Corrosion of Chromium-Rich Oxide Refractories in Molten Waste Glasses

The DOE is faced with a wide variety of waste treatment problems throughout the complex. The diversity in physical, chemical, and radiological characteristics of these waste streams will necessitate an array of treatment technologies since, at present, there exists no single solution. Thermal treatment technologies have an important, but by no means singular, role to play in addressing this problem since they generally offer the potential for significant volume reductions, leach resistant waste forms, considerable versatility, and are relatively well developed. In particular, DOE has made significant investments in the development and deployment of vitrification technologies for the treatment of high-level nuclear wastes and, more recently, for mixed wastes. The general area of materials of construction is especially important for thermal processes due to the inherently high-temperature and the often-corrosive environments involved. The performance of these materials directly impacts treatment costs since this determines maintenance downtime and the useful service life of the treatment unit