Palladium telluride within nuclear waste containing borosilicate glass. (June 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chakrabarti, C.K.; Kumar, N.; Mishra, R.K.; Bhattacharya, S.; Sengupta, Pranesh; Kaushik, C.P.
• Is Part Of: Progress in nuclear energy. Volume 148(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-06
• Subjects: Palladium telluride -- Nuclear waste immobilization -- Fat breeder reactor Waste -- Borosilicate glass; Nuclear energy -- Periodicals; Nuclear engineering -- Periodicals; 333.7924
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pnucene.2022.104236
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-1970

Abstract

Abstract: As a part of its clean nuclear energy program, India is developing Fast Breeder nuclear reactor. High level nuclear wastes, which are likely to be produced upon reprocessing of its spent fuel will contain platinum group of elements in concentrations higher than their respective solubility limits within borosilicate melts. Towards this, interaction study of palladium telluride (PdTe) with sodium barium borosilicate base glass and waste glass were carried out. Mostly, spherical PdTe got settled down at the bottom of ceramic crucibles without any compositional exchanges with base glass. However, significant compositional variations took place in case of waste glass. Interaction studies between Alloy 690 and base glasses show development of wide reaction zones (including intergranular attacks within Alloy 690 coupons, formation of Cr2 O3 layer and crystallization of needle shaped phases within adjacent glass domains) at the interfaces. In case of waste glass, tiny PdTe beads crystallized at the reaction zone/borosilicate glass interfaces.