Geophysical techniques for characterizing plutonic rocks for nuclear fuel Waste disposal

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Lodha ◽  
C. C. Davison ◽  
S. H. Whitaker
1981 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald J. Cameron

ABSTRACTNuclear fuel waste disposal research in Canada is concentrating on hard-rock disposal. The research programs concerned with the man-made components of the disposal system are reviewed. Irradiated fuel and solidified reprocessing wastes are both being researched, as are durable containers, and buffer and backfill materials. This review concentrates mainly on the more scientific aspects of the research, which contribute to the selection of preferred options for the various components of the system, and which support directly or indirectly the safety analysis of the disposal concept. Some technology development is included in the program now, and this is expected to expand as confidence in the acceptability of the disposal concept grows.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.A. Bird ◽  
M. Stephenson ◽  
R.J. Cornett

1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gascoyne

The concept for disposal of Canada's nuclear fuel waste in a geologic environment on the Canadian Shield has recently been presented by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) to governments, scientists, and the public, for review. An important part of this concept concerns the geochemical environment of a disposal vault and includes consideration of rock and groundwater compositions, geochemical interactions between rocks, groundwaters, and emplaced vault materials, and the influences and significance of anthropogenic and microbiological effects following closure of the vault. This paper summarizes the disposal concept and examines aspects of the geochemical environment. The presence of saline groundwaters and reducing conditions at proposed vault depths (500–1000 m) in the Canadian Shield has an important bearing on the stability of the used nuclear fuel, its container, and buffer and backfill materials. The potential for introduction of anthropogenic contaminants and microbes during site investigations and vault excavation, operation, and sealing is described with examples from AECL's research areas on the Shield and in their underground research laboratory in southeastern Manitoba. Keywords: nuclear waste disposal, geochemistry, Canadian Shield, groundwater chemistry.


1988 ◽  
Vol 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Onofrei ◽  
Malcolm Gray

AbstractCement-based grouts are being considered for use as sealing materials in the Canadian concept for nuclear fuel waste disposal. This paper describes laboratory studies of the longevity of these materials, with special emphasis on the effect of hardened grout porosity and cement type. The longevity properties determined for reference grout (90% Type 50 cement, 10% silica fume and superplasticizer) are compared with those of a slag cement grout.The fractional factorial statistical method of Box-Behnken was used to design a series of leach tests, which covered a wide range of conditions that could occur in a nuclear waste disposal vault. The leach tests have been carried out to determine the effect of temperature, ionic strength of groundwater, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of clay (which may be in contact with the grout) on the leach resistance of the cement. The temperature ranged from 25 to 150°C and the ionic strength of the groundwaters from 0.0015 to 1.37 mol. Leach rates of Ca and Si were taken as the major indicators of the long-term chemical stability of the grouts.Preliminary analysis suggests that the reference grout would be more stable than slag cement in the high-temperature environment of a nuclear fuel waste disposal vault. Within the ranges investigated, decreasing the porosity appears not to significantly decrease leach rates.


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