Conveners
Nuclear Fuel Cycle: NFC 1
- Václava Havlová (ÚJV Řež, a.s.)
- Nick Evans (NTU)
Nuclear Fuel Cycle: NFC Poster
- There are no conveners in this block
Nuclear Fuel Cycle: NFC 2
- Gareth Law (University of Helsinki)
- Thorsten Stumpf (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e. V.)
Nuclear Fuel Cycle: NFC 3
- Boris Andris (VUJE a.s.)
- David Read (University of Surrey)
Nuclear Fuel Cycle: NFC 4
- Luis Gonzalez (Chalmers University of Technology)
- Christian Schreinemachers (Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Energy and Climate Research, IEK-6: Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety)
Nuclear Fuel Cycle: NFC 5
- Eva De Visser - Týnová (NRG)
- Daniel Barton (The University of Manchester)
The United Kingdom has one of the largest and most diverse nuclear waste inventories in the world arising from Magnox, AGR, PWR and prototype reactors. In part, this reflects the country’s long history of reactor development and operation, but the issue has been compounded by frequent changes in government policy. Proposals for disposal of low (LLW) and intermediate level (ILW) waste...
Due to the “German Energiewende”, all nuclear power plants (NPPs) in Germany will have been shut down by the end of 2022. Consequently, a safe, economical, and efficient dismantling of the NPPs will be an important challenge for the next decades. This includes to progress with methods for optimal planning and implementation of decommissioning.
Several studies have been conducted to develop a...
Concepts for the safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste in deep geological formations to ensure isolation from the biosphere are based on a multi-barrier system. Cementitious materials are one component of the geotechnical barrier, used as backfill material, for borehole sealing and to enforce the mechanical stability of tunnels. Calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H), the principal binding...
As studies on the retention of radionuclides in natural systems over geological times are not feasible, it is common practice to resort to natural analogues. The coprecipitated actinides and homologues of the equivalent oxidation state in secondary mineral phases are a good approximation to estimate the radionuclide retention potential of such minerals.
Fracture fillings formed within...
To elucidate the impact of humic acids (HA) on chemical affinity of Co(II) to inorganic sorbents experiments on statics of sorption Co (II) by the Thermoxide T35 (composition ZrO2-K2Ni [Fe (CN)6]) in the chloride-acetate solution are carried out. The dependance of the Co (II) sorption (S) as a function of contacting time, the dependance of distribution coefficient (Kd) on the pH, the...
Actinides are known to form nanoparticles (NP), which were shown to enhance radionuclide transport in the environment. Understanding these processes on the molecular level is therefore of particular interest.
Previous results showed a strong and unusual influence of the background electrolyte on Th sorption on the mica (001) basal plane based on surface x-ray diffraction (SXD) data. Uptake...
High-level radioactive waste (HLW) and spent nuclear fuel (SNF) are planned to be disposed of in many countries in deep-lying geological multi-barrier systems. Groundwater intrusion into deep geological repositories represents a considerable risk of long-lived radionuclides being released from the deposited HLW and SNF. Therefore, the risk assessment of such a scenario plays an integral role...
Introduction
Evaporation of tail solutions from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing is a required activity before high-level waste (HLW) solidification. Evaporation of HLW according to the traditional flow sheets of the 2nd generation reprocessing plants is complicated by an increase of the sediment-forming fission products amount due to a 100-fold increase in SNF burnup, as well as the presence...
Calcite is a common mineral in the environment, comprising approximately 4% of the earth's crust. The surface reactions of calcite play an important role in many geological and environmental systems, including the production of oil and gas, the geological storage of nuclear waste and CO2 etc. For example, the sorption of Ni-63 on calcite affects significantly its mobility and...
Introduction
When dissolving highly burnt spent nuclear fuel (SNF) with obtaining of solutions containing heavy met-als (HM) more than 300 g/L, there is a high probability of secondary precipitation, the composition of precipitants depends on the degree of nuclear fuel burnup and the conditions of its dissolution. When a zirconium molybdate precipitate is formed, a certain amount of plutonium...
To ensure a reliable and long-term safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste disposal, it is essential to study the physico-chemical properties of the radionuclides within spent nuclear fuel as well as their transport behavior expected under conditions of the near- and far-field of a nuclear waste repository. Among the radionuclide inventory, long-lived mobile fission products are of...
Ductile and corrosion resistant cast iron is investigated as a potential container material to store high-level nuclear waste (HLW) in deep geological repositories (DGR) in claystone bedrock. The dynamic corrosion process is dependent on the conditions present in the DGR which are influenced and/or controlled by geochemical parameters (e.g., redox potential, pH, presence of and ionic...
Cement-based materials are used for waste conditioning and as technical barriers in potential nuclear waste repositories. In order to adjust the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of concretes, several additives are added to the cement. Various polycarboxylates with phosphonic acid groups, of which 2-Phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid, PBTC, is the most prominent representative,...
Radionuclide speciation inside long-term radioactive waste repositories needs to be understood in order to ensure effective containment of the waste. Organic ligands originating from the degradation of organic components inside such a repository can possibly affect the mobility of radionuclides in solution. The present study focuses on nitrilotriacetic acid, NTA, as a model molecule and...
