Abstract: A tank especially suited for nuclear applications is disclosed. The tank comprises a tank shell for protectively surrounding the liquid contained therein; an inlet positioned on the tank for passing a liquid into the tank; a sump positioned in an interior portion of the tank for forming a reservoir of the liquid; a sloped incline for resting the tank thereon and for creating a natural flow of the liquid toward the sump; a pump disposed adjacent the tank for pumping the liquid; and a pipe attached to the pump and extending into the sump for passing the liquid therethrough. The pump pumps the liquid in the sump through the pipe and into the pump for discharging the liquid out of the tank.

Abstract: A process for the continuous disposal of radioactive waste is disclosed. The process involves (a) separating materials contaminated with radionuclides into categories containing radionuclides with similar half-lives; (b) accumulating radioactive materials for each category in containers over a predetermined time interval; (c) sealing the containers and storing them until the radioactivity is reduced to safe levels; (d) disposing of the material as conventional waste; and (e) repeating steps (a) through (d) with a new batch of material. The method can be practically used to process radioactive wastes having half-lives of up to 50 years.