The performance of Inconel 693 electrodes for processing an iron phosphate glass melt containing 26 wt.% of a simulated low activity waste

Iron phosphate glass is a candidate fixation medium for storing radioactive waste. The Department of Energy supported a program to assess the viability of using Fe-phosphate glass for vitrifying low activity waste in a Joule Heated Melter (JHM). In this study, Inconel 693 electrodes were tested in a research-scale joule-heated melter (RSM) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. After a 10-day test at 1030 °C that yielded 124 kg of glass, the electrodes exhibited a dimensional loss rate of ∼1.6 mm/year, which is comparable to that of Inconel 690 electrodes used in a JHM for processing borosilicate melts. Microstructural changes occurred within the outermost 700 μm of the electrodes and are consistent with an earlier study of Inconel coupons in Fe-phosphate melts. The results indicate that Inconel 693 should have an acceptable corrosion resistance as the electrode for JHM processing of iron phosphate melts.