Effect of lead species on the durability of simulated nuclear waste glass

Thesis/Dissertation · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5724027

Kuchinski, F A

It has been shown that the incorporation of lead metal into the corrosion environment reduces the leaching rate of nuclear waste glasses. The present study evaluated the effects of lead metal, oxides, alloys, glasses and soluble species on the corrosion rate of a waste glass. The inherent durability of nuclear waste glasses comes from the about due to the insoluble surface film developed during corrosion. This surface film, enriched with iron, aluminum and calcium acts as a diffusion barrier to further corrosion. Except for PbO/sub 2/, all lead species inhibited glass corrosion due to the formation of a surface film enriched in lead. No corroded glass layer was observed below the lead surface layer. Also, no glass corrosion products were found on the lead surface, except for small amounts of silicon. The transport and deposition of lead on the glass surface appears to be the key factors in preventing glass corrosion. At high glass surface area to volume ratios, the glass corroded considerably at short times since the dissolved lead source could not coat the entire glass surface rapidly enough to prevent continued corrosion. Also, experimental solution values did not agree with thermodynamics model predictions. This suggests that kinetic factors, namely diffusion barriers, are controlling the glass corrosion rate.

• Research Organization: Rutgers-the State Univ., New Brunswick, NJ (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5724027
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
GLASS
CORROSION
CORROSION RESISTANCE
LEAD
CORROSIVE EFFECTS
LEAD ALLOYS
LEAD OXIDES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
DIFFUSION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
LEACHING
ALLOYS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DATA
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
INFORMATION
LEAD COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
METALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
WASTES
052002* - Nuclear Fuels- Waste Disposal & Storage
360604 - Materials- Corrosion
Erosion
& Degradation