Corrosion behavior of simulated high-level waste glass in the presence of carbon steel

Goto, Takahiro*; Matsubara, Ryuta*; Hamamoto, Takafumi*; Fujisaki, Kiyoshi*; Mitsui, Seiichiro  ; Taniguchi, Naoki 

To improve long-term glass corrosion model, immersion tests with specimens of carbon steel and simulated waste glass were conducted at 50C and 80C under nitrogen gas atmosphere for 131 days. Control tests with a specimen of carbon steel or glass under the same conditions were also conducted. After the tests, the element concentration in the solution was analyzed to determine glass corrosion rates. We also analyzed the surface of specimens with XRD and TEM/ED (electron diffraction)/EDX to identify secondary phases. Glass corrosion rates for the tests with specimens of carbon steel and glass were two times larger than those for the control tests with glass specimen. With XRD and TEM/ED/EDX, we determined iron silicates on the surface of both carbon steel and glass. These observations are consistent with the results of geochemical calculation and published studies. The results indicate that glass corrosion could be enhanced by the precipitation of iron silicates.