June 26, 2001 SRT-EDS- 2001-00011

M. T. Terry

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

P. O. Box 999, MSIN K9-919

Richland, WA 99352

 

Dear Mr. Terry:

 

ALTERNATIVE FILTRATION FULL-SCALE COLD DEMONSTRATION READINESS (U)

 

Background

The Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC), the High Level Waste (HLW) Division of WSRC, the Tanks Focus Area, and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have been investigating high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters which can be regenerated or cleaned in situ as an alternative to conventional disposable HEPA filters. Research and testing being conducted at the CeraMem Corporation, Mott Corporation, SRTC and the Oak Ridge Filter Test Facility has found that the sintered metal and ceramic filter media not only can be cleaned in situ, but also hold great potential as a long life alternative to conventional HEPA filters.

 

A Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board (DNFSB) study has found that conventional glass fiber HEPA filters are structurally weak and easily damaged by water or fire. Because of their inherently greater structural integrity, the sintered metal and ceramic filters would substantially reduce the potential of a catastrophic HEPA filter failure due to filter media breakthrough, moisture, or fire in the process ventilation system. The innovative design of the in situ regenerative filtration system is a significant improvement upon the shortfalls of conventional disposable HEPA filters. Therefore, full-scale cold and hot demonstrations are planned at SRS to prove this new technology. SRTC has been working on modifications to the 752-25A facility and is ready to accept a full-scale system to be provided by the selected vendor(s).

 

 

Discussion

A decision on whether to down select or award a contract to both vendors is scheduled for December 2001 (see schedule). The selected vendor will complete design and construction of a full-scale alternative filtration system per the specification to be revised by the High Level Waste Design Authority and the Principal Investigator (revision to G-SPP-H-00022 for HLW Tank 7). The full-scale filtration system will be constructed at the vendor’s facilities. The system will be skid mounted for ease of transport during both cold and hot testing. All individual filter elements to be installed in the full-scale filter housing will be tested for particle retention efficiency by Air Techniques International (ATI), operators of the Oak Ridge Filter Test Facility (FTF). Each filter element is required to have particle retention greater than or equal to 99.97% efficiency.

 

The alternative filtration full-scale system will initially undergo cold testing at the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC) in building 752-25A. Reactor legacy test equipment has been disassembled and removed (D&R) from the 752-25A building and the building is ready to accept the full-scale alternative filtration system, as depicted in the picture below.

 

 

 

 

 

752-25A @ SRTC

 

 

Initially the task was to have a facility at SRTC to test one full-scale system. But due to the success of the ceramic filter (CeraMem Corporation) and the sintered metal filter (Mott Corporation), both vendors could be awarded a contract to build a full-scale system for testing at SRS. If the DOE decides to test both systems at once, the 752-25A facility will support both systems as depicted in the following drawing. This assumes that the footprint of the full-scale system does not increase.

 

 

 

Plan View of Two Full-scale System in 752-25A

 

The cold testing will be conducted under simulated conditions similar to those found in the HLW tanks at SRS. The system will be challenged with a simulated HLW salt, simulated HLW sludge and atmospheric dust. No radioactive materials are to be included in the cold test. SRTC will be the principal investigator for testing of the full-scale system.

 

Services such as electricity and compressed air have been installed into the 752-25A facility. Final design of the tie-ins to the full-scale system(s) could not be completed during this fiscal year since a contract on the full-scale system has not been awarded. Also, other important cold test documents such as the Cold Test Plan cannot be completed/approved until the design is complete. This work will be completed once the award to the vendor(s) is made.

 

As shown below, the cold deployment is scheduled for June 2002 with cold testing being completed December 2002.

 

Alternative Filtration Cold Test Schedule

SRTC 752-25A ready for delivery of full-scale February 15, 2001

Award full-scale contract to vendor(s) December 31, 2001

Complete design of full-scale utilities tie-ins March 1, 2002

Approve draft Cold Test Plan March 15, 2002

Complete EEC April 1, 2002

Receive full-scale system(s) from vendor June 1, 2002

Deploy system in test facility (752-25A) June 1, 2002

Hookup needed utilities to full-scale system June 15, 2002

Approve draft procedure for cold test June 15, 2002

Complete shakedown H&V system June 30, 2002

SMI-51 Inspection July 1, 2002

Start simulant testing on full-scale system July 1, 2002

Finish simulant testing on full-scale system December 15, 2002

Decision point on conducting hot test January 15, 2003

Post calibrate test instruments January 20, 2003

Develop TR report on full-scale cold testing February 1, 2003

 

Hot deployment will take place only after reaching a decision point by the HLW Design Authority, SRTC and the DOE resulting from the performance results of the cold test. The decision point for conducting the hot deployment is scheduled for January 2003.

 

The full-scale hot demonstration will be conducted at SRS on a HLW Tank. Due to changes in the Waste Removal Program here at SRS, HLW Tank 11 is no longer a viable tank for the alternative filtration hot demonstration. Work continues with the TFA and the HLW Design Authority identifying a HLW tank for the hot deployment and other related technical issues.

 

 

Sincerely yours,

 

 

D. J. Adamson, Fellow Engineer

Engineering Development Section

 

cc: TTG, Electronic Mail, http://www.tanks.org/DocumentSubmittalForm.htm

 

Tanks Focus Area Technical Team, c/o B. J. Williams, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory,

P. O. Box 999, MSIN K9-69, Richland, WA 99352

 

Tanks Focus Area Program Manager, c/o T. P. Pietrok, U. S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office, P. O. Box 550, MS: K8-50, Richland, WA 99352

 

Tanks Focus Area Headquarters Program Lead, c/o Kurt Gerdes, DOE Office of Science and Technology, 19901 Germantown Road, 1154 Cloverleaf Building, Germantown, MD 20874-1290

 

T. S. Gutmann, U. S. Department of Energy, Savannah River Operations Office, P. O. Box A,

Aiken, SC 29802

 

J. P. Morin, Westinghouse Savannah River Company, Savannah River Technology Center,

Building 703-H, Aiken, SC 29808

 

J. L. Malhotra, U. S. Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory,

3610 Collins Ferry Road, P. O. Box 880, Morgantown, WV 26507-0880

 

D. B. Burns, 786-5A

 

S. T. Wach, 773-42A