Particle settling in a simulated melter discharge riser

[Display omitted] •Experiments conducted in an acrylic prototype of melter pouring system.•Silicone oil and magnetite particles simulants for molten glass and spinel crystals.•Video images were analyzed to obtain particle settling velocity.•Stokes law underpredicts particle terminal velocity by two...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials letters 2019-02, Vol.236 (C), p.38-41
Main Authors: Guillen, Donna Post, Abboud, Alexander W., Fox, Kevin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Computational fluid dynamics
Crystals
Discharge
Fluid dynamics
Materials science
Nanoparticles
Organic waste treatment
Particle settling
Plutonium
Settling
Spinel
Spinel settling
Throats
Visual observation
Vitrification
Waste glass discharge model
Waste treatment
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Summary:[Display omitted] •Experiments conducted in an acrylic prototype of melter pouring system.•Silicone oil and magnetite particles simulants for molten glass and spinel crystals.•Video images were analyzed to obtain particle settling velocity.•Stokes law underpredicts particle terminal velocity by two orders of magnitude.•Particles settle faster in a cloud configuration, but are retarded by wall effects. Legacy tank waste from plutonium production at the Hanford site is planned for vitrification at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The accumulation of spinel crystals in the melter, discharge throat and riser is a possible operational concern wherein clogging and/or subsequent failure of the high level waste (HLW) melter may occur. Experiments were conducted in a full-scale, room temperature test platform that is prototypic of the WTP HLW melter to characterize the particle settling in the riser. The experimental system consists of an acrylic discharge riser and throat attached to a feed tank that allows for visual observation of the particle behavior. Silicone oil and magnetite particles were used as simulants for the molten glass and spinel crystals. A set of equations for wall-corrected, cloud settling of particles at low particle concentration is presented that closely matches the experimentally determined settling rate.
ISSN:0167-577X
1873-4979
DOI:10.1016/j.matlet.2018.10.028