Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
The French LWR reference glass R7T7 was leached at temperatures between 100°C and 300°C at a pressure of 10 MPa.
An activation energy of 25 kJ/mole was found between 100°C and 250°C which is different from the 60 kJ/mole previously found between 25°C and 70°C. It is suggested that a potential glass hydration mechanism becomes predominant when dissolution is significantly slowed by high concentrations of silica in solution. At 300°C, a complete change in the corrosion mechanisms is found as the glass undergoes a rapid hydrothermal alteration