Vitrification of Historic and Future High Level Nuclear Wastes Within Alkali Borosilicate Glasses
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Vitrification of historic and future high level nuclear wastes within alkali borosilicate glasses Andrew James Connelly M.Eng. A Thesis submitted to the Department of Engineering Materials at the University of Sheffield in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. February 2008 The University Of Sheffield. Abstract The disposal of highly radioactive and toxic wastes generated by the nuclear industry is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today. Currently, in the UK there is a large legacy waste holding which has been accumulating since nuclear energy was first harnessed during World War 2. Processing of this waste with a view to final disposal is a complex and difficult task. This work investigates one aspect of that process, namely turning this waste into glass (or vitrification). This work uses multiple techniques including x-ray absorption spectroscopy, magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamic simulations, to investigate the structural role of Zr02 and U 03 within the alkali borosilicate glass used in the UK for waste immobilisation. The effect of these additions on the bulk glass structure and selected glass properties are also explored. In waste glasses Zr occurs as a 6 co-ordinated Zr ion surrounded by Si, B, Na and Li. The effect of Zr02 additions on the bulk glass structure and properties is highly complex. The addition of Zr02 appears to be characterised by a non-linearity in the trends of certain physical and structural parameters. At low levels of Zr02 the level of leaching from the glasses and the co ordination of B increase. However, with higher Zr02 contents this trend is reversed. It is believed that the increase in B co-ordination destabilises the glass network and so increases leaching from the glass. Work with Molecular Dynamic (MD) computer simulation of glasses showed the applicability of this approach to nuclear waste glasses and its ability to accurately reproduce changes in glass structure with changing compositions. The possibilities for solubility limit prediction using MD are also shown. In waste glasses U03 is shown to exist as the uranyl (U02)2+ species bound to the glass network. Addition of UO3 to glasses decreases the co-ordination of B requiring 2 moles of alkali oxide to charge compensate its presence within the glass network. This indicates that U acts as an intermediate. Limited leach tests show that the presence of U 03 within the glasses destabilises the formation of a gel layer. Atomyriades Nature, it seems is the popular name for milliards and milliards and milliards of particles playing their infinite game of billiards and billiards and billiards. Piet Hein “A poet once said, 'The whole universe is in a glass of wine.' We will probably never know in what sense he meant that, for poets do not write to be understood. But it is true that if we look at a glass of wine closely enough we see the entire universe. There are the things of physics: the twisting liquid which evaporates depending on the wind and weather, the reflections in the glass, and our imagination adds the atoms. The glass is a distillation of the earth’s rocks, and in its composition we see the secrets of the universe’s age, and the evolution of stars. What strange array of chemicals are in the wine? How did they come to be?... If our small minds, for some convenience, divide this glass of wine, this universe, into parts - physics, biology, geology, astronomy, psychology, and so on - remember that nature does not know it! So let us put it all back together, not forgetting ultimately what it is for. Let it give us one more final pleasure: drink it and forget it all!” R. Feynman The Feynman Lectures on Physics Vol. 1,1977 3 Acknowledgements Firstly, a big thank you to my supervisors Dr. Neil Hyatt, Dr. Karl Travis, Dr. Russell Hand and Dr. Ewan Maddrell, without whom none of this would have been possible. Thank you for your enthusiastic support, and for putting up with my insistent questioning. I must also thank all the people who have helped me in achieving this piece of work. A big thank you to Dr. Diane Holland and Dr. Ben Parkinson at the University of Warwick for running MAS- NMR experiments and providing lots of advice and useful discussions. A big thank you as well to Dr. David Apperley at the EPSRC MAS-NMR service at the University of Durham for being so understanding about putting radioactive glass in his MAS-NMR spectrometer. Thank you also to Bob Billsborrow at the SRS for his beam line, which produced some great XAS results. Thank you to Oliver Hannant and Dr. Sue Forder and Sheffield Hallam University for the Mossbauer work. Thank you to Paul Bingham for many enthusiastic and interesting conversations on everything glassy. Thank you to Ian “Killer” Watts and Dean Hemlock for some great times glass melting, to Mouldy for mending everything I broke, and Bev Lane for running all the DTA experiments. A big thank you to Andy Brown at the University of Leeds for producing such beautiful images of the active glasses. Also, thank you to Tim Brewer, Lin Marvin and Nick Marsh at the University of Leicester for ICP and XRF analysis. Thanks also goes to the EPSRC and Nexia Solutions Ltd. for funding this project. Thank you to all the guys in the ISL, particularly Ollie, James, Lyubka, Gillian, Laura and everyone else for keeping me sane and putting up with my alternate enthusiasms and stresses. A huge thank you goes to all my friends, particularly Lisa for believing in me and being great, Jo for keeping me sane and being a great friend, Nev for never dropping me and always being up for an adventure, Nat, Harry, and everyone else. Finally, thank you to all my family without whose support and love over the years I wouldn't have been able to get this far and certainly would never have been able to finish. A special thank you to Mum and Dad for always being there when I needed them. I dedicate this to you. 4 Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 Introduction...............................................................................................................12 1.1 Glossary................................................................................................................................14 1.2 Publications and conferences from thesis.........................................................................15 1.2.1 Refereed Papers in Primary Journals - Submitted................................................... 15 1.2.2 Contributions to conferences and meetings - Posters..............................................15 1.2.3 Contributions to conferences and meetings - Talks............................................... 15 2 Literature Review.....................................................................................................16 2.1 Introduction to nuclear energy...........................................................................................16 2.1.1 The nuclear reaction.................................................................................................... 16 2.1.2 Fuel rods...................................................................................................................... 18 2.1.3 Nuclear waste...............................................................................................................20 2.1.4 Nuclear waste solutions.............................................................................................. 22 2.1.5 Vitrification.................................................................................................................. 23 2.2 Glass structure..................................................................................................................... 25 2.2.1 Borosilicate glass.........................................................................................................26 2.2.2 Alkali borosilicate glasses: chemical durability and structure............................... 29 2.3 Redox and oxygen ion activity.......................................................................................... 33 2.4 Elements in glass.................................................................................................................35 2.4.1 Zirconium (Zr)............................................................................................................. 36 2.4.2 Uranium (U).................................................................................................................43 2.4.3 Chromium (Cr)............................................................................................................ 48 2.4.4 Iron(Fe)........................................................................................................................49 2.5 Glass melting....................................................................................................................... 51 2.5.1 Viscosity....................................................................................................................... 51 2.5.2 Volatilisation........................................................................................................ !......51 2.6 M odelling............................................................................................................................52 2.6.1 Historical perspective..................................................................................................52 2.6.2 Kinetic theory of glass formation.............................................................................