Evaluation of the 241-S-111 salt well jet pump prototype

The jet pump system installed in Tank 241-S-111 has operated for five months since installation in January 1976. When the pump failed in January 1977, 247,000 gallons of liquor had been pumped with a final pumping rate of 0.5 to 0.6 GPM (approximately 800 GPD). It is estimated that the tank has 126,300 gallons remaining of which 76,200 gallons is drainable (the remaining is held by capillary forces). With the present jet pump design, an estimated pumping rate of .05 GPM would be the minimum that could be achieved. An additional 220 days of continuous pumping is predicted to reach this minimum rate. Several operating problems have hampered production from the jet pump system. A mathematical model based on the Darcy radial flow equation has been developed to predict the in-flow rate of liquor to a salt well. Using the data from 111-S, the empirical constant necessary to use this equation was determined. This constant, defined as the ratio of the salt cake permeability to the liquor viscosity (k/μ), ranged from 0.3 to 1.0 Darcy/centipoise. Assuming that the sludge does not allow liquid to flow through it, the k/μ ratio was found to be 0.8. The porosity of the salt cake was found to be 0.30, which agrees with previous estimates