MODELING SOLIDIFICATION-INDUCED STRESSES IN CERAMIC WASTE FORMS CONTAINING NUCLEAR WASTES

The goal of this work is to produce a ceramic waste form (CWF) that permanently occludes radioactive waste. This is accomplished by absorbing radioactive salts into zeolite, mixing with glass frit, heating to a molten state 915 C to form a sodalite glass matrix, and solidifying for long-term storage...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear science and engineering 2010-11, Vol.172 (2)
Main Authors: Charles W. Solbrig, Kenneth J. Bateman
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ceramic waste forms
CERAMICS
COMPRESSION
GLASS
HEATING
LEACHING
MGMT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SIMULATION
SOLIDIFICATION
solidification stress
STORAGE
STRESSES
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
THERMAL EXPANSION
WASTE FORMS
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Summary:The goal of this work is to produce a ceramic waste form (CWF) that permanently occludes radioactive waste. This is accomplished by absorbing radioactive salts into zeolite, mixing with glass frit, heating to a molten state 915 C to form a sodalite glass matrix, and solidifying for long-term storage. Less long term leaching is expected if the solidifying cooling rate doesn’t cause cracking. In addition to thermal stress, this paper proposes that a stress is formed during solidification which is very large for fast cooling rates during solidification and can cause severe cracking. A solidifying glass or ceramic cylinder forms a dome on the cylinder top end. The temperature distribution at the time of solidification causes the stress and the dome. The dome height, “the length deficit,” produces an axial stress when the solid returns to room temperature with the inherent outer region in compression, the inner in tension. Large tensions will cause cracking of the specimen. The temperature deficit, derived by dividing the length deficit by the coefficient of thermal expansion, allows solidification stress theory to be extended to the circumferential stress. This paper derives the solidification stress theory, gives examples, explains how to induce beneficial stresses, and compares theory to experimental data.
ISSN:0029-5639
1943-748X