Identification of cement for the radioactive cementation technology by semi-adiabatic calorimetry combined with boric acid use

TY - JOUR

T1 - Identification of cement for the radioactive cementation technology by semi-adiabatic calorimetry combined with boric acid use

AU - Baranyi, Attila

AU - Csetényi, László

AU - Kopecskó, Katalin

N1 - Copyright: © The Author(s) 2025.

PY - 2025/7

Y1 - 2025/7

N2 - The radioactive waste cementation technology at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant solidifies low- and intermediate-level liquid radioactive wastes using cementitious materials. Such cement paste is mixed and poured into steel containers containing solid radioactive waste, and the cemented containers undergo a verification process before final deposition. The composition of the cement pastes may need to be altered for each type of liquid radioactive waste, and the mixtures are sensitive to the quality of the binders. Therefore, the types of cement must be tested prior to being identified for each shipment. As the product standards can only serve to verify the basic properties of the given type of cement, and the measurement process is time-consuming, it was necessary to develop a simple and rapid additional identification method to check the application properties relevant to the application field before the cementing process begins. This study evaluates various types of cement produced by the Beremend Cement Plant of Duna-Dráva Cement Ltd. (DDC), Holcim Hungary Ltd. and Danucem Ltd. Through semi-adiabatic calorimetry, combined boric acid and acidic dissolution testing, the CEM I 42.5 N cement from Beremend Cement Plant was identified as the most suitable for ensuring the continuous and reliable operation of the cementation process. Additionally, the applicability of this method in the construction industry was also investigated for other commonly used types of cement.

AB - The radioactive waste cementation technology at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant solidifies low- and intermediate-level liquid radioactive wastes using cementitious materials. Such cement paste is mixed and poured into steel containers containing solid radioactive waste, and the cemented containers undergo a verification process before final deposition. The composition of the cement pastes may need to be altered for each type of liquid radioactive waste, and the mixtures are sensitive to the quality of the binders. Therefore, the types of cement must be tested prior to being identified for each shipment. As the product standards can only serve to verify the basic properties of the given type of cement, and the measurement process is time-consuming, it was necessary to develop a simple and rapid additional identification method to check the application properties relevant to the application field before the cementing process begins. This study evaluates various types of cement produced by the Beremend Cement Plant of Duna-Dráva Cement Ltd. (DDC), Holcim Hungary Ltd. and Danucem Ltd. Through semi-adiabatic calorimetry, combined boric acid and acidic dissolution testing, the CEM I 42.5 N cement from Beremend Cement Plant was identified as the most suitable for ensuring the continuous and reliable operation of the cementation process. Additionally, the applicability of this method in the construction industry was also investigated for other commonly used types of cement.

KW - Boric acid

KW - Cement identification

KW - Cementation

KW - Radioactive waste

KW - SAC

KW - Semi-adiabatic calorimetry

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105007663226

U2 - 10.1007/s10973-025-14323-4

DO - 10.1007/s10973-025-14323-4

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105007663226

SN - 1388-6150

VL - 150

SP - 10007

EP - 10017

JO - Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry

JF - Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry

IS - 13

ER -