Refractory wettability and surface tension of several nuclear waste glass simulants

• Analyzed wettability and surface tension of seven nuclear waste glass simulants. • Wettability measured for low activity and high level waste glasses up to ∼1000 °C. • Contact angles measured on Monofrax® K-3 refractory and platinum substrates. • Surface tension for the waste glasses ranges from 237 to 340 mN/m. • Data to be used with CFD models to simulate refractory corrosion in glass melters. This study evaluates the wetting behavior and surface tension of seven simulant nuclear waste glasses intended for production at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). Sessile droplets of glass pellets heated up to ∼1000 °C on Monofrax® K-3 refractory and platinum substrates were imaged and analyzed to determine contact angles. Surface tension was calculated using computational thermodynamics and compared with published correlations, ranging from 237 to 340 mN/m. The results align with literature findings on surface tension of glass and provide valuable insights to augment our understanding of the vitrification process at the WTP. The data obtained are intended for use in computational fluid dynamics models to simulate refractory corrosion, which is a key factor in the degradation of furnace linings.