Millimeter-Wave Measurements of High Level and Low Activity Glass Melts

The goals of the research effort are to develop new robust diagnostic tools for glass melt monitoring in a high-temperature, corrosive, radioactive environment, and to advance glass melt chemical modeling to make possible real-time melt characterization via the new sensor capability. Millimeter-wave technology will be applied to the simultaneous measurement of temperature, conductivity, and viscosity for the first time. This new sensor technology will make possible better process control to improve reliability and efficiency of waste glass melters. Also, it will provide new data for bridging the gap between theoretical glass melt models and their relationship to melter performance. The work is closely coupled to the needs of the Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF), West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP), and vitrification efforts at Hanford, Oak Ridge, and Idaho sites. This research is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC), the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and the Savannah River Technology Center (SRTC)