Chemical Durability Of Simulated Nuclear Glasses Containing Water

For isolation of nuclear wastes through the vitrification process, waste slurry is mixed with borosilicate based glass and remelted at high temperature. During these processes, water can enter into the final waste glass. It is known that water in silica and silicate glasses changes various glass properties, such as chemical durability, viscosity and electrical conductivity. These properties are very important for processing and assuring the quality and safety controls of the waste glasses. The objective of this project was to investigate the effect of water in the simulated nuclear waste glasses on various glass properties, including chemical durability, glass transition temperature, liquidus temperature, viscosity and electrical conductivity. This report summarizes the results of this investigation conducted at Rensselaer during the past one year.

Consists of proceedings of various symposia held during the Annual Meeting of the American Ceramic Society.