Chemical Durability of Borosilicate and Phosphate Glasses With High Content of Plutonium

After the preparation of borosilicate and phosphate glasses containing 2.67 and 4.46 wt.% PuO{sub 2}, respectively, their water durability was evaluated by the standard MCC-1 static test at 25 C and 90 C. The ratio of the surface area (SA) of the active glass specimen to the leachant (distilled water) volume (V) was SA/V = 0,1 cm{sup -1} . All of the leachants were sampled after intervals of 3, 14 and 28 days and the concentration of leached inactive elements was analyzed (ICP-AES) after plutonium was separated with resins. The leachants activity measurements, as well as glass specimen's activity before and after leaching, were conducted using gamma spectroscopy. The release of plutonium from phosphate glass at 90 C is two orders of magnitude higher in comparison with borosilicate glass. The temperature influence is also greater for phosphate glass. At 90 C, the release of Pu became approximately 10 times more than at 25 C, but the bulk components release (Si, B, P, Na) increased by two orders of magnitude