Crystallization in simulated glasses from Hanford high-level nuclear waste composition range

Glass crystallization was investigated as part of a property-composition relationship study of Hanford waste glasses. Non-radioactive glass samples were heated in a gradient furnace over a wide range of temperatures. The liquidus temperature was measured, and primary crystalline phases were determined using optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM/EDS). Samples have also been heat treated according to a simulated canister centerline cooling curve. The crystalline phases in these samples have been identified by optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Major components of the borosilicate glasses that were melted at approximately 1150 degrees C were SiO2, B2O3, Na2O, Li2O, CaO, MgO, Fe2O3, Al2O3, ZrO2, and ''Others'' (sum of minor components). The major crystalline phases identified in this study were zircon, nepheline, calcium silicate, lithium silicate, and a range of solid solutions from clinopyroxenes, orthopyroxenes, olivines, and spiners