The Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative (AFCI) is a Department of Energy (DOE) program, that has been investigating technologies to improve fuel cycle sustainability and proliferation resistance. One of the program's goals is to reduce the amount of radioactive waste requiring repository disposal. Cesium and strontium are two primary heat sources during the first 300 years of spent nuclear fuel's decay, specifically isotopes Cs-137 and Sr-90. Removal of these isotopes from spent nuclear fuel will reduce the activity of the bulk spent fuel, reducing the heat given off by the waste. Once the cesium and strontium are separated from the bulk of the spent nuclear fuel, the isotopes must be immobilized. This study is focused on a method to immobilize a cesium- and strontium-bearing radioactive liquid waste stream. While there are various schemes to remove these isotopes from spent fuel, this study has focused on a nitric acid based liquid waste. The waste liquid was mixed with the bentonite, dried then sintered. To be effective sintering temperatures from 1100 to 1200 degrees C were required, and waste concentrations must be at least 25 wt%. The product is a leach resistant ceramic solid with the waste elements embedded within alumino-silicates and a silicon rich phase. The cesium is primarily incorporated into pollucite and the strontium into a monoclinic feldspar. The simulated waste was prepared from nitrate salts of stable ions. These ions were limited to cesium, strontium, barium and rubidium. Barium and rubidium will be co-extracted during separation due to similar chemical properties to cesium and strontium. The waste liquid was added to the bentonite clay incrementally with drying steps between each addition. The dry powder was pressed and then sintered at various temperatures. The maximum loading tested is 32 wt. percent waste, which refers to 13.9 wt. percent cesium, 12.2 wt. percent barium, 4.1 wt. percent strontium, and 2.0 wt. percent rubidium. Lower loadings of waste were also tested. The final solid product was a hard dense ceramic with a density that varied from 2.12 g/cm3 for a 19% waste loading with a 1200 degrees C sintering temperature to 3.03 g/cm3 with a 29% waste loading and sintered at 1100 degrees C. Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (DSC-TGA) of the loaded bentonite displayed mass loss steps which were consistent with water losses in pure bentonite. Water losses were complete after dehydroxylation at ~650 degrees C. No mass losses were evident beyond the dehydroxylation. The ceramic melts at temperatures greater than 1300 degrees C. Light flash analysis found heat capacities of the ceramic to be comparable to those of strontium and barium feldspars as well as pollucite. Thermal conductivity improved with higher sintering temperatures, attributed to lower porosity. Porosity was minimized in 1200 degrees C sinterings. Ceramics with waste loadings less than 25 wt% displayed slump, the lowest waste loading, 15 wt% bloated at a 1200 degrees C sintering. Waste loading above 25 wt% produced smooth uniform ceramics when sintered >1100 degrees C. Sintered bentonite may provide a simple alternative to vitrification and other engineered radioactive waste-forms.

The shortage of energy supply against growing demand globally has caused seriously impact to all industries, dead or alive, especially for the energy intensified industries, like oil refinery (Petroleum) Iron and Steel making industries which has been confronting tremendously with pressing concern for survival. Even both industries are within traditional industrial factor, but represent as key and fundamental industries as relied on, by all industries of a Nation. Therefore, all the international enterprises dealing with high-temperature production have been striving for long-term supply & steady quality of raw material of energy. Under this circumstance, the enterprises shall be offering to find the measures for cost-down of energy consumed, and further utilize the waste gas and heat as generated out of the production, that would surely produce the efficiency of energy, and not only diminish the dependence on primary energy, it also can effectively reach the goal of ¡§Independence of Energy¡¨ and optimization for the control of energy cost. This study is adopting the case study of Company ¡§C¡¨, with the analysis of SWOT, Five-force Analysis, and Diamond Model by Michael Porter, to further analyze the overall environment and circumstance of energy intensified industries. So that, it might help to understand further the strength and weakness of the energy intensified industries of our nation. First of all, to proceed the survey for the application of waste heat recovery system to energy intensified industries, and secondly, the application of waste heat recovery system to energy intensified industries in Taiwan, to generate direct and indirect efficiency whether or not to escalate the overall competitiveness to face the global competition. This research recognize the No. 1 pressure & bottle neck of the energy intensified industry lies mainly in the insufficiency of energy supply, and the upcoming environmental protection is getting more conscious & concerned. Therefore, all the industrialized countries have moved further forward to reinforce the energy saving technology, and increase the efficiency of energy using, developing new generation of energy with more efforts. Adoption of Company ¡§C¡¨, has recognized the following benefit, after the introduction of Waste Gas Heat Recovery System: 1. Recovery of Waste Gas of Hot Blast Stove, reduction of COG use, to transfer the saved COG to down-stream, to substitute the expensive natural gas, which is benefit to Company ¡§C¡¨ in the respect of energy saving. 2. Increasing the operation efficiency of hot blast stove, to have operation technique more Sophisticated, in the meantime, to eradicate the moisture out of BFG/Air and further extend the life time of ceramic burner of hot blast stove. 3. The Waste Gas Heat Recovery System has been totally mature with good reference of operation in the world market, which has been used by most steel mills in the world. There is actually no risk to adopt and apply this technology, & further carve out the good image of company ¡§C¡¨ in the respect of energy saving. 4. Reduction of SOx out of waste gas, and further diminish the temperature of waste gas released and can reduce the CO2 emission that is friendly to our environment. The research of this study recognized further, that energy intensified industry has been built up due to the scenario and situation of Taiwan in past few decades, in view of the development of economy, which is crucial industry & business sector. However, with the time running, the energy intensified industry requires to be adjusted for adaptation to the industrial environment of energy crisis and global warming. In this case, the largest potential worry for Taiwan is obviously insufficiency of energy supply. Furthermore, the technical level of energy saving of Taiwan is far more behind Japan, & many other European countries. General Speaking, the energy intensified industry of Taiwan is in weak situation at this moment. If Taiwan might introduce more advanced technology, and technical cooperation, technical research and development, or even training of qualified personnel enabling to upgrade the energy saving of Taiwan to be further upgraded for increasing the competitiveness of industries which is surely positive for a nation being more competitive. In view of energy intensified industry, shortage of energy supply and the price be kept high end, the recycling energy is not available within short time, for short and mid term, the best effective measures to solve the problem of energy is to reduce the amount of energy, for long run, it is great help to use the energy saving system to the energy intensified industry. For one hand, it might reduce the production cost; on the other hand, it can increase the energy operation efficiency. The heat pipe Waste Gas Heat Recovery System as described in this Study is well sound technology of energy saving.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2007. / Title from title page screen (viewed on Sept. 18, 2008). Thesis advisor: C. Neal Stewart, Jr. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-83). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (doctoral)--Helsinki University of Technology, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (MS)--University of Montana, 2009. / Title from author supplied metadata. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Sc.), Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Bibliography: p. 100-106.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.