Factors influencing leachability in a pelletized waste form

Conference · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1979

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-815X(81)90025-5· OSTI ID:6844392

Lewis, E L; Doty, J W; Herbert, R F; Bantz, P D

All Mound leachability testing has been performed using plutonium-238 oxide spiked high-level pellets. These pellets contain approx. 0.3 wt % PuO/sub 2/, and the data presented are preliminary in nature. The waste/cement weight ratios are 65%/35% for the ash/cement pellets and 50%/50% for the sludge solids/cement pellets. Leachability testing has been in progress for 15 months and the factors studied include temperature, leachant, test procedure, and pellet manufacturing pressure (density - porosity). Incremental leach rates have been calculated using the mathematical expression, leach rate = (grams of isotope lost during leaching period n/initial grams of isotope in leach specimen)(mass of specimen in grams/exposed surface area of specimen in cm/sup 2/)(1/duration of leachant renewal period in days). Test results indicated the following: temperature has little effect on the leach rate of sludge/cement pellets; leach rate of duplicate pellets in deionized water after four months of leaching was about 5 orders of magnitude greater than in saturated brine; and different leach procedures, the TRU and the ANS produced about identical results on ash/cement pellets.

• Research Organization: Monsanto Research Corp., Miamisburg, OH (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00053
• OSTI ID: 6844392
• Report Number(s): MLM-2773(OP); CONF-801206-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052001* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDE NUCLEI
ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
ASHES
BUILDING MATERIALS
CEMENTS
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMBUSTION
DENSITY
DISSOLUTION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FABRICATION
HEAVY NUCLEI
ISOTOPES
LEACHING
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MOLDING
NUCLEI
OXIDATION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PELLETIZING
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLUTONIUM 238
PLUTONIUM COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM ISOTOPES
PLUTONIUM OXIDES
POROSITY
PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RESIDUES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
STABILITY
TEMPERATURE EFFECTS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TRANSURANIUM COMPOUNDS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES