Other

Vectra Technologies, Inc.

Mark Alan Hall

J Bradley Mason

R Paul Denault

Maurice P Carson

A glass melter for vitrifying material including radioactive and hazardous materials. In one embodiment, the melter comprises an inner vessel or container having a solidified glass skull, at least one pair of vertically-oriented, retractable electrodes, a first wall spaced apart from said inner vessel to define a dry annulus therebetween for radiatively cooling the inner vessel, and a second wall spaced apart from said first wall to define a second annulus that serves as a water jacket when filled with water. Each electrode has a protective sleeve therearound with means formed therebetween for passing a purging gas therethrough. A central access nozzle allows waste material and glass formers to be fed into the inner vessel while simultaneously venting the off-gas generated in the inner vessel. Also, the dry annulus can have fluid circulating therethrough for regulated cooling or leak detection. An alternative embodiment contains a top entry glass tap, allowing the removal of vitrifiable material without penetrating the skull of the melter. Another embodiment provides a retractable oxygen lance which provides oxygen control to both the atmosphere above the batch and the batch itself, and a dual melt zone drain assembly which can provide enough energy from cold startup to activate the electrodes. The drain assembly also has a separately heated nozzle which, when deenergized, prevents material from exiting the melter. The melter includes, in the preferred embodiment, a bottom electrode that can provide direct heat input at the drain orifice.

Waste vitrification melter

A system for vitrifying all kinds of waste, including toxic, industrial, household and radioactive wastes such as those generated by nuclear power plants, including dry active wastes, ion exchange resins and aqueous wastes wherein the wastes are conditioned, blended, mixed with glass formers and then fed into a heating chamber where organic constituents of the waste are burned and inorganic constituents are melted with the glass formers to form a waste glass. The aqueous waste may be conditioned by concentrating its solids content up to as much as 90% solids. The dry active waste is conditioned, and mixed to some extent by shredders. The conditioned waste may be blended to achieve a uniform heat energy content of the waste being fed into the heating chamber. The heating chamber has a larger combustion zone to handle the greater amount of organic waste than would be expected in conventional melters, and a melting zone having a replaceable crucible and liner. The combustion takes place in an oxygen-enriched atmosphere formed by a mixture of oxygen enriched gas and including a portion of the off-gas if desired, which is still enriched following combustion. Particulate removed from the off-gas is returned to the melting chamber or is solidified by the liquid/solids blender/dryer. The molten waste glass is cooled and put into a form suitable for storage, such as a glass frit, globules, or glass monoliths.

Growing community of inventors

Richland, WA, United States of America

Mark Alan Hall