Abstract
Vitrification has been considered as an integrated, cost effective, and environmentally sound solution for low-level radioactive waste (LLW) generated from nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Korea. Korea is in the process of preparing for its first ever vitrification plant to handle LLW from her NPPs. As a part of this project, Nuclear Environment Technology Institute (NETEC) is developing glass formulae for the different waste streams. KEP-A is the glass frit which has been developed to vitrify polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from Korean NPPs. Since 1996, glass formulae have been studied in lab-scale using simulated wastes by considering leacheability of the waste glass and viscosity of the glass melt. Based on the database of 55 glasses, on the ternary diagram of Si/Al-B/alkali–other components, the acceptance regions of the waste glasses have been presented considering its durability and viscosity. Utilizing one glass frit to vitrify different waste types with variable compositions is a sub-topic of this project. This paper presents the test results of glass formulation to vitrify other low-level radioactive waste from Korean NPPs. The waste streams include three categories, combustible Dry Active Wastes (DAW), borate waste, and spent resin. The combustible DAW in this research contain PVC, paper, and cotton. Considering chemical durability and viscosity, it is found that the KEP-A glass frit can be used to vitrify mixtures of combustible DAW up to 50 wt% of ash loading. The KEP-A allows wide composition range of combustible DAW while maintaining good durability. However, with more than 15 wt% of ash loading of borate waste or spent resin, the KEP-A could not produce a durable glass.
Published Version
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