ASTM_C_1751_-_11.pdf

Designation:C175111Standard Guide forSampling Radioactive Tank Waste1This standard is issued under the fixed designation C1751;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide addresses techniques used to obtain grabsamples from tanks containing high-level radioactive wastecreated during the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels.Guid-ance on selecting appropriate sampling devices for wastecovered by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act(RCRA)is also provided by the United States EnvironmentalProtection Agency(EPA)(1).2Vapor sampling of the head-space is not included in this guide because it does notsignificantly affect slurry retrieval,pipeline transport,plugging,or mixing.1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regardedas standard.No other units of measurement are included in thisstandard.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:3D1129 Terminology Relating to Water3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor definitions of terms used in thismethod,refer to Terminology D1129.3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:3.2.1 forced evaporation,nintentional concentration of awaste solution using heat or vacuum,or both,primarily toremove water or other solvents.3.2.2 pH modified,na description of a solution where thepH is adjusted with either an acid or base material to achievea desired pH level to minimize tank corrosion.3.2.3 soft sludge,na sludge with a low viscosity whereminimal sampling device pressure could be used to penetratethe sludge layer.3.2.4 sparge,na process of delivering a chemically inertgas through fluids to displace materials for the purpose ofmixing.3.3 Acronyms:3.3.1 EREEExtended Reach End-Effector3.3.2 HASTHighly-Active Storage Tanks3.3.3 LDUAsLight-Duty Utility Arms3.3.4 NPHNormal Paraffin Hydrocarbons3.3.5 ORNLOak Ridge National Laboratory3.3.6 PTFEPolytetrafluoroethylene3.3.7 PVCPolyvinyl Chloride3.3.8 RFDReverse-Flow Diverter4.Significance and Use4.1 Obtaining samples of high-level waste created duringthe reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels presents unique chal-lenges.Generally,high-level waste is stored in tanks withlimited access to decrease the potential for radiation exposureto personnel.Samples must be obtained remotely because ofthe high radiation dose from the bulk material and the samples;samples require shielding for handling,transport,and storage.The quantity of sample that can be obtained and transported issmall due to the hazardous nature of the samples as well astheir high radiation dose.4.2 Many high-level wastes have been treated to removestrontium(Sr)or cesium(Cs),or both,underwent liquidvolume reductions through forced evaporation or have been pHmodified,or both,to decrease corrosion of the tanks.Theseprocesses,as well as waste streams added from multipleprocess plant operations,often resulted in precipitation,andproduced multiphase wastes that are heterogeneous.Evapora-tion of water from waste with significant dissolved saltsconcentrations has occurred in some tanks due to the high heatload associated with the high-level waste and by intentionalevaporative processing,resulting in the formation of a saltcake1This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C26 on NuclearFuel Cycle and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee C26.13 on Spent Fueland High Level Waste.Current edition approved June 1,2011.Published July 2011.DOI:10.1520/C1751-11.2The boldface numbers in parentheses refer to a list of references at the end ofthis standard.3For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 or crusts,or both.Organic layers exist in some waste tanks,creating additional heterogeneity in the wastes.4.3 Due to these extraordinary challenges,substantial effortin research and development has been expended to developtechniques to provide grab samples of the contents of thehigh-level waste tanks.A summary of the primary techniquesused to obtain samples from high-level waste tanks is providedin Table 1.These techniques will be summarized in thisguideline with the assumption that the tank headspace isadequately ventilated during sampling.5.Liquid-Only Sampling Techniques5.1 Liquid only techniques are not common in tank wastesampling.More