Synthesis of alkoxide glass formers for nuclear waste immobilization

Westinghouse has developed a novel method which utilizes alkoxide-derived compounds instead of glass frit to vitrify high level waste. A conceptual design for synthesizing the starting alkoxide compounds is presented in terms of mass balances, flow sheets, equipment requirements, investment and operating costs. Based on the PROVES computer program, the cost of the alkoxide-derived glass formers is about $3.92 per kilogram. The capilal cost of a plant producing 318 kilograms of glass formers per hour is about $11.5 million