Hot isostatically-pressed aluminosilicate glass-ceramic with natural crystalline analogues for immobilizing the calcined high-level nuclear waste at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant

Abstract

The additives Si, Al, MgO, P{sub 2}O{sub 5} were mechanically blended with fluorinelsodium calcine in varying proportions. The batches were vacuum sealed in stainless steel canisters and hot isostatically pressed at 20,000 PSI and 1000 C for 4 hours. The resulting suite of glass-ceramic waste forms parallels the natural rocks in microstructural and compositional heterogeneity. Several crystalline phases ar analogous in composition and structure to naturally occurring minerals. Additional crystalline phases are zirconia and Ca-Mg borate. The glasses are enriched in silica and alumina. Approximately 7% calcine elements occur dissolved in this glass and the total glass content in the waste forms averages 20 wt%. The remainder of the calcine elements are partitioned into crystalline phases at 75 wt% calcine waste loading. The waste forms were tested for chemical durability in accordance with the MCC1-test procedure. The leach rates are a function of the relative proportions of additives and calcine, which in turn influence the composition and abundances of the glass and crystalline phases. The DOE leach rate criterion of less than 1 g/m{sup 2}-day is met by all the elements B, Cs and Na are increased by lowering the melt viscosity. This is related to increased crystallization or devitrification with increases in MgO addition. This exploratory work has shown that the increases in waste loading occur by preferred partitioning of the calcine components among crystalline and glass phases. The determination of optimum processing parameters in the form of additive concentration levels, homogeneous blending among the components, and pressure-temperature stabilities of phases must be continued to eliminate undesirable effects of chemical composition, microstructure and glass devitrification.