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

New real-time sensors for characterizing glass melts in high level waste (HLW) and low activity waste (LAW) melters will be developed. 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. Robust waveguide interfacing with the melter will make possible reliable in situ monitoring of molten glass properties at the surface and throughout the glass volume. Laboratory studies will be undertaken over a wide range of waste glass chemistries to enable an understanding of the relationship between the melt chemistry and the millimeter-wave measurable characteristics. A basic goal is to characterize glass melts in situ so that data will rep resent the actual melt's behavior. 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)