Assessment of lead tellurite glass for immobilizing electrochemical salt wastes from used nuclear fuel reprocessing

Journal Article · Wed Nov 01 04:00:00 EDT 2017 · Journal of Nuclear Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2017.08.037· OSTI ID:1411170

Riley, Brian J.; Kroll, Jared O.; Peterson, Jacob A.; Pierce, David A.; Ebert, William L.; Williams, Benjamin D.; Snyder, Michelle M. V.; Frank, Steven M.; George, Jaime L.; Kruska, Karen

This paper provides an overview of research evaluating the use of lead tellurite glass as a waste form for salt wastes from electrochemical reprocessing of used nuclear fuel. The efficacy of using lead tellurite glass to immobilize three different salt compositions was evaluated: a LiCl-Li2O oxide reduction salt containing fission products from oxide fuel, a LiCl-KCl eutectic salt containing fission products from metallic fuel, and SrCl2. Physical and chemical properties of glasses made with these salts were characterized with X-ray diffraction, bulk density measurements, differential thermal analysis, chemical durability tests, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. These glasses were found to accommodate high salt concentrations and have high densities, but further development is needed to improve chemical durability. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy (NE)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1411170
• Journal Information: Journal of Nuclear Materials, Journal Name: Journal of Nuclear Materials Journal Issue: C Vol. 495; ISSN 0022-3115
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English