Detritiation Furnace Concept Design

The UKAEA is currently exploring the possibility of constructing a new thermal detritiation facility based upon existing technology used in the Materials Detritiation Facility (MDF) at the Culham Science Center. These investigations are sought to identify opportunities to reduce the amount of Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) which is sent for long term storage in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). The new thermal detritiation facility would be capable of accepting larger items for detritiation, be designed for a higher throughput, be loaded and operated remotely and have more flexible operating limits (including temperature and air flow) to cope with expected future demands. Ideally, the furnace at the heart of the thermal detritiation facility will be Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) equipment, or COTS with minor modification.