Long-term leaching of irradiated spent fuel

Conference · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5201327

Katayama, Y. B.; Bradley, D. J.

Spent Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuel with burnups of 9, 28 and 54 MWd/kg U were leach tested at 25/sup 0/C in deionized water in a Paige apparatus. No discernible differences in leach rates were observed due to burnup. Additionally, the 28 MWd/kg U fuel was IAEA leach tested in five different leachants using the IAEA method. Deionized water gave the highest leach rates and a calcium chloride solution gave the lowest leach rates. An accelerated leaching period was observed during the Paige leach test of the 54 MWd/kg U spent fuel. Comparison between spent fuel and borosilicate waste glass leach rates was made. In sodium bicarbonate solution the leach rates are near equal and the glass becomes increasingly more durable with CaCl/sub 2/ solution, followed by sodium chloride solution, WIPP B brine and deionized water where the glass is two to three orders of magnitude more leach resistant than spent fuel. 16 figures.

• Research Organization: Battelle Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5201327
• Report Number(s): PNL-SA-7734; CONF-791112-68
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050900* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
052000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Management
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
BOROSILICATE GLASS
BRINES
BURNUP
CALCIUM CHLORIDES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM HALIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATES
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DISPERSIONS
DISSOLUTION
ENERGY SOURCES
FUEL CYCLE
FUELS
GLASS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LEACHING
MATERIALS
MIXTURES
NUCLEAR FUELS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTOR MATERIALS
REACTORS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM CARBONATES
SODIUM CHLORIDES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SOLUTIONS
SPENT FUELS
WASTES
WATER
WATER COOLED REACTORS