Synergetic Effects of Stressors on Nonmetallic Hoses Used in Waste Transfer Lines

Authors

Amer Issa Awwad, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Major/Program

Civil Engineering

First Advisor's Name

Berrin Tansel

First Advisor's Committee Title

committee chair

Second Advisor's Name

Leonel Lagos

Second Advisor's Committee Title

committe member

Third Advisor's Name

Kingsley Lau

Third Advisor's Committee Title

committe member

Fourth Advisor's Name

Dwayne McDaniel

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

committe member

Keywords

aging of nonmetallic components, ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM), sodium hydroxide, radioactive liquid transfer

Date of Defense

6-29-2023

Abstract

The waste transfer lines at the United States Department of Energy’s Hanford Site Tank Farm in Benton County, Washington, USA have flexible sections (hoses) that are fabricated from ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM). The hoses are of a hose-in-hose configuration with an inner hose that carries the waste and an outer hose that acts as a containment layer in the event of the inner hose failure. These hose-in-hose transfer lines (HIHTLss) are exposed to several stressors including caustic solutions at high temperatures and high pressures during waste transport. Even though supplier of the HIHTLss provide information regarding the effects of some of these stressors, information is not provided for simultaneous exposure to these stressors that are encountered during normal operation.

The objective of this research was to experimentally evaluate the effects of simultaneous stressors on the aging of HIHTLss used in the Hanford Tank Farm. A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the aging behavior of HIHTLss as well as EPDM dog-bone shaped specimens. Experiments included exposing the specimens to a 25.00% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution at temperatures of 38, 54, and 77°C for durations of 6 and 12-months respectively. In addition, specimens were exposed to NaOH concentrations of 0.00, 6.25, 12.50, and 25.00% (v/v) at 77°C for a 12-month period.

After the exposure, the material properties of the specimens were measured and compared to the unaged samples. The material properties evaluated included the tensile strength of the EPDM dog-bone samples and the burst pressure of the HIHTLss. In addition, scanning electron microscopy was also utilized to determine the level of surface degradation of the aged specimens. The findings of this research aims to provide information on how the HIHTLss at the Hanford Tank Farm behave under the simultaneous stressors of a caustic solution and elevated temperatures, which is not available in the literature.

Identifier

FIDC011102

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7625-9743

Previously Published In

Amer Awwad, Dwayne McDaniel, Leonel Lagos, Jose Rivera, Berrin Tansel, Effect of temperature and aging duration on ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) nonmetallic components used in caustic liquid waste transfer lines, Engineering Failure Analysis, Volume 128, 2021, 105633, ISSN 1350-6307, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2021.105633.

Amer Awwad, Dwayne McDaniel, Leonel Lagos, Jose Rivera, Berrin Tansel, Effect of solution concentration on ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) nonmetallic components used in caustic liquid waste transfer lines, Engineering Failure Analysis, Volume 145, 2023, 107007, ISSN 1350-6307, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2022.107007.

Recommended Citation

Awwad, Amer Issa, "Synergetic Effects of Stressors on Nonmetallic Hoses Used in Waste Transfer Lines" (2023). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5333.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5333