Statistical process control of glass manufactured for nuclear waste disposal

Construction of the nation's first, and the world's largest, facility to immobilize high-level nuclear waste has recently been completed at the Savannah River Site (SRS) in Aiken, SC. Liquid, high-level nuclear waste that has accumulated from over 35 years of reprocessing of nuclear fuels for national defense purposes will be immobilized in durable borosilicate glass in the SRS Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). A ceramic, slurry-fed, Joule-heated electric melter will be used in the DWPF to reliably melt the borosilicate nuclear waste glasses at approximately 1150[degree]C. The glass melt from the DWPF will be poured into stainless steel canisters for eventual disposal in a geologic repository. Process and product quality models based on glass composition have been developed which simplify the fabrication of the glass while ensuring glass processibility and quality. These models help to form the foundation of the statistical process control system used to monitor and control glass composition.