Thermoviscosimetric characteristics of borosilicate glasses with regard to the promising area of low-melting compositions currently being developed for the removable small-scale melter designed by Mayak Production Association

Abstract

Relevance. The need to obtain experimental data on dependence of thermoviscosimetric properties of the examined borosilicate glasses on temperature, in order to solve the problem of developing a low-melting composition of borosilicate glass for a small-scale melter designed by Mayak Production Association. Aim. To get the most complete characterization of the glasses under study using thermoviscometric measurements. Methods. Mathematical modelling, simplex-lattice design. Results and conclusions. One of the most effective methods of experiment planning, which allows, with a relatively small number of experiments, obtaining a mathematical model reflecting the dependence of the studied property of the mixture on the content of components in it, is the simplex experiment planning method. To simplify the solution of such a task, a group or groups of components are usually distinguished, in which the ratio of the mass fraction of the components does not change. In this article, three groups of components are taken – simulators of high-level radioactive waste, sodium and boron oxides, and glass frit. The authors have identified the most promising area, where the mass fraction of glass frit is from 67.5 to 75%, the mass fraction of sodium and boron is from 25 to 32.5% and the mass fraction of high-level waste components is from 0 to 20%. The paper presents the results of thermoviscometric measurements of 15 melts of low-melting borosilicate glasses of different compositions at temperatures ranging from 700 to 1,200°C. Using simplex-based mathematical models of experiment planning, domains of dependence of thermoviscosimetric characteristics of glass melts on their compositions were created. The authors identified the compositions of glass melts that are found within the viscosity limits determined as allowable for glass melt discharge during operation of the removable small-scale melter of Mayak Production Association design.