Prediction of centrifugal pump cleaning ability in waste sludge

(Radioactive waste at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) is being transferred from older waste tanks to new, stress-relieved tanks for more effective waste management. The technology developed for waste removal involves the use of long-shaft, recirculating, centrifugal pumps (slurry pumps). Testing completed at the Savannah River Laboratory's 30-meter-diameter mock-up waste tank related the effective cleaning radius (ECR) of a slurry pump to critical pump and material characteristics. Presently, this theory is being applied to radioactive waste at SRP.) However, the technology can be applied to other remote handling situations where the slurry rheology can be determined