Sintered Glasses for High-Level Wastes

ABSTRACTThe objective of the work was to evaluate the long-term capacity of sintered glass to retain high-level nuclear wastes (HLW) in near-repository conditions. We have studied the corrosion behavior of waste forms partially devitrified (43 vol.%) in different aqueous media. Devitrified samples were irradiated at doses (γ radiation from a Co 60 source) ranging from 1.4 × 106 Gy to 2.0 × 108 Gy, in order to study their aqueous corrosion resistance in simulated underground water. The results show little or no effect of irradiation on the density, microstructure and corrosion resistance. The global dissolution rate was almost constant around a value of 5×10−5 g. cm−2 d−1. Elemental dissolution rates were also unaffected by radiation.