Hostname: page-component-669899f699-g7b4s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-28T04:53:53.353Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ceramic Wasteforms for the Conditioning of Spent MOx Fuel Wastes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

E. R. Maddrell  and
P. K. Abraitis
E. R. Maddrell
Affiliation:
British Nuclear Fuels plc, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria, United Kingdom, CA20 1PG
P. K. Abraitis
Affiliation:
British Nuclear Fuels plc, Sellafield, Seascale, Cumbria, United Kingdom, CA20 1PG
Get access

Abstract

Crystalline ceramic wasteforms have been fabricated to immobilise a combined fission product and actinide waste stream arising from spent MOx fuel. The fuel is conditioned by a UREX process, as contrasted to PUREX, to produce a waste stream containing fission products and transuranics. Zirconia rich Synroc derivatives have been formulated to minimise formation of perovskite. This ensures that the transuranics are predominantly immobilised in zirconolite. For comparison, a wasteform has also been produced in which transuranics and rare earth element fission products are immobilised in a radiation resistant cubic zirconia solid solution, whilst caesium, strontium and barium are partitioned to an alumina rich magnetoplumbite phase.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 807: Symposium Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXVII , 2003 , 231
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

1. Rudisill, T. S., Thompson, M. C., Norato, M. A., Kessinger, G. F., Pierce, R. A., and Johnson, J. D., “Demonstration of the UREX Solvent Extraction Process with Dresden Reactor Fuel” Westinghouse Savannah River Company Report WSRC-MS-2003–00089.Google Scholar
2. Blackford, M.G., Smith, K.L. and Hart, K.P., “Microstructure, Partitioning and Dissolution Behaviour of Synroc Containing Actinides” in Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XV, edited by Sombret, C. (Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 257, Pittsburgh, PA, 1992) pp. 243–249.Google Scholar
3. Hough, A. and Marples, J.A.C., “The Radiation Stability of Synroc: Final Report” AEA Technology Report AEA-FS-0201(H) (1993).Google Scholar
4. Smith, K.L., Zhang, Z., McGlinn, P., Attard, D., Li, H., Lumpkin, G.R., Colella, M., McLeod, T., Aly, Z., Loi, E., Leung, S., Ridgway, M., Weber, W.J., and Thevusthasan, S., “The Effect of Radiation Damage on Zirconolite Dissolution” in Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXVI, edited by Finch, R.J. and Bullen, D.B. (Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 757, Warrendale, PA, 2003) in press.Google Scholar
5. Burakov, B.E., Anderson, E., Yagovkina, M., Zamoryanskaya, M., and Nikolaeva, E., “Behaviour of 238Pu Doped Ceramics Based on Cubic Zirconia and Pyrochlore under Radiation Damage” Proceedings of the International Conference ACTINIDES-2001.Google Scholar
6. Maddrell, E.R. and Carter, M.L., “Titanate Ceramics for the Immobilisation of High Level Waste from Advanced Purex Reprocessing Technology” in Environmental Issues and Waste Management Technologies in the Ceramic and Nuclear Industries VI, edited by Spearing, D.R., Smith, G.L., and Putnam, R.L., Ceramic Transactions 119 (Am. Ceram. Soc, Westerville, OH, 2001) pp. 175.Google Scholar
7. Vance, E.R., Smith, K.L., Thorogood, G.J., Begg, B.D., Moricca, S.S., Angel, P.J., Stewart, M.W.A., Blackford, M.G., and Ball, C.J., “Alternative Synroc Formulations” in Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XV, edited by Sombret, C. (Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 257, Pittsburgh, PA, 1992) pp. 235–241.Google Scholar
8. Levins, D.M. and St, R.. Smart, C., Nature 309, 776 (1984).Google Scholar
9. Zhang, Y., Hart, K., Begg, B., Keegan, E., Day, R., Brownscome, A., and Stewart, M. “Durability of Pu-doped Titanate and Zirconate Ceramics Designed for Pu Immobilisation” in Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXV, edited by McGrail, B.P. and Cragnolino, G.A. (Mat. Res. Soc. Proc. 713, Warrendale, PA, 2003). p. 389–395.Google Scholar