Vitrified radioactive wastes in open test areas

Results are presented of investigations of the water-resistance of vitrified radioactive wastes in open test areas of the experimental burial site of the Moscow Scientific Production Association 'Radon.' It is demonstrated that the glass blocks remain resistant to water after 12 years of storage. The average leaching rate of radionuclides during storage is of the order of 1.7·10-6-3.3·10-5 g/cm2·day. The effective diffusion coefficients and the average leaching factors of the radionuclides are found by processing the experimental data. Electron-microscopic analysis indicates that whereas the glass bulk does not noticeably change during storage, the glass surface is substantially altered. 5 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab