Chemical analysis of simulated high level waste glasses to support stage III sulfate solubility modeling
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Environmental Management (EM) is sponsoring an international, collaborative project to develop a fundamental model for sulfate solubility in nuclear waste glass. The solubility of sulfate has a significant impact on the achievable waste loading for nuclear waste forms within the DOE complex. These wastes can contain relatively high concentrations of sulfate, which has low solubility in borosilicate glass. This is a significant issue for low-activity waste (LAW) glass and is projected to have a major impact on the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). Sulfate solubility has also been a limiting factor for recent high level waste (HLW) sludge processed at the Savannah River Site (SRS) Defense Waste Processing Facility (DWPF). The low solubility of sulfate in glass, along with melter and off-gas corrosion constraints, dictate that the waste be blended with lower sulfate concentration waste sources or washed to remove sulfate prior to vitrification. The development of enhanced borosilicate glass compositions with improved sulfate solubility will allow for higher waste loadings and accelerate mission completion.The objective of the current scope being pursued by SHU is to mature the sulfate solubility model to the point where it can be used to guide glass composition development for DWPF and WTP, allowing for enhanced waste loadings and waste throughput at these facilities. A series of targeted glass compositions was selected to resolve data gaps in the model and is identified as Stage III. SHU fabricated these glasses and sent samples to SRNL for chemical composition analysis. SHU will use the resulting data to enhance the sulfate solubility model and resolve any deficiencies. In this report, SRNL provides chemical analyses for the Stage III, simulated HLW glasses fabricated by SHU in support of the sulfate solubility model development.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-08SR22470
- OSTI ID:
- 1244067
- Report Number(s):
- SRNL-STI-2016-00109; TRN: US1601034
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
BOROSILICATE GLASS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
SULFATES
SOLUBILITY
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CONCENTRATION RATIO
SIMULATION
SAVANNAH RIVER PLANT
ABUNDANCE
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
LIMITING VALUES
HANFORD RESERVATION
SLUDGES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES