Hazmelt

This 3 year project will enable GTS to exploit the Apollo furnace technology plus glass science knowledge from the University of Sheffield, with direction provided by Sellafield Ltd and NNL, to develop the novel ‘Hazmelt’ thermal treatment process, capable of vitrifying a wide range of Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) streams. The Hazmelt process combines customised glass frits/oxide batch mixes with the ILW stream in a refractory lined melter which uses a novel electrode design (enabling a wide range of temperatures to be achieved) to melt, mix and vitrify the ILW to create a homogenised, highly durable end product with enhanced wasteform passivity and maximum volume reduction, offering a number of advantages over existing thermal treatment technologies for ILW. The project will demonstrate the Hazmelt technology through a series of furnace trials processing a range of simulated ILW compositions.