NUCON Systems, Inc., NY (Nucon) has proposed an alternative waste management technology and developed ceramic material forrnulations from inexpensive spinel (MgAlzOd) refractory powder (no inorganic additives) in order to fabricate ceramic containers for the transportation and permanent storage of nuclear waste. Nucon has contracted with the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) Department of Advanced Technology (DAT) to develop a test methodology and provide evaluation of the effects of radiation on these materials. The Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF) of BNL was used to irradiate samples. The radiation resistance of three spinel compositions (B 1, B2, and C2) and two physical forms (slip cast bars and extruded rods) were tested. The spinel compositions differ only in particle and crystal size distributions and suppliers. Compressive strengths of unirradiated baseline samples were compared to those of samples irradiated to total gamma doses of 1x10(sup 8), 5x10(sup 8), and 1x10(sup 9) rad. Other physical evaluations included water absorption, bulk and geometric density, apparent specific gravity, and apparent porosity. This presentation discusses the first results of the application of the BNL- Nucon's test methodology. The paper is a continuation of the series of presentations on the 'ceramic container' project made at the Waste Management Technology Section of the American Ceramic Society Annual Meetings of 1995, 1998, and 1999.
PDF
download
878987797
028-85220240
