In-Can Nuclear Waste Vitrification Process, DEM&MELT

Treat efficiently your intermediate and high-level solid and liquid waste using an "In-can" vitrification process.
    • Managing a wide range of intermediate and high-level waste from fuel cycle operations, research, and decommissioning 
    • Identifying suitable and economically viable treatment solutions in reponse to the wide range of physical, chemical, and radiological waste characteristics 
    • Developing dedicated treatment routes for waste with no existing solution 
    • Ensuring long-term contianment and stabilization of radionuclides in line with the acceptance criteria of geological disposal facilities 
    • Reducing waste volume to optimize the technical and economic constraints of disposal facilities, without compromises on matrix durability in order to protect the biosphere surrounding the waste repository
    • Controlling industrial and nuclear risks associaed with handling of complex waste 
    • Treat efficiently waste streams without existing disposal routes thanks to DEM&MELT, an “In‑Can” vitrification process 
    • Vitrify a wide range of solid and liquid waste, from intermediate and high-level activity, unclunding those with highly complex chemistries (fission products, deposits, sludges, zeolites, calcines, etc.) 
    • Manage uncertainties related to waste composition with a simple, robust, and flexible solution  
    • Install a compact, modular system on-site, as close as possible to the waste to be treated  
    • Choose a flexible and compact solution with a minimal footprint, designed for existing facilities or new buldings
    • Significantly reduce the waste volume and ensure long‑term stability by confining radionuclides within a robust, durable glass matrix
    For HL/IL waste
    A modular vitrification facility
    • + 40 years of experience in the design, construction, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of high-level vitrification facilities at La Hague and Marcoule : 
      • ~26,000 canisters produced at the La Hague plant 
      • ~11 billion Ci (Curie) vitrified at the La Hague plant 
    • Simple and robust “In‑Can” vitrification process 
    • Compact and modular design 
    • Single-use container with no stirrer or pouring system, limiting corrosion and maintenance constraints 
    • Capability to run multiple furnaces in parallel within a single unit
    • Very low volatility of radionuclides during treatment (e.g., cesium) 
    • Versatility in the matrices produced, depending on waste characteristics and requirements (homogeneous glass, glass-ceramics, encapsulation matrices) 
    • Proven industrial design enabling remote operation and maintenance
    • Proven and high-performance off-gas treatment system 
    • Optimized investment, operating, and maintenance costs 
    • Demonstrated full-scale performance across a wide range of challenging waste types: 
      • Alpha liquid waste 
      • Solid fission product deposits 
      • Liquid fission products 
      • Adsorbents (zeolite, silicotitanate, sand) 
      • Incineration ash 
      • Sludges and slurries from co-precipitation processes

  • Orano DEM&MELT