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In Situ Sintering of Waste Forms in an Underground Disposal Environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Michael I. Ojovan
Affiliation:
Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Engineering Materials, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK.
Fergus G. F. Gibb
Affiliation:
Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Engineering Materials, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK.
William E. Lee
Affiliation:
Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Engineering Materials, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, UK.
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Abstract

A waste management scheme is described, which aims to utilise the ambient pressure of a disposal environment, its radiation shielding and extended time of storage to ensure reliable immobilisation of radioactive waste in a glass composite or polycrystalline matrix form. The conditions required for natural sintering of the waste form in the repository are assessed for viscous flow and grain boundary diffusion mechanisms. In situ sintering of materials in the repository creates geochemically stable materials in equilibrium with the disposal environment ensuring a higher degree of safety compared to existing approaches.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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References

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