Tank 38H Saltcake Core and Supernate Sample Analysis

This report provides details of the characterization of Tank 38H saltcake and supernate samples pulled in September 2003. The core sample HTF-E-03-114 contained approximately 4 inches of saltcake, which was soupy and brown with white chunks, and contained less than 15 mL of cloudy free liquid. The undrained bulk saltcake had a water content of 16.8 percentage weight and a bulk density that was approximately 1.94 g/cm3 at full saturation. The 137Cs activity of the bulk saltcake in sample HTF-E-03-114 was 3.72E+7 pCi/g, which corresponds to 0.3 Ci per gallon of saltcake. The 238Pu activity of the bulk saltcake was 3.62E+6 pCi/g. The filtered free liquid in sample HTF-E-03-114 had a density of 1.430 g/cm3, a 137Cs activity of 0.73 Ci/gal., and a 238Pu activity of 5.78E+3 pCi/mL. The solids filtered from the HTF-E-03-114 free liquid were primarily composed of salts (sodium nitrate and sodium carbonate monohydrate) and sodium aluminosilicates. The Tank 38H supernate samples (HTF-E-03-122 and 123) had a density of 1.45 g/cm3, a 137Cs activity of 0.65 Ci/gal, a 238Pu activity of 2.2E4 pCi/mL, and contained no visible insoluble solids. The viscosity of supernate samples HTF-E-03-122 and 123 was determined at 25 degrees Celsius, 35 degrees Celsius, and 50 degrees Celsius to be 12.1 cP, 8.1 cP, and 5.1 cP, respectively. An exponential correlation for the Tank 38H supernate viscosity was formulated for use over this temperature range. In the undrained saltcake sample, several components, including cesium, nitrite, hydroxide, phosphate, formate, and potassium, were partitioned predominantly into the interstitial liquid. Although the plutonium, uranium, neptunium, and strontium activities in the Tank 38H saltcake core sample are high compared with recent Tank 41H samples, they are low compared with previous saltcake samples from Tank 38H collected in July 2000 and July 2001. The 137Cs of the Tank 38H saltcake sample is comparable with the previous Tank 38H saltcake samples