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Apparent Solubility Limit of Nuclear Glass

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Étienne Vernaz
Affiliation:
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA/Valrhô), DCC/SCD/LEAM BP 171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Céze Cedex, France
Stéphane Gin
Affiliation:
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA/Valrhô), DCC/SCD/LEAM BP 171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Céze Cedex, France
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Abstract

Most nuclear glass alteration models are based on a first-order kinetic law of the general type r = r0 (1–Csi/C*) or r = r0 (1–Q/K). It is generally assumed that the establishment of quasi steady-state concentrations in solution corresponds to an intrinsic glass solubility limit that may be expressed either in terms of the dissolved silicon concentration C* or as an ion activity product at saturation K. Experimental research over the last five years in France has shown that the quasi steady-state concentrations observed in solution do not correspond to a thermodynamic solubility limit with respect to the glass. This assertion is supported by a large body of experimental evidence that is discussed in this paper. The signification of the C* parameter is therefore reconsidered, and its implications on long-term behavior modeling are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2001

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References

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