Application of stochastic dynamic simulation to waste from qualification for the HWVP vitrification process

Processing steps during the conversion of high-level nuclear waste into borosilicate glass in the Hanford waste vitrification plant are being simulated on a computer by addressing transient mass balances. The results are being used to address the U.S. Department of Energy's waste form qualification requirements. The simulation addresses discontinuous (batch) operations and perturbations in the transient behavior of the process caused by errors in measurements and control actions. A collection of tests, based on process measurements, is continually checked and used to halt the simulated process when specified conditions are met. An associated set of control actions is then implemented in the simulation. The results for an example simulation are shown