Microwave-specific heating of crystalline species in nuclear waste glass
- Savannah River National Laboratory, Aiken SC
Abstract The microwave heating of a crystal‐free and a partially trevorite‐crystallized nuclear waste glass simulant was evaluated. Our results show that a 500‐mg monolith of partially crystallized waste glass can be heated from room temperature to above 1600°C within 2 minutes using a single‐mode, highly focused, 2.45‐GHz microwave, operating at 300 W. Using X‐ray diffraction measurements, we show that trevorite is no longer detectable after irradiation and thermal quenching. When a crystal‐free analog of the same waste glass simulant composition was exposed to the same microwave radiation, it could not be heated above 450°C regardless of the heating time. The reduction in crystalline content achieved by selectively heating spinels in the presence of glass suggests that microwave‐specific heating should be further explored as a technique for remediating crystal accumulation in a glass melt.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC09-08SR22470; DE‐AC09‐08SR22470
- OSTI ID:
- 1352521
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1401458
- Report Number(s):
- SRNL-STI-2016-00364
- Journal Information:
- International Journal of Applied Glass Science, Vol. 8, Issue 2; ISSN 2041-1286
- Publisher:
- American Ceramic SocietyCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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