Long term corrosion of glasses in salt brines

Abstract

Borosilicate glasses are supposed to be a suitable matrix for the fixation of calcined radioactive wastes. For the safety assessment of the disposal of these glasses in geological formations like carnallite or rock salt, their chemical durability in saturated salt brines has been investigated. Temperatures up to 200° C, pressures up to 130 bar, and corrosion times up to 5 years were applied. Special attention was given to the long term corrosion which is mainly characterized by the saturation of the corroding solution (leachate) with respect to silica.