Nuclear Waste Vitrification in a Ceramic-Lined Electric Glass Melter

Vitrification of high-level liquid waste from the nuclear fuel cycle in a liquid-fed electric glass melter is described with particular reference to the present status of the melter technology developed at the Institut fÿr Nukleare Entsorgungstechnik (INE), Karlsruhe, West Germany. Application of the process in an active plant to be built at the Eurochemic Site at Mol, Belgium, is outlined. Based on available experience with simulated waste solutions, it is shown that electric melting of waste glass is a promising technique that can substantially simplify nuclear waste vitrification.