Kim, Chang-Lak;Lee, Myung-Chan;Park, Won-Jae;Suk, Tae-Won;Burns William G.;
ABSTRACT
An estimate is made on the potential generation rate of H: from radiolysis of the Paraffin-wax encapsulant Proposed for the solidified liquid concentrate wasteform. The results show that the radiolytic Production of $H_2$ from paraffin-wax-encapsulated waste is dominated by the radiation energy released from $^{60}Co$. The radiolytic production of $H_2$ will proceed at an initial rate equivalent to aproximately $4.4{times}10^2cm^3yr^1$ in 200 litre drums that are partly filled with 120 litres of encapsulated waste. The gas production rate will fall to a value of $7.2cm^3yr^1$ after 100 years. The lower flammable limit for $H_2$ in air will be reached in about 25 years and the lower explosive limit for $H_2$ in air would not be reached in 1000years. The timescale in which these safety-related limits are reached is strongly dependent on the level of filling of each waste drum. A reduction of the air space inside each drum would reduce the time required to reach the lower flammable limit.
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