Particularity and Importance Analysis of Load Calculation of the High-level Radioactive Waste Liquid Treatment Facility in a Newly-built Large Nuclear Chemical Plant

In the nuclear fuel cycle, a large amount of spent fuel processing residue is generated during the co-decontamination process, which contains most of the fission products from spent fuel and has high radioactivity, high heat release, and strong toxicity. This kind of high-level radioactive waste liquid is highly fluid, which makes it difficult to dispose of and causes significant environmental harm. Therefore, it is necessary to convert this high-level radioactive waste liquid into a solid form before deep geological disposal. At present, the most mature treatment technology of high-level waste liquid in the world is the vitrification in Joule heating ceramic electric melter. As the only energy source for the ceramic electric melter, it is crucial to ensure the reliability of the power supply. Which means that it is a significant prerequisite for accurate power supply to analyze the electric load characteristics of the ceramic electric melter comprehensively and thoroughly, and is also an important factor for completing the ceramic electric melter function and ensuring nuclear safety. This paper provides a detailed description of a high-level radioactive waste liquid treatment facility using a Joule heat ceramic electric melter as the core equipment. By conducting a thorough analysis of the electric load characteristics of the ceramic electric melter, the load grade and the power supply demand are determined, and the two-phase electric load is calculated based on its unique characteristics. Furthermore, the particularity and importance of load calculation for the power supply system and nuclear safety are analyzed based on the load calculation results. Finally, the important guiding significance of similar load analysis and calculation for future larger-scale high-level radioactive waste liquid treatment facilities is emphasized.