Lessons Learned: Modification to OPG's Radioactive Waste Incinerator

Abstract

The radioactive waste incinerator which processes low level waste at Ontario Power Generation has been in operation since 2002. The purpose of the incinerator is to safely process both solid and liquid low level waste generated by station activities. The majority of waste incinerated consists of paper, wood, plastic, rubber, cotton, and hydraulic oil.The incinerator has undergone a recent modification in 2015 in response to an overheating event in the underfire air duct which resulted in suspension of solid waste incineration. Underfire air duct plugging is a common issue occurring in many incinerators worldwide. This leads to a reduction in combustion efficiency as well as additional maintenance burdens and processing downtime. Thermal damage due to overheating can also occur if flammable material flows through the underfire air duct and burns.The modification was completed safely and successfully by OPG in conjunction with industry partners. The modification has resulted in the return to solid waste incineration as well as improved sustainable performance. The incinerator has now evolved from a controlled air design consisting of both underfire and overfire air to a controlled air design consisting of only overfire air.The paper will address lessons learned during the modification. The paper will also explore key differences between the operation of the original incinerator design and the new design.