The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 27, 1976, Image 1
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VOL. LXVIII NO. 6 CaJ^1-3 MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27. 1976
1 niverwity of South Carollia ,^.C.
Nuclear
waste
studied
By JOHNNY LOTT
Gamecock Staff Writer
A USC chemical engineering
professor has received a grant to
help develop a more efficient
method of reclaiming nuclear
waste products.
Thomas G. Stanford, assistant
professor at the College of
Engineering, received a $43,000
grant from the Federal Energy
and Research and Development
Administration (FERDA) to advance
a mathematical description
of "voloxidation," a means by
which dangerous radioactive
tritium gas is removed from spent
nuciear iuei.
Using funds from the FERDA
grant, Stanford will conduct a twoyear
research project into the
theoritical aspects of the process.
During this time, he will work in
conjunction with research
scientists at the Savannah River
Laboratory. Other nuclear
facilities, including the Oakridge,
Tenn. plant, will also be consulted.
Stanford's goal is to construct a
scale model of a voloxidation
reprocessing center.
''This is a more efficient way to
dispose of radioactive waste and it
is a more ecol ogically safe way to
dispose of radioactive waste,"
Stanford said.
In explaining the project,
Stanford said that reprocessing
nuclear waste involves cutting
used up cylinder rods from nuclear
reactors, then dissolving the
radioactive elements of plutonium
and uranium in nitric acid. Next
the solution is heated in a furn acelike
device called a rotary kiln.
The plutonium and uranium
crystalize in the furnace into a
form that can be recovered easily.
Tritium gas and triated water
result from this combination.
Stanford stressed the hazards of
the last stf?n hwflllSP tritium aoC
r- -?"?- ?
and triated water are both
radioactive. In reprocessed form
both resemble their counterparts,
ordinary air and water.
"The ideal way to dispose of
radioactive wastes would be
through condensing it into solid
form," Stanford said. "Presently,"
radioactive materials are diluted
and dumped into the Savannah
River."
The voloxidation process consists
of heating the chopped pieces
of spent nuclear fuel in a oxidizing
atmosphere. This facilitates the
release of the tritium and other
radioactive gases and makes their
entrapment and disposal easier.
Within the next five years
Stanford expects the voloxidation
process to be widely in effect in
foreign and domestic reactor
plants. By then, the major industries
will have attained this
technological level.
"The waste material is kind of a
'Black Art', today," Stanford said.
"No one really knows what's going
on. By that I mean it is a complicated
process."
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his favorite sport*-?venj[luring
m\ puts in six points, tth, two (
ne. )
'/ never told
particular letter,
signs for som
usually put tht
There were no initiah
at
Controv<
letter sip
by secre
l\ MICKEY TKIMAKC'III
Jews Editor
A fnrmnr ^tllHonl (lawnrnm^mt I CV v
.. .w. ?<^l UIUVIVIII VJlfVVI IllllClll U1U I I>C
igning Vice President Gerald Mosley's m
"om SG President Dave Wilsford to USC
?rson.
Nancy Dozier, who resigned as Mosley'
lay. said she "usually signed for Gerald in
ritten May 13 while Mosley was out of tow
"I never told her to sign that particular
omeone signs for someone else, they usi
here were no initials on that letter."
According to Dozier, she didn't type the I
ontent.
WILSFORI) VVROTK the letter in respon
lot receiving an invitation to a private din
nd his wife, Mary Alice. The party, he
tome, was for several honorary degree re<
eads:
Dear Sirs;
As representatives of the Studp
University, we feel we must apologiz
for our absence at the pre-Commen
your home Friday evening, May 7.
never reached us,and it was only ver
received word of the occasion.
We sincerely hope that our abse
undue embarrassment for you or any
1 realize that it must look bad for t
officers not to have been present t
related to graduation hv natnrp a
Had we been able to avoid this eml
must (sic) assuredly would have. In
will be most happy, as we should h
tie.pation in such events.
Speech sched
groups may n
ly KLAINK ELLISON Th
iamecock Staff Writer in or
An attempt is being made to spea
nerge the Speakers Bureau and Da
deas and Issues. said
John Rivers, Speakers Bureau orga
resident, and Ed McCall, Ideas purp
uid Issues chairman will meet to ca
iometime this week to come up He
vith a merger plan by January. bet\N
Speaker's Bureau was left out of Wilsl
ast year's Student Government orga
SG) budget after Ideas and coul(
ssue's budget was increased by He
110,225. * McC
During the spring, the Speaker's a jc
bureau brought James .! Bure
tilpatrick, former Vietnamese the i
'remier Nguyen Cao Key, "II
Christine Jorgensen and Eric von with
Janiken to campus do it
her to sign that
When someone
eone else, they
sir initials on it.
i on thnt *
Gerald Mosley,
i vice president
ersial
;ned
tary
icretary admitted Friday to
mie to a controversial letter
1 President William H. Pats
secretary in the middle of
i his absence." The letter was
n.
letter," Mosley said. "When
liallv out their initials on it
letter and was unaware of its
se to SG executive members
ner party given by Patterson
Id May 7 at the Patterson's
:ipients. The text of the letter
nt Government of this
e to you and your guests
cement dinner eiven at
Our official invitations
y late in the day that we
nee did not cause any
' of your honored guests,
he official student body
it a function so closely
student-oriented affair
)arrassing situation, we
the future, of course, we
>e, to continue our parSee
LETTER, Page 5
luling
merge
e merger is being considered
der to bring more big name
kers to the campus,
ve Wilsford, SG president,
he favors a combined
nization with the specific
ose of bringing "big names"
impus.
fore he knew of the meeting
?een Rivers and McCall,
ford said he hoped a combined
nization. or the nlans for nru?
j be made by January,
planned to meet Tuesday with
all to discuss the possibility of
tint effort by the Speakers
iau and Ideas and Issues, but
neeting was cancelled,
f Ed (McCall) and I come up
something better, we'll both
Rivers said.