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Aqueous Durability of Titanate Ceramics Designed to Immobilize Excess Plutonium

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

K. P. Hart ,
Y. Zhang ,
E. Loi ,
Z. Aly ,
M. W. A. Stewart ,
A. Brownscombe ,
B. B. Ebbinghaus  and
W. Bourcier
K. P. Hart
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, PMB 1, Menai 2234, [email protected]
Y. Zhang
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, PMB 1, Menai 2234, Australia
E. Loi
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, PMB 1, Menai 2234, Australia
Z. Aly
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, PMB 1, Menai 2234, Australia
M. W. A. Stewart
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, PMB 1, Menai 2234, Australia
A. Brownscombe
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, PMB 1, Menai 2234, Australia
B. B. Ebbinghaus
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
W. Bourcier
Affiliation:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, USA
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Abstract

Aqueous durability has been assessed for fourteen pyrochlore- and zirconolite-rich titanate waste forms designed for the immobilisation of excess Pu. The ceramics used in this study contained about 12 wt% Pu and about 15 wt% of Hf and Gd oxides as neutron absorbers and were fabricated by cold-pressing and sintering or hot isostatic pressing.

Total release rates (i.e. unfiltered solution + vessel wall inventory) have been measured withthe MCC-1 test method at 90 °C in deionised water. For all samples, 7-day release rates of Pu are between 4 × 10−5 and about 10−3 g.m−2.d−1, reducing to between about 8 × 10−6 and 3 × 10−5 g.m−2.d−1after more than 300 days of leaching. Release rates of U from the baseline ceramic were found to decrease to values between 6 × 10−4 and 1 × 10−5 g.m−2.d−1after 200 days. Hf leach rates were generally < 5 × 10−6 g.m−2.d−l after more than 7 days. Further, the addition of several % of chemical impurities to the baseline sintered formulations was found to reduce U and Gd releases by about a factor of 10 after 200 days.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 608: Symposium QQ – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXIII , 1999 , 353
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2000

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References

REFERENCES

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