Ceramic formulation and processing design for plutonium disposition

Abstract

The focus of this research programme is to develop a single phase ceramic wasteform for waste PuO 2 that is unsuitable for fuel manufacture. A suite of synthetic mineral systems have been considered including titanate, zirconate, phosphate and silicate based matrices. Although a wealth of information on plutonium disposition in some of the systems exists in the literature, the data is not always directly comparable which hinders comparison between different ceramic hosts. The crux of this research has been to compile a database of information on the proposed hosts to allow impartial comparison of the relative merits of each system.

Structural characterization of Nd-doped Hf-zirconolite Ca1−xNdxHfTi2−xAlxO7 ceramics

“…Moreover, studies on waste forms -mainly single phase ceramics -for plutonium disposition have also been performed in USA and Russia [6,12,16] to immobilize excess weapons plutonium whereas other studies are in progress in United Kingdom on the immobilization of waste PuO 2 unsuitable for mixed oxide fuel fabrication [17][18][19][20].…”

“…Moreover, this phase is considered as one of the best ceramic waste form candidate for the immobilization of waste PuO 2 in United Kingdom [18,20] and in United States [25]. Zr-zirconolite was initially envisaged in the SYNROC waste forms developed in Australia which is an assemblage of three main thermodynamically compatible titanate crystalline phases (zirconolite + perovskite + hollandite) adapted for the immobilization of non separated HLW (fission products + minor actinides) [26,27].…”