Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T17:33:58.908Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Development of Borosilicate Glass Compositions for the Immobilisation of the UK's Separated Plutonium Stocks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Mike T. Harrison  and
Charlie R. Scales
Mike T. Harrison
Affiliation:
Nexia Solutions Ltd, The British Technology Centre, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria, CA20 1PG, UK.
Charlie R. Scales
Affiliation:
Nexia Solutions Ltd, The British Technology Centre, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria, CA20 1PG, UK.
Get access

Abstract

The UK inventory of separated civil plutonium is expected to exceed 100 tonnes by 2010. Whilst the majority of this could be used in the manufacture of MOx (Mixed Oxide) fuel in future power generation scenarios, options for the disposal of surplus plutonium are currently being investigated by Nexia Solutions Ltd on behalf of the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). One of the options being considered is immobilisation in a durable glass matrix followed by long term storage and subsequent final repository disposal.

A preliminary experimental survey assessed a selection of potential glass systems on the basis of Pu-surrogate (cerium) loading, durability, and ease of processing. Following this, a number of borosilicate compositions have been taken forward into a more detailed investigation in order to fully qualify their potential for Pu-immobilisation. The selected compositions are lanthanide borosilicate (LaBS), alkali tin silicate (ATS) and high-lanthanide alkali borosilicate (modified-MW). For this second series of experiments, hafnium was selected as the Pu surrogate, and a study of the potential waste loading as a function of temperature for the three selected compositions is described in this paper. Furthermore, several variations of the LaBS composition were fabricated in order to investigate the effect of total lanthanide content on melting temperature. The benchmark of 10 wt% HfO2 incorporation is achievable for all three glasses with temperatures of 1200, 1300 and 1400 °C required for ATS, modified-MW and LaBS respectively.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1107: Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXXI , 2008 , 405
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

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

1 Scales, C. R., Maddrell, E. R. and Harrison, M. T. Options for the Immobilisation of UK Civil Plutonium – 7214, WM'07 Conference, February 25 – March 1, 2007, Tucson, AZ. Google Scholar
2 Harrison, M. T., Scales, C. R., Bingham, P. A. and Hand, R. J., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc 985 (2007).Google Scholar
3 Harrison, M. T. and Scales, C. R., MRS 2007: Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXXI (presented at this meeting).Google Scholar
4 Bibler, N. E., Ramsey, W. G., Meaker, T. F. and Pareizs, J. M., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 412, 65–72 (1996).Google Scholar
5 Marra, J. C., Peeler, D. K., and Jantzen, C. M., WSRC-TR-2006-00031, Washington Savannah River Company, Aiken, SC, 2006.Google Scholar
6 Zamecnik, J. R., Jones, T. M., Miller, D. H., Herman, D. T., and Marra, J. C., WM'07 Conference, February 25 – March 1, 2007, Tucson, AZ. Google Scholar
7 Bates, J. K., A. J. G. Ellison, Emery, J. W. & Hoh, J. C., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 412, 57–64 (1996).Google Scholar
8 Lopez, C., Deschanels, X., Bart, J. M., Boubals, J. M., Auwer, C. Den and Simoni, E., Journal of Nuclear Materials 312, 76–80 (2003).Google Scholar
9 Cachia, J.N., Deschanels, X., Den Auwer, C., Pinet, O., Phalippou, J., Hennig, C. and Scheinost, A., Journal of Nuclear Materials 352, 182–189 (2006).Google Scholar
10 Darab, J. G., Li, H., Schweiger, M. J., Vienna, J. D., Allen, P. G., Butcher, J. J., Edelstein, N. M., and Shuh, D. K., Plutonium Futures: The Science, Santa Fe, NM, August 25-27, 1997.Google Scholar
11 Feng, X., Li, H., Davis, L. L., Li, L., Darab, D. G., Schweiger, M. J., Vienna, J. D., Bunker, B. C., Allen, P. G., Bucher, J. J., Craig, I. M., Edelstein, N. M., Shuh, D. K., Ewing, R. C., Wang, L. M. and Vance, E. R., Ceramic Trans. 93, 409–415 (1999).Google Scholar
12 Riley, B. J., Vienna, J. D. and Schweiger, M. J., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 608, 677–682 (2000).Google Scholar