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Probing the Water Phases and Microstructure in a Model Cement Blend Matrix used for the Encapsulation of Intermediate Level Nuclear Wastes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2011

Jean-Philippe Gorce ,
Neil B. Milestone  and
Peter J. Mcdonald
Jean-Philippe Gorce
Affiliation:
Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Engineering Materials, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK
Neil B. Milestone
Affiliation:
Immobilisation Science Laboratory, Department of Engineering Materials, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S1 3JD, UK
Peter J. Mcdonald
Affiliation:
Physics Department, School of Electronics and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, UK
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Abstract

The changes in microstructure and content of water phases during hydration of a 3:1 BFS:OPC blend are investigated by Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP), freeze-drying, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) relaxometry. MIP indicates that during the blend hydration, a reduction in the population of capillary pores (larger than about 100 nm) occurs while the population of gel pores (smaller than few tens of nanometres) increases. Between 3 and 90 days, the porosity estimated by MIP decreases from about 36% down to 18% while the median pore size decreases from about 140 nm down to 6 nm.

1H NMR relaxometry shows that after 1 day of hydration, nearly 70% of the evaporable water is held in capillary pores while about 30% is present in gel pores. After two weeks, most of the evaporable water (90%) is found in pores smaller than few tens of nanometres.

The amount of evaporable water detected by freeze drying decreases from less than 20 wt.% after one week of hydration down to about 16.3 wt.% after 90 days while the amount of chemically bound water related to the degree of advancement of the cement hydration and detected by TGA increases from 8 wt.% to 10.3 wt.%.

During hydration the BFS:OPC blend matrix evolves from an open microporous network to one of a poorly connected network of water rich nanopores with increasing amounts of chemically bound water.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 932: Symposium – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XXIX , 2006 , 37.1
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2006

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References

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