Durability, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of Experimental Glass-Ceramic Forms for Immobilizing ICPP High Level Waste

Vinjamuri, Krishna; ,

Durability, Mechanical, and Thermal Properties of Experimental Glass-Ceramic Forms for Immobilizing ICPP High Level Waste

by Krishna Vinjamuri, Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Co, Idaho Falls, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: High Level Radioactive Waste Management 1991

Abstract:

The high-level liquid waste generated at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) is routinely solidified into granular calcined high-level waste (HLW) and stored onsite. A research and development program is under way to further process and immobilize the HLW. A glass-ceramic waste form is being developed as one of the options to immobilize the calcine. Experimental glass-ceramic formulations have been developed using the non-radioactive simulated calcine and glass forming additives. The objective of the research reported in this paper was to study the effect of ground simulated calcine particle size on durability and mechanical and thermal properties of experimental glass-ceramic forms. Durability was measured using the MCC-1 test at 90?C in deionized water. Mechanical and thermal properties which were measured included modulus of rupture and specific heat, thermal conductivity and thermal diffusuvity, respectively. Durability of the glass-ceramic form was found to increase with decreasing calcine particle size; for calcine particle sizes ground finer than 100 mesh, the total mass loss rate (durability) was less than 1 g/(m²d). The modulus of rupture and thermal diffusivity essentially remained constant with increasing calcine particle size. The stainless steel can used to prepare the glass-ceramic form by hotisostatic pressing, deformed uniformly for all the calcine particle sizes used in this research work.

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