The samples were thoroughly mixed and then vitrified in platinum crucibles. A few of the glass samples were removed from the furnace and poured to determine the viscosity range of the glass. The compositions of these sludges is also shown in Table 1. Blend is a hypothetical combination of the sludge in all of the SRS waste tanks. Purex is a high-iron sludge that when vitrified with frit has a lower viscosity.
HM is a high-aluminum sludge that has a higher viscosity when vitrified.
Crucible studies were performed with each of these sludges. After the glasses had completely cooled, they were removed from the crucible and analyzed. The density of the glass was measured by buoyancy in water, similar to the method described in ASTM C-693. Samples of the ground glass were dissolved and characterized to determine the chemical composition. The resulting solutions were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Excitation Spectroscopy and Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy.