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SRNL staff describe research on nuclear waste storage, surveillance and isotope recovery
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Summary
Savannah River National Laboratory speakers outlined SRNL’s role in DOE cleanup and legacy management, describing 3013 container surveillance, research to dissolve non‑aluminum‑clad spent fuel, isotope recovery (Pu‑244, curium→Cf‑252), tank corrosion mitigation and technology deployments at SRS.
Savannah River National Laboratory staff presented an overview of the lab’s work supporting the Department of Energy’s cleanup and legacy-management missions, describing technical programs from container surveillance to isotope recovery and tank closure.
The presentation opened with Presenter (S1) stating, “SRNL is the nation's leading research and development center for the Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management and Office of Legacy Management,” and outlining the lab’s role across roughly 15 active DOE cleanup sites. Director (S2) framed the mission historically, saying, “We created the waste. We have to help clean it up,” and urged efforts to accelerate cleanup work.
Staff member (S3) described material-specific technical programs: SRNL leads the national 3013 container surveillance program for surplus plutonium and is conducting experiments to dissolve certain non–aluminum‑clad spent nuclear fuel stored at the Savannah River Site. “We're working right now on 3013 containers, which are the containers that store surplus plutonium,” S3 said, and added that the lab is examining hydrogen‑generation phenomena unique to aluminum‑clad fuel.
Presenter (S1) said SRNL is chemically separating irradiated Mark 18 target assemblies to recover plutonium‑244 as a certified reference material used in nuclear forensics. Staff member (S3) also described recovering heavy curium isotopes from the same assemblies for irradiation at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to produce californium‑252 for nonproliferation and other applications.
On storage and corrosion control, Presenter (S1) and Director (S2) discussed long‑term storage of waste in carbon‑steel tanks at DOE weapons sites. They said SRNL has shifted tank chemistry from acidic to caustic streams, using sodium hydroxide and inhibitors to mitigate pitting and other forms of corrosion—techniques SRNL has applied at Savannah River and shared with other DOE sites.
Staff member (S4) highlighted SRNL’s ability to move bench‑scale testing to full‑scale on‑site at Savannah River Site, which shortens implementation time for solutions. He cited examples of deployed technologies, including an antifoam co‑developed with the Illinois Institute of Technology now used at the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), and other efforts to improve DWPF throughput.
Presenter (S1) described SRNL’s role developing flow sheets for operational tank closure: low‑level waste is processed through the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) and mixed with grout at the Saltstone processing and storage facility; compacted structural grout developed by SRNL is used to backfill and stabilize tanks for operational closure.
Staff member (S5) and Director (S2) emphasized that SRNL’s technology work also benefits commercial nuclear power, medical isotope production and defense programs. Director (S2) noted SRNL is engaging with the commercial industry to help solve back‑end fuel‑cycle challenges. Staff member (S3) added that the lab is pivoting from historic downblending of highly enriched uranium (HEU) to produce low‑enriched uranium (LEU) toward recovering higher‑assay HALU material that could serve as feedstock for advanced reactors.
The presentation closed with a focus on gaps: speakers stressed the need to develop new treatment and closure processes for waste generated by advanced reactors so those reactors’ back ends can be managed and closed in practice. No formal decisions or actions were recorded in the transcript.
