Laboratory Testing of the Corrosion of Waste Glasses in Aqueous Environments - Effects of Experimental Parameters

Abstract

Many types of procedures have been developed for testing of the chemical durability of nuclear waste forms. These procedures differ from each other in critical aspects, such as duration, replenishment or non-replenishment of the leachates, and S/V ratio. As a result, different answers to basic questions, such as how waste-form leachability depends on its chemical composition, are obtained when different test methods are used. Furthermore, the possibility that some glasses may exhibit a leach rate excursion within the test period causes the composition dependence to be an even more sensitive function of test duration and of leachant replenishment. These factors also complicate the use of test data for the prediction of long-term waste form behavior.