10244 Corrosion Behavior of Technetium Waste Forms Exposed to Various Aqueous Environments

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Product Number: 51300-10244-SG

ISBN: 10244 2010 CP

Author: Edward Mausolf, Frederic Poineau, and Ken Czerwinski

Publication Date: 2010

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Technetium is a long-lived beta emitter produced in high yields from uranium as a waste product in spent nuclear fuel and has a high degree of environmental mobility as pertechnetate. It has been proposed that Tc be immobilized into various metallic waste forms to prevent Tc mobility while producing a material that can withstand corrosion exposed to various aqueous medias to prevent the leachability of Tc to the environment over long periods of time. This study investigates the corrosion behavior of Tc and Tc alloyed with 316 stainless steel and Zr exposed to a variety of aqueous media. To date, there is little investigative work related to Tc corrosion behavior and less related to potential Tc containing waste forms. Results indicate that immobilizing Tc into stainless steel-zirconium alloys can be a promising technique to store Tc for long periods of time while reducing the need to separately store used nuclear fuel cladding. Initial results indicate that metallic Tc and its alloys actively corrode in all media. We present preliminary corrosion rates of 100% Tc, 10% Tc – 90% SS_85%Zr_15%, and 2% Tc – 98% SS_85%Zr_15% in varying concentrations of nitric acid and pH 10 NaOH using the resistance polarization method while observing the trend that higher concentrations of Tc alloyed to the sample tested lowers the corrosion rate of the proposed waste package.

Keywords: Technetium, Waste Form, Anodic Polarization, Corrosion Rate