Cermet high level waste forms

a high-level waste and mercury technology, applied in the field of mercury, can solve the problems of high-level radioactive decay, above-ground method suffers from a number of drawbacks, undesirably large quantities of glass for a given quantity of fission product, etc., and achieve the effect of stabilizing high-level waste and reducing waste volum

Inactive Publication Date: 2012-08-23
UT BATTELLE LLC
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Benefits of technology

[0006]A system and method for stabilizing high level waste in an improved cermet for long term storage is provided. The method includes forming a metal oxide precipitate, combining the metal oxide precipitate with an undissolved solid, and densifying the combined metal oxide precipitate and the undissolved solid to provide a cermet having a ceramic dispersed phase within a metallic matrix phase, wherein the metall

Problems solved by technology

A number of nuclear processes generate waste with high levels of radioactive decay.
Despite its acceptance, however, the above method suffers from a number of drawbacks.
For example, glass can have less than 30% waste loading, resulting in undesirably large quantities of glass for a given quantity of fission product.
In addition,

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  • Cermet high level waste forms
  • Cermet high level waste forms
  • Cermet high level waste forms

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Embodiment Construction

[0017]The invention as contemplated and disclosed herein includes a system and method for stabilizing fission products in a cermet for long term storage. The system and method generally include blending a calcined oxide powder with undissolved fission product metals, zircaloy alloying metals, and / or other metals prior to hydrogen reduction and hot pressing or sintering.

[0018]In one embodiment, an improved cermet includes a composite of ceramic phases encapsulated in a metal matrix. The ceramic phases immobilize at least a first radioisotope in a stable, low-leachability chemical form (e.g., non-water soluble), and the metal matrix immobilizes at least a second radioisotope. As described in greater detail below, the cermet can be formed by blending a homogeneous oxide powder with undissolved high level waste. The homogeneous oxide powder can be formed by first reacting an aqueous solution with molten urea, precipitating or evaporating the resulting constituents, and denitrating the r...

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Abstract

A system and method for stabilizing fission products in a cermet for long term storage. The method includes forming a metal oxide precipitate, combining the metal oxide precipitate with an undissolved solid, and densifying the combined metal oxide precipitate and the undissolved solid to provide a cermet having a ceramic dispersed phase and a metallic matrix phase, wherein the metallic matrix phase includes metallic content from the undissolved solid. The undissolved solid can include fission product metals from the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel. The cermet waste loading can be greater than approximately 30 percent, reducing waste volume by 50 percent or more when compared to baseline glassified articles.

Description

[0001]This invention was made with government support under Contract No. DE-ACO5-000R22725 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in the invention.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to cermets, and more particularly, cermets for high level waste containment.[0003]A number of nuclear processes generate waste with high levels of radioactive decay. These by-products must generally be stored or disposed in a manner that limits their impact on the surrounding environment. Current storage methods include the fixation of waste in glass. For example, one method includes dissolving used fuel components in nitric acid, removing recyclable components, evaporating the residual waste solution, calcining the resulting solids to produce an oxide mixture, heating the oxide mixture with borosilicate glass frit to obtain a melt, and solidifying the melt in a pelletized body. An accumulation of pelletized glass can be surface stored for ...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): B22F1/00B22F3/02
CPCC22C1/053C22C1/1005C22C32/0031
Inventor AARON, W. SCOTTCOLLINS, EMORY D.DELCUL, GUILLERMO D.JUBIN, ROBERT T.VEDDER, RAYMOND J.
Owner UT BATTELLE LLC
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