Evaluation of lead-iron-phosphate glass as a high-level waste form

Technical Report · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1986

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5110201· OSTI ID:5110201

Chick, L A; Bunnell, L R; Strachan, D M; Kissinger, H E; Hodges, F N

The lead-iron-phosphate (Pb-Fe-P) glass developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory was evaluated for its potential as an improvement over the current reference nuclear waste form, borosilicate (B-Si) glass. The evaluation was conducted as part of the Second Generation HLW Technology Subtask of the Nuclear Waste Treatment Program at Pacific Northwest Laboratory. The purpose of this work was to investigate possible alternatives to B-Si glass as second-generation waste forms. While vitreous Pb-Fe-P glass appears to have substantially better chemical durability than B-Si glass, severe crystallization or devitrification leading to deteriorated chemical durability would result if this glass were poured into large canisters as is the procedure with B-Si glass. Cesium leach rates from this crystallized material are orders of magnitude greater than those from B-Si glass. Therefore, to realize the potential performance advantages of the Pb-Fe-P material in a nuclear waste form, the processing method would have to cool the material rapidly to retain its vitreous structure.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5110201
• Report Number(s): PNL-5878; ON: DE87001849
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PHOSPHATE GLASS
EVALUATION
LEACHING
WASTE FORMS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
VISCOSITY
DATA
DISSOLUTION
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
GLASS
INFORMATION
NUMERICAL DATA
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
360604* - Materials- Corrosion
Erosion
& Degradation
052001 - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Processing