Self-irradiation damage of a curium-doped titanate ceramic containing sodium-rich high level nuclear waste

Journal Article · Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Journal of the American Ceramic Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:5142542

Miyazaki, T ^[1]; White, T J ^[2]; Mitamura, H; Matsumoto, S; Nukaga, K; Togashi, Y; Sagawa, T; Tashiro, S ^[3]; Levins, D M ^[4]; Kikuchi, A ^[5]

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1. Second Dept. of Nuclear Business, Ibaraki Center, Chiyoda Maintenance Ltd., Asahi, Kashima, Ibaraki 314-14 (JP)
2. Electron Microscope Centre, Univ. of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4067 (AU)
3. Dept. of Environmental Safety Research, Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Naka, Ibaraki 319-11 (JP)
4. Environmental Science Program, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights Research Lab., Lucas Heights, New South Wales (AU)
5. Dept. of Reactor Fuel Examination, Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Naka, Ibaraki 319-11 (JP)

This paper reports on the polyphase titanate ceramic containing sodium-rich simulated high-level nuclear waste doped with 0.69 wt% of {sup 244}Cm to accelerate long-term self-irradiation due to {alpha} decays. {alpha} autoradiography showed that {alpha} emissions were almost uniformly distributed throughout the curium-doped samples on a {gt} 20{mu}m scale although micropore surfaces and titanium oxide agglomerates were free of {alpha} emitting nuclides. The phase assemblage of the curium-doped titanate ceramic included freudenbergite and loveringite in addition to the more abundant oxide phases: hollandite, perovskite, and zirconolite. Accumulation of {alpha} decays was accompanied by a gradual decrease in density. The increment of density was {minus}1% after an equivalent age of 5000 yr. Leach tests showed a slight rend toward higher total release of curium with equivalent age. The release of soluble nonradioactive elements (e.g., Na, Cs, Sr, and Ca) in the oldest specimens (equivalent age, 2000 yr) varied from specimen to specimen but, on average, were higher than specimens that had suffered a lower radiation dose.

• OSTI ID: 5142542
• Journal Information: Journal of the American Ceramic Society; (United States), Vol. 73:11; ISSN 0002-7820
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CERAMICS
DAMAGE
RADIATION EFFECTS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
DOPED MATERIALS
SELF-IRRADIATION
ALPHA DECAY
CURIUM 244
DENSITY
OXIDES
RADIATION DOSES
TITANATES
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHALCOGENIDES
CURIUM ISOTOPES
DECAY
DOSES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
HEAVY NUCLEI
IRRADIATION
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR DECAY
NUCLEI
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
SPONTANEOUS FISSION RADIOISOTOPES
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
052001* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing
360206 - Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories- Radiation Effects