About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T26: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Ceramics and Glasses for Nuclear Energy Applications
|
| Presentation Title |
Microstructural Characterization and Melt Composition Changes During Corrosion of Monofrax® K-3 in HLW Glasses |
| Author(s) |
Keith Bryce, Emily Nienhuis-Marcial, Tongan Jin, Yonathan Medina, Derek Cutforth, Mark Hall, Albert A. Kruger |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Keith Bryce |
| Abstract Scope |
Monofrax® K-3 refractory lines the joule-heated ceramic melters used for nuclear waste vitrification in the United States and understanding its corrosion in glass melts is essential for predicting melter lifetime. This work evaluates K-3 corrosion in simulated high-level waste (HLW) glass at 1150 °C and 1200 °C for 3 and 7 days to support parameterization of glass property models. Post-test coupons often exhibit a surface reaction layer, but its role in the resulting corrosion behavior remains unclear. Electron microscopy of the reaction layer shows compositionally and microstructurally distinct reaction layers forming on K-3 surfaces. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy of the corresponding post-test glasses show systematic enrichment in Al, Cr, Fe, and Mg, consistent with dissolution of the refractory into the glass melt. These observations are compared with measured and predicted corrosion behavior to assess whether reaction layers and melt composition changes during laboratory-scale testing must be incorporated into K-3 corrosion models. |