Radionuclide behaviour in the near-field of a geological repository for spent nuclear fuel

2012 ◽  
Vol 100 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 699-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Metz ◽  
Horst Geckeis ◽  
Ernesto Gonzáles-Robles ◽  
Andreas Loida ◽  
Christiane Bube ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Geological Repository

Modeling of Radionuclide Releases From the Geological Repository for RBMK-1500 Spent Nuclear Fuel in Crystalline Rocks in Lithuania

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Povilas Poskas ◽  
Asta Brazauskaite
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Safety Assessment ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Crystalline Rocks ◽  
Far Field ◽  
Field Region ◽  
Radionuclide Migration ◽  
Channel Network ◽  
Geological Repository

During 2002–2005 the assessment of possibilities for disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in Lithuania was performed with support of Swedish experts. Potential geological formations for disposal of SNF were selected, disposal concept was developed, reference disposal site was defined and preliminary generic safety assessment was performed. Performing safety assessment the analysis of radionuclides migration from the repository as well as their impact to human and environment were also very important issues. In this paper results on the analysis of the radionuclide releases from the reference geological repository site for RBMK-1500 SNF in crystalline rocks in Lithuania are presented. For radionuclide migration in the near field region of the repository integrated finite difference method and the concept of compartments were used. For radionuclide migration in the far field the discrete channel network concept was used. The assessment of radionuclide migration in the near and far field region was performed using computer codes AMRER4.5 [1] and CHAN3D [2]. The results of analysis show that most of safety relevant radionuclides of RBMK-1500 SNF are effectively retarded in the near field region. The exposure due to possible release of the radionuclides from the crystalline rocks would be dominated by 129I firstly while after app. 250 thousand years 226Ra is dominating already.

scholarly journals Reactive transport calculations to evaluate sulphide fluxes in the near-field of a SF/HLW repository

2019 ◽  
Vol 98 ◽  
pp. 10005
Author(s):  
Marek Pękala ◽  
Paul Wersin ◽  
Veerle Cloet ◽  
Nikitas Diomidis
Keyword(s):  
Reactive Transport ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Opalinus Clay ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Waste Containment ◽  
Geological Repository ◽  
High Level ◽  
Reducing Bacteria ◽  
Hlw Repository

Radioactive waste is planned to be disposed in a deep geological repository in the Opalinus Clay (OPA) rock formation in Switzerland. Cu coating of the steel disposal canister is considered as potential a measure to ensure complete waste containment of spent nuclear fuel (SF) and vitrified high-level waste (HLW) or a period of 100,000 years. Sulphide is a potential corroding agent to Cu under reducing redox conditions. Background dissolved sulphide concentrations in pristine OPA are low, likely controlled by equilibrium with pyrite. At such concentrations, sulphide-assisted corrosion of Cu would be negligible. However, the possibility exists that sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB) might thrive at discrete locations of the repository’s near-field. The activity of SRB might then lead to significantly higher dissolved sulphide concentrations. The objective of this work is to employ reactive transport calculations to evaluate sulphide fluxes in the near-field of the SF/HLW repository in the OPA. Cu canister corrosion due to sulphide fluxes is also simplistically evaluated.

Developing a Concept for a National Used Fuel Interim Storage Facility in the United States

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Wayne Lewis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
The United States ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Storage Facility ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Geological Repository ◽  
Interim Storage

In the United States (U.S.) the nuclear waste issue has plagued the nuclear industry for decades. Originally, spent fuel was to be reprocessed but with the threat of nuclear proliferation, spent fuel reprocessing has been eliminated, at least for now. In 1983, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 [1] was established, authorizing development of one or more spent fuel and high-level nuclear waste geological repositories and a consolidated national storage facility, called a “Monitored Retrievable Storage” facility, that could store the spent nuclear fuel until it could be placed into the geological repository. Plans were under way to build a geological repository, Yucca Mountain, but with the decision by President Obama to terminate the development of Yucca Mountain, a consolidated national storage facility that can store spent fuel for an interim period until a new repository is established has become very important. Since reactor sites have not been able to wait for the government to come up with a storage or disposal location, spent fuel remains in wet or dry storage at each nuclear plant. The purpose of this paper is to present a concept developed to address the DOE’s goals stated above. This concept was developed over the past few months by collaboration between the DOE and industry experts that have experience in designing spent nuclear fuel facilities. The paper examines the current spent fuel storage conditions at shutdown reactor sites, operating reactor sites, and the type of storage systems (transportable versus non-transportable, welded or bolted). The concept lays out the basis for a pilot storage facility to house spent fuel from shutdown reactor sites and then how the pilot facility can be enlarged to a larger full scale consolidated interim storage facility.

Fracture smectite as a long-term sink for natural radionuclides – indications from unusual U-series disequilibria

2000 ◽  
Vol 88 (9-11) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Marcos ◽  
J. Suksi ◽  
H. Ervanne ◽  
K. Rasilainen
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Chemical Stability ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Activity Ratio ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Natural Radionuclides ◽  
Mineral Component ◽  
Considerable Part ◽  
Preferential Loss

Occurrence of natural U in fracture smectite (main mineral component of bentonite) was studied as an analogue to radionuclide behaviour in the near-field of spent nuclear fuel repository. Elevated U content (57 ppm) was observed in fracture smectite sampled from the surface of water-carrying fracture in granite pegmatite at a depth of 70 m. The current groundwater conditions are oxidising at the sampled point. The U-234/U-238 activity ratio (AR) measured in the bulk U and in its sequentially extracted phases, displays unusually low value (around 0.30). Low AR indicates preferential loss of the U-234 isotope from the system. Because the U-234 loss can also be seen in the Th-230/U-234 activity ratio (clearly over 1), the selective removal of the U-234 isotope must have taken place more recently than what is needed to equilibrate Th-230/U-234 pair (i.e. 350000 a). To explain the selective U-234 loss from the smectite we postulate that bulk U is in reduced +4 form and a considerable part of the U-234 isotope in easily leachable oxidised +6 form. This study suggests that the long-term chemical stability of the bulk U in the smectite is due to irreversible fixation of U in the reduced +4 form.

Comparison of Radionuclide Releases from a Conceptual Geological Repository for RBMK-1500 and BWR Spent Nuclear Fuel

2014 ◽  
Vol 185 (3) ◽  
pp. 322-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Povilas Poskas ◽  
Asta Narkuniene ◽  
Dalia Grigaliuniene ◽  
Stefan Finsterle
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Geological Repository
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