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Effect of Alpha Decay on Nuclear Borosilicate Glass Properties

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2011

Sylvain Peuget ,
Christophe Jégou ,
Véronique Broudic ,
Danièle Roudil ,
Xavier Deschanels  and
Jean-Michel Bart
Sylvain Peuget
Affiliation:
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, CEA Marcoule, DEN/DTCD, BP 17171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze Cedex, France
Christophe Jégou
Affiliation:
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, CEA Marcoule, DEN/DTCD, BP 17171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze Cedex, France
Véronique Broudic
Affiliation:
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, CEA Marcoule, DEN/DTCD, BP 17171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze Cedex, France
Danièle Roudil
Affiliation:
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, CEA Marcoule, DEN/DTCD, BP 17171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze Cedex, France
Xavier Deschanels
Affiliation:
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, CEA Marcoule, DEN/DTCD, BP 17171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze Cedex, France
Jean-Michel Bart
Affiliation:
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, CEA Marcoule, DEN/DTCD, BP 17171, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze Cedex, France
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Abstract

The properties of actinide glasses are studied in the context of high-level waste management programs. Reprocessing high burnup fuels in particular will increase the minor actinide content in the glass package, resulting in higher cumulative alpha decay doses in the glass, and raising the question of the glass matrix behavior and especially its containment properties. The effect of alpha self-irradiation on the glass behavior is evaluated by doping the glass with a short-lived actinide (244Cm) to reach in several years the alpha dose received by the future glass packages over several thousand years. “R7T7” borosilicate glasses were doped with 3 different curium contents (0.04 wt%, 0.4 wt% and 1.2 wt% 244CmO2). The glass homogeneity was characterized by SEM and XRD. Chemical analysis after dissolution of the glass confirmed the chemical composition. The curium content and its distribution in the glass specimens were checked by calorimetry measurements and gamma spectrometry on 243Cm and 245Cm isotopes. The density and mechanical properties of the curium-doped glasses were characterized up to 2 × 1018 α/g, revealing only a slight evolution of the macroscopic behavior of R7T7 glass in this range. The leaching behavior of curium-doped glass was also studied by Soxhlet tests. The results do not show any significant evolution of the initial alteration rate with the alpha dose.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 824: Symposium CC – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXVIII , 2004 , CC5.5
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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