Glass binder development for a glass-bonded sodalite ceramic waste form
This paper discusses work to develop Na2O-B2O3-SiO2 glass binders for immobilizing LiCl-KCl eutectic salt waste in a glass-bonded sodalite waste form following electrochemical reprocessing of used metallic nuclear fuel. Here, five new glasses with high Na2O contents were designed to generate waste forms having higher sodalite contents and fewer stress fractures. The structural, mechanical, and thermal properties of the new glasses were measured using variety of analytical techniques. The glasses were then used to produce ceramic waste forms with surrogate salt waste. The materials made using the glasses developed during this study were formulated to generate more sodalite than materials made with previous baseline glasses used. The coefficients of thermal expansion for the glass phase in the glass-bonded sodalite waste forms made with the new binder glasses were closer to the sodalite phase in the critical temperature region near and below the glass transition temperature. These improvements should result in lower probability of cracking in the full-scale monolithic ceramic waste form, leading to better long-term chemical durability. Additionally, a model generated during this study for predicting softening temperature of silicate binder glasses is presented.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 1371995
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-123338; AF5805020
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Nuclear Materials, Vol. 489, Issue C; ISSN 0022-3115
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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