Chemical Stability of Simiulated HLW Forms in Contact With Clay Media

Abstract

The corrosion stability of six simulated HLW forms proposed by several European countries (five borosilicate glasses and one borosilicate glass ceramic) in contact with different media relating to the clay disposal has been investigated for periods up to 80 days and at a surface area to solution volume ratio of 1 cm⁻¹ under non de-aerated conditions. In the reference medium distilled water the corrosion stabilities are largely determined by saturation effects for elements such as Si, Ca, Mg, Sr, Fe and U. Si saturation is found to be enhanced by a large Al₂O₃ concentration in the glass. In the clay-water mixture these saturation effects are much less predominant. Wet clay attacks the waste forms faster than the clay-water mixture, although the corrosion rates tend to decrease with time in both clay media. In general, no simple Arrhenius-type temnnerature dependence for the corrosion behaviour is found for the interval between 40 and 200°C.