Treatment of radioactive scrap contg. zirconium or its alloys - by mixing with slag forming materials, heating to form molten slag and casting into storage containers

Abstract

Abstract The parent patent described the treatment of powdered radioactive scrap, esp. sleeves rich in Mg or its alloys and used in nuclear reactors. The scrap is mixed with a material contg. Si and Al and a mineral oxidant, and is then heated in an electric furnace to 1400-1600 deg.C to obtain molten slag. The melt is cast in moulds, which are stored in containers forming a barrier to ionising radiation. The improvement is that the process and conditions are now also used to treat other radioactive scrap, such as sleeves used in nuclear power stations and contg. zirconium or its alloys. The process converts the Zr into ZrO2, which combines with the other elements or cpds. in the molten slag to make a glass.

Inventors

• 👤 Francis Gagneraud
• 👤 Michel Gagneraud

Bibliographic Details