Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dsjbd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T17:24:21.518Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Accelerated Alpha Radiation Damage in a Ceramic Waste Form, Interim Results

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Steven M. Frank ,
Stephen G. Johnson ,
Tanya L. Moschetti ,
Thomas P. O'Holleran ,
Wharton Sinkler ,
David Esh  and
K. Michael Goff
Steven M. Frank
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
Stephen G. Johnson
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
Tanya L. Moschetti
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
Thomas P. O'Holleran
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
Wharton Sinkler
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
David Esh
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
K. Michael Goff
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
Get access

Abstract

Interim results are presented on the alpha-decay damage study of a 238pu-loaded ceramic waste form (CWF). The waste form was developed to immobilize fission products and transuranic species accumulated from the electrometallurgical treatment of spent nuclear fuel. To evaluate the effects of α-decay damage on the waste form, the 238Pu-loaded material was investigated by electron microscopy for microstructure characterization, x-ray diffraction for bulk phase properties, bulk density measurement, and the product consistency test (PCT) for waste form durability. While the predominate phase of plutonium in the CWF, PuO2, shows the expected unit cell expansion due to a-decay damage, currently no significant change has occurred to the macro- or microstructure of the material. The major phase of the waste form is sodalite and contains very little Pu, although the exact amount is unknown. Interestingly, masurement of the sodalite phase unit cell is also showing very slight expansion; again, presumably from α-decay damage.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 608: Symposium QQ – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXIII , 1999 , 469
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1 Ackerman, J.P., McDeavitt, S.M., Pereira, C., Simpson, L.J., ANS Proceedings “Third Topical Meeting DOE Spent Nuclear Fuel and Fissile Materials Management”, Charleston, SC, 699 (1998).Google Scholar
2 Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, Waste Acceptance System Requirements Document, E00000000-00811-1708-00001, rev. 2 (1996).Google Scholar
3 Weber, W.J.,Ewing, R.C., Catlow, C.R.A., Rubia, T. Diaz de la, Hobbs, L.W., Kinoshita, C., Matzke, Hj., Motta, A.T., Nastasi, M., Salje, E.K.H., Vance, E.R., Zinkle, S.J., J. Mater. Res., Vol. 13, pp.1432–1484 (1998).Google Scholar
4 Ewing, R.C., Weber, W.J., Clinard, F.W. Jr, Prog. Nucl. Energy 29 (2), 63 (1995).Google Scholar
5 Boult, K.A., Dalton, J.T., Evans, J.P., Hall, A.R., Inns, A.J.. Marples, J.A.C., Paige, E.L., The preparation of fully active synroc and its radiation stability-Final Report, Oct. 1988. AERE-R-13318 (Harwell Laboratory, Harwell, UK, 1988).Google Scholar
6 Solomah, A.G., Matzke, H., Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XII, Lutze, W., Ewing, R.C., Eds., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., Vol. 127, pp. 241–249 (1989).Google Scholar
7 Frank, S.M., Esh, D.W. Johnson, S.G., Noy, M.H. and O'Holleran, T.P., “Production and Characterization of a Plutonium-238 Loaded Ceramic Waste Form for the Study of the Effects of Alpha Decay Damage,” to be published in Scientific Basis for Waste Management XXII, Edited by Wronkiewicz, D.J., Materials Research Society (1999).Google Scholar
8 ASTM C1285-97, ASTM Philadelphia, PA, (1998).Google Scholar
9 Chikalla, T.D., Turcotte, R.P., Rad. Eff. 19, 93–98 (1973).Google Scholar
10 Frank, S.M., Bateman, K.J., DiSanto, T., Johnson, S.G., Moschetti, T.L., Noy, M.H. and O'Holleran, T.P., Phase Transformations and Systems Driven Far From Equilibrium, Eds., Ma, E., Atzmon, M., Bellon, P. and Trivedi, R., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 481, pp. 351–356 (1998).Google Scholar
11 Bibler, N.E., Bates, J.K., Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XIII, Eds., Oversby, V. and Brown, P., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 176, pp. 327–338 (1990).Google Scholar