The Performance of Inconel 693 Electrodes for Processing an Iron Phosphate Glass Melt Containing 26 Wt.% of a Simulated Low Activity Waste

Abstract

Iron phosphate glass is a candidate fixation medium for storing radioactive waste. The Department of Energy supported a program to assess the viability of using Fe-phosphate glass for vitrifying low activity waste in a Joule Heated Melter (JHM). In this study, Inconel 693 electrodes were tested in a research-scale joule-heated melter (RSM) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. After a 10-day test at 1030 C that yielded 124 kg of glass, the electrodes exhibited a dimensional loss rate of ~1.6 mm/year, which is comparable to that of Inconel 690 electrodes used in a JHM for processing borosilicate melts. Microstructural changes occurred within the outermost 700 μm of the electrodes and are consistent with an earlier study of Inconel coupons in Fe-phosphate melts. The results indicate that Inconel 693 should have an acceptable corrosion resistance as the electrode for JHM processing of iron phosphate melts.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Second Department

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0022-3115

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2014 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2014

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