Leaching test methods for vitrified waste forms

There are a number of leaching test methods for generating data to quantify durability of vitrified (glass) waste forms containing radioactive or simulated wastes from the nuclear fuel cycle. These test methods can be broadly classified into five categories: static, dynamic or semidynamic, flow through, pulsed, and mixed mode. Besides the differences in the mode of waste-form/leachate interaction, these test methods require different controls on a number of parameters for conducting the experiments. Some of the commonly controlled parameters include test temperature, leachate chemistry, ratio of leachate volume to specimen surface area, leachate flow or circulation rate of renewal frequency, specimen configuration and surface preparation, specimen size, and pressure under which the leaching process is performed. Based on the analyses of advantages and limitations of currently used aqueous leaching test methods, a modified leaching test method will be proposed for generating degradation data for a vitrified waste form in an unsaturated geological repository