The Effect of Radial Temperature Gradients on Glass Fracture in Simulated High-Level Waste Canisters

Abstract

AbstractThe Pacific Northwest Laboratory performed experiments on canisters of simulated high-level waste (HLW) glass to estimate the effects of radial temperature gradients on the degree of glass fracture in actual HLW canisters. Glass cracking may result in an increased amount of fine glass particles that are of concern in transportation and repository safety analyses. A test matrix was developed to examine the effect of air cooling, water quenching, and internal fins on canister cooling rates, radial temperature gradients, glass cracking levels, and particle size distributions. The data shows the reduction of radial temperature gradients to be important in reducing the amount of waste glass fracture. Cracking profiles show that internal carbon steel fins significantly decrease the degree of fracture. Different cooling rates only affect the amount of particles above a certain size. The amount of particles below that size depends on the interaction between the glass and canister.