Application of Optical and Imaging Techniques to Inspection of Off-Line Joule-Heated Melter at the West Valley Demonstration Project

The West Valley melter has been taken out of service. Its design is the direct ancestor of the current melter design for the Hanford Waste Treatment Plant. Over its eight years of service, the West Valley melter has endured many of the same challenges that the Hanford melters will encounter with feeds that are similar to many of the Hanford double shell tank wastes. Thus, inspection of the West Valley melter prior to its disposal could provide valuable — even crucial — information to the designers of the melters to be used at the Hanford Site, particularly if quantitative information can be obtained. The objective of Mississippi State University’s Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory’s (DIAL) efforts is to develop, fabricate, and deploy inspection tools for the West Valley melter that will (i.) be remotely operable in the West Valley process cell; (ii.) provide quantitative information on melter refractory wear and deposits on the refractory; and (iii.) indicate areas of heterogeneity of deposits, requiring more detailed characterization. A collaborative arrangement has been established with the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) to inspect their melter.