Low-Level Cementitious Waste Sample Retrieval and Analysis at Savannah River Site - 11149

In order to better define the physical properties of cementitious low-level wastes processed at Saltstone, a team of engineers and scientists from Savannah River Remediation (SRR) and the Savannah River National Lab (SRNL) developed and implemented several tools designed to allow for remote sample retrieval of grout cores from an active disposal vault. The effort was successful at remotely retrieving three sample replicates from each of three different locations inside the waste disposal vault. These cores were stored at SRNL and a variety of analyses have been performed to determine the accuracy with which lab-prepared samples compare with actual waste forms produced by the operating facility. Lessons learned from the initial core sampling effort have resulted in further technology development to ensure that future waste form sampling can be achieved with minimal direct radiological exposure of the facility worker.