Control of Nepheline Crystallization in Nuclear Waste Glass

Glass frits with a high B{sub 2}O{sub 3} concentration have been designed which, when combined with high-alumina concentration nuclear waste streams, will form glasses with durabilities that are acceptable for repository disposal and predictable using a free energy of hydration model. Two glasses with nepheline discriminator values closest to 0.62 showed significant differences in normalized boron release between the quenched and heat treated versions of each glass. X-ray diffraction confirmed that nepheline crystallized in the glass with the lowest nepheline discriminator value, and nepheline may also exist in the second glass as small nanocrystals. The high-B{sub 2}O{sub 3} frit was successful in producing simulated waste glasses with no detectable nepheline crystallization at waste loadings of up to 45 wt%. The melt rate of this frit was also considerably better than other frits with increased concentrations of Na{sub 2}O.