Water resistance and ion diffusion in glass materials simulating vitrified radioactive waste

Water resistance and diffusion properties of glass materials are studied with reference to pseudobinary systems: simulated ash residue oxides ARO-Na2O·2B2O3 and ARO-Na2O·2SiO2. The rate of sodium cation leaching is shown to decrease from increasing ARO content, reaching 10-12, 10-14 kg m-2 s-1, which satisfies relevant environmental requirements. The diffusion coefficients of sodium cations in ash-containing aluminosilicate glasses, measured by the method of integrated residual activity using the radionuclide 22Na, are equal to 10-12 - 10-13 kg m-2 s-1 and are 4 to 5 orders of magnitude greater than the diffusion coefficients of the radionuclides 90Sr and 137Cs