RADIATION RESISTANCE OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS FOR LIQUID RADIOACTVE WASTE SOLIDIFICATION

Experiments were carried out to determine the radiation resistance of a bitumen compound produced based on genuine cubic residue from the Kalinin NPP using bitumen grades BND 60/90 and BND 90/130, polymer compounds based on spent ion exchange resins and spent inorganic sorbents. It was found that at an irradiation dose of 1·10⁶ Gy, the volume of the bitumen compound increases to no more than 10 vol. %, which complies with the NP-019-15 requirements. The polymer compound based on spent ion-exchange resins from the testing of a pilot plant for resin conditioning directly in a disposal container by dewatering and impregnation with an epoxy binder, meets the requirements of NP-019-15 not only as regards the radiation resistance, but also according to all quality indicators. The polymer compound based on Russian epoxy resins can be considered promising for the solidification of spent inorganic sorbents with a specific activity of up to 10¹¹ Bq/kg.

 

Keywords: radioactive waste, bitumen compound, polymer compound, ionexchange resin, inorganic sorbent, radiation resistance.