Materials Research for the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program

1981 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald J. Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Hard Rock ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Materials Research ◽  
Backfill Materials ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Waste ◽  
Irradiated Fuel ◽  
Selection Of

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.

Thermal and physical properties of candidate buffer–backfill materials for a nuclear fuel waste disposal vault

1989 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 629-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. S. Radhakrishna ◽  
H. T. Chan ◽  
A. M. Crawford ◽  
K. C. Lau
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Buffer Material ◽  
Backfill Materials ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Waste ◽  
Clay Barriers ◽  
Ontario Hydro

As part of the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program, Ontario Hydro has, over several years, conducted research into the behaviour and performance of buffer–backfill for the proposed nuclear fuel waste disposal vault. In this paper, a review has been made of laboratory studies made at Ontario Hydro on the thermal properties, strength, hydraulic conductivity, and compactability of clay-based buffer materials. The results of this work have enabled the formulation of selection criteria for the buffer material mix for the prototype Canadian nuclear fuel waste disposal scheme. Key words: bentonites, buffer, backfill, nuclear waste disposal, thermal conductivity, clays, hydraulic conductivity, compaction, clay barriers, clay seals, shrinkage.

The geochemical environment of nuclear fuel waste disposal

1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 401-409 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gascoyne
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Canadian Shield ◽  
Geochemical Environment ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Reducing Conditions ◽  
Backfill Materials ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Underground Research Laboratory ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Waste

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.

Modelling the Consumption of Oxygen by Container Corrosion and Reaction with Fe(II)

1995 ◽  
Vol 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kolář ◽  
F. King
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Corrosion Reaction ◽  
Crushed Granite ◽  
Backfill Materials ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Waste ◽  
Oxidation Of Organics

AbstractA model is described that predicts the rate of O2 consumption in a sealed nuclear fuel waste disposal vault as a result of container corrosion, reaction with biotite and the oxidation of organics and other oxidizable impurities in the clay. The most important reactions leading to the consumption of O2 for Cu containers in a conceptual Canadian disposal vault are container corrosion, the oxidation of dissolved Cu(I) and the oxidation of organics and other impurities in the clay. Consumption of O2 by the oxidation of dissolved Fe(II) from biotite is significant in backfill materials containing crushed granite and in the rock itself. The O2 initially trapped in the disposal vault is predicted to be consumed in between 50 and 670 a.

Metal Matrix Integrity and Related Technology Development in the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program

1983 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Mani Mathew ◽  
Paul A. Krueger
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Metal Matrix ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Matrix Cracking ◽  
Thin Wall ◽  
Controlled Cooling ◽  
Casting System ◽  
Metallurgical Characterization ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Waste

ABSTRACTOne of the concepts under development as a nuclear fuel waste isolation container is a thin-wall corrosion-resistant shell, supported internally by a cast metal matrix in which intact used fuel bundles are invested. The integrity of the metal matrix can be influenced by metallurgical factors and by process parameters. Finite element solidification modelling and laboratory experiments with lead as an investment material have shown the influence of heat transfer parameters on matrix integrity. Controlled cooling of the container walls, for example, can be used to reduce the interaction time between the molten matrix, the fuel sheathing and the container wall, and achieve a void-free matrix. The results of the computer simulations have been used to design an improved casting system, based on controlled wall cooling, for investing nuclear fuel waste containers. Ultrasonic testing of bonds between some candidate container and metal matrix materials, in combination with the metallurgical characterization of the interface region, has allowed differentiation between bonded and unbonded regions. Matrix cracking near bonded interfaces was identified as a potential problem, which could limit the use of the ultrasonic scanning technique for matrix inspection. To produce a high quality interface with good chemical bonding, induction skin melting looks promising and is being further evaluated.

The surface water model for assessing Canada's nuclear fuel waste disposal concept

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.A. Bird ◽  
M. Stephenson ◽  
R.J. Cornett
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Water Model ◽  
Nuclear Fuel Waste
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