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Accelerated Alpha Radiation Damage in a Ceramic Waste Form, Interim Results

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

Steven M. Frank ,
Stephen G. Johnson ,
Tanya L. Moschetti ,
Thomas P. O'Holleran ,
Wharton Sinkler ,
David Esh  and
K. Michael Goff
Steven M. Frank
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
Stephen G. Johnson
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
Tanya L. Moschetti
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
Thomas P. O'Holleran
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
Wharton Sinkler
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
David Esh
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
K. Michael Goff
Affiliation:
Argonne National Laboratory-West P.O. Box 2528 Idaho Falls, Idaho 83403-2528
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Abstract

Interim results are presented on the alpha-decay damage study of a 238pu-loaded ceramic waste form (CWF). The waste form was developed to immobilize fission products and transuranic species accumulated from the electrometallurgical treatment of spent nuclear fuel. To evaluate the effects of α-decay damage on the waste form, the 238Pu-loaded material was investigated by electron microscopy for microstructure characterization, x-ray diffraction for bulk phase properties, bulk density measurement, and the product consistency test (PCT) for waste form durability. While the predominate phase of plutonium in the CWF, PuO2, shows the expected unit cell expansion due to a-decay damage, currently no significant change has occurred to the macro- or microstructure of the material. The major phase of the waste form is sodalite and contains very little Pu, although the exact amount is unknown. Interestingly, masurement of the sodalite phase unit cell is also showing very slight expansion; again, presumably from α-decay damage.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 608: Symposium QQ – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXIII , 1999 , 469
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2000

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References

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