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A description of the ceramic waste form production process from the demonstration phase of the electrometallurical treatment of EBR-II spent fuel.

Journal Article · · Nucl. Technol.
OSTI ID:943070
The electrometallurgical treatment (EMT) process has been designed and developed for stabilizing sodium-bonded, metallic fuel into two high-level waste forms. This process has recently been successfully demonstrated with irradiated EBR-II fuel at Argonne National Laboratory-West. Part of the EMT process is to immobilize fission-product-bearing waste salt, which results from electrorefining, in a ceramic waste form-a glass-bonded sodalite. The sodalite is formed by hot isostatically pressing salt-loaded zeolite at temperatures up to 850 {sup o}C and pressures up to 100 MPa. The specific unit operations that comprise ceramic waste production include steps for salt grinding, zeolite drying, blending salt and zeolite and glass frit in a v-blender, and consolidating the powders in a hot isostatic press. The results of testing these unit operations with irradiated salt from the EMT demonstration are summarized and include some preliminary characterization of the final irradiated ceramic waste form created by this process.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
Sponsoring Organization:
NE
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
943070
Report Number(s):
ANL/NT/JA-37272
Journal Information:
Nucl. Technol., Journal Name: Nucl. Technol. Journal Issue: 3 ; Jun. 2001 Vol. 134; ISSN 0029-5450; ISSN NUTYBB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH