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Solids Aggregation in Nuclear Waste

Sludge
Shafeeq Ahmed (NGN CDT) PhD year 1
Dr David Harbottle
Professor Mike Fairweather

Introduction

Nuclear waste legacy is a well known problematic issue around the globe
and specially at Sellafield.

Sellafield and its related governing bodies are very serious to sort out and
handle this waste legacy in a proper, safe and reliable manner.

Sellafield has 4 ponds and 6 underwater storage silos full of waste sludge

Clean up this waste require ~67.5bn according to The 2012 National Audit
Office Report by 2035,comparing the cost 47bn in 2009.

These projects keep delaying due to lack of

a) fundamental understanding of the materials, which make-up the waste

sludge.
b) understanding of heterogeneous complexity
b) characterisation and rheological data, which could help to solve this problem

Aims
There are three main aims as
To determine the predominant
heterogeneous suspensions.

particle-particle

interaction

in

To develop an empirical flow model, which can help to investigate , predict

the behaviour of the flow (rheology) and stability or instability of the
multicomponent in the nuclear waste sludges.
To form strong foundation with the help of scientific proven data (means
publish scientific papers), which can be helpful to solve nuclear waste
sludge problems.

Objectives

Close work with industrial partner i.e. Sellafield to ensure that experiments
condition are relatively close to the sludge problems.

Zeta potential measurements will be used to study the aggregation and

heteroaggregation of the particles in multicomponent suspensions

Varying different parameters (such as composition of the multicomponent in

a suspension, particle size, particle size ratio, type, ionic strength of
electrolyte and pH) to study their effects on solution chemistry and how
particle-particle attraction behaves?

Measure the rheology of high and low concentrated multi-component particle

suspension.

Improve the basic understanding of multicomponent suspension transport,

particularly relevant in nuclear sludge treatment.

Techniques
Malvern Nano zetasizer (ZS) for
measuring the zeta potential and
particles size < 1 micron
Malvern Sysmax to obtain digital
micrographs of the mixtures.
Malvern Mastersizer for
measuring the particle size > 1
micron
Malvern Rheometer will be used
to measure the rheology
(viscosity, viscoelasticy, shear rate
etc.

Methods
Particles : SiO2 (FUSO, 800nm), TiO2 (> 1m), Al2O3 (>100 m),
Mg(OH)2 (>4 m)
Initially 1000ppm for each particle
KNO3 (0.01M) as electrolyte
HNO3 and KOH will be used as acid and base respectively for
varying pH
Henrys equation of electrophoretic mobility is used to calculate
zeta potential as

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Results
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HADDAD, Z., ABID, C., OZTOP, H. F. & MATAOUI, A. 2014. A review on how the researchers prepare their
nanofluids. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 76, 168-189.

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Results
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Varying different composition of the multicomponent particle

suspensions regarding their particles size
Rheology measurements
Sysmax digital micrographs to confirm the heteroaggregation
Lots and lots of data required