet (45GWd/MT, 10y
Cooling)
Cladding294 kg
Feed1300 kg
Gas 8.5 kg
CuttingDissolution
Extraction
UREX
UraniumRe-extraction
UraniumStripping
GasTreatment
RaffinateStream35 kg
InsolubleStream24 kg
Uranium936 kg
Tc1 kg
Gas x kg
Pre-treatment
FissionProducts(42 x) kg
ARCHIMEDESFilter
Surface Repository
AFP
Actinides17 kg
Storage or recycle
52Summary of Process Stream Contents
Elements Spent fuel input(45GWd/MT,10 y cooling) Removed by UREX Raffinate stream Insoluble stream Processed by ARCHIMEDES filter
U (kg/MT) 940.75 936.05 0.94 3.76 4.70
Pu (kg/MT) 11.00 0.00 10.89 0.04 10.93
Minor Actinides (kg/Mt) 1.56 0.00 1.55 0.01 1.55
Fission Produc ts minus Tc 45.34 0.00 21.75 14.61 36.36
Metal cladding (kg/MT) 300.00 0.00 0.00 6.00 6.00
Tc (kg/MT) 1.03 0.98 0.05 0.00 0.05
Total (kg/MT) 1299.68 937.03 35.18 24.42 59.60
100.00 72.10 2.71 1.88 4.59
NB 8.51 kg of gas and 294 kg or metal cladding
are removed after rod cutting and dissolution
53Implementation Comparison of Alternative
Technologies
- Reprocessing with MOX fuel recycle
- High cost and schedule
- LWR plants may opt to not use MOX fuel
- Does not expand repository capacity
- Reprocessing with UREX radio-chemical plant
- Highest cost and schedule
- Environmental impact greater than UREX-AFP
- Significantly expands repository capacity
- Reprocessing with hybrid UREX and AFP plant
- Lowest cost and shortest schedule
- Same repository benefits as UREX radio-chemical
plant - Least environmental impact
54