The decommissioning NPP A1 project is reaching preparation stage of dismantling the reactor KS 150. Graphite reflector shielding, is notable part of reactor internals which must be dismantled, managed and treated.
Radiological characterizations were performed in order to determine 19 limited radionuclides and 36-Cl for LLW repository. Material characterisation was conducted by means of EDS –...
Safety assessment of deep geological repository (DGR) of radioactive waste considers safety functions of all the barriers, including the host rock. In case of Czech DGR the host rock is considered to be crystalline rock, as granite or migmatite. Migration within such a rock is driven mainly by advection in the rock fracture which can be coated with secondary minerals, as calcite or...
Superplasticizers are organic cement additives often used in construction as they improve the properties of concrete. The engineered barriers in repositories for radioactive waste often include cementitious materials. Superplasticizers and their radiolytic and hydrolytic breakdown products and how they might affect the transport properties of radionuclides represent a concern in the long-term...
MSO (Molten Salt Oxidation) is a technology of flame-less oxidation in molten salts. This technology is mainly used to reduce the volume of hazardous solid and liquid wastes and allows the processing of loose materials, semi-liquid suspensions or liquids over a wide range of viscosity. Combustible wastes are fed through the dosing system into the reactor together with air or oxygen. During the...
The batch sorption method of measuring radionuclide distribution between the crushed, sieved solid phase and liquid phase is commonly used for obtaining sorption coefficients Rd/Kd. These are often crucial input parameters used in reactive transport models for estimating a possible future radionuclide release from a radioactive waste repository [1]. Therefore, it is extremely important to...
This contribution provides an overview of a current research network funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), entitled “Fundamental investigations of actinide immobilization by incorporation into solid phases relevant for final disposal” – AcE. The AcE project aims at understanding the incorporation and immobilization of actinides (An) in crystalline,...
Stability & Physico-Chemical Characterisation of Reconditioned Waste Form Relevant to Radioactive Wastes
Gianni F. Vettese1*, Taavi Vierinen1, Jaana Laatikainen-Luntama2, Suvi Lanninmaki2, Markku Leivo2, Emmi Myllykylä2, Matti Nieminen2, Tandre Oey2, Tapio Vehmas2 & Gareth T. W. Law1
1The University of Helsinki, Radiochemistry Unit, Helsinki, Finland
2VTT Technical Research Centre of...
When nuclear facilities, all types of radioactive waste are generated, including intermediate and highly active radioactive waste, which cannot be disposed of in current radioactive waste repositories in the Czech Republic. Therefore, it is necessary to find filling materials used in deep repositories that are environmentally safe for a long time. The aim of the ALMARA project is to study and...
The decommissioning of nuclear facilities will produce all levels of radioactive waste, including intermediate- and high-level waste that is not allowed to be disposed of in low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste repositories. Therefore, it is necessary to find infill materials used in a deep geological repository that will make it safe for the environment for a long period of time. The...
Radioactive waste contains large amount of radionuclides. A radioactive isotopes of caesium (137Cs, half-life time 30 years) and strontium (90Sr, half-life time 28 years) belong to the main fission products existing in the radioactive wastes produced in nuclear power. The ion exchange technology is one of the most commonly used methods for safe treatment of radionuclide waste. Zeolites are...
Cement-based materials are used as engineering barriers for low-level and intermediate-level radwaste and in high-level radwaste disposal as facilities or buffer materials. To evaluate the long-term safety of radioactive waste repositories, it is necessary to describe the behavior of stored radionuclides that will be present, such as europium used as an analog of trivalent actinoids. The...
Geopolymers are promising materials applicable in nuclear industry. They have been tested for various applications like nuclear waste immobilisation, as a construction material, for concrete cracks reparation, etc. We have developed a synthetic route for production of versatile geopolymer material with application in a passive system of GEN IV reactor safety. Such material contains a...
Project introduction
The aim of the ALMARA project is the optimization of infill matrixes for disposal of intermediate and high level wastes from nuclear power plant decommissioning, which fulfil requirements that ensure long term safety of deep geological repository over long term period. The project is also focused on radionuclide interaction and migration with/in the matrix materials...
Introduction
Cements and concretes have been widely used in intermediate/low level waste (I/LLW) management in Czech Republic, being used namely as solidification material. Moreover, cement materials are con-sidered also for disposal of high level waste (HLW) in deep geology repository (DGR), hereby being considered both for solidification and construction materials. 14C was chosen as a...
Metal oxalates are salts of very low solubility allowing an easy precipitation of metal ions from the acidic aqueous solutions into crystalline material. Due to this property, oxalates have an important role in the technology of lanthanides and actinides. It is namely the separation of actinides from the spent nuclear fuel that is its application of interest. 4f-lanthanides are often used as...
In recent years, much effort has been invested in recycling of minor actinides from PUREX raffinate solutions. Hydrophilic N-donor ligands such as tetrasodium-3,3',3'',3'''-([2,2'-bipyridine]-6,6'-diylbis(1,2,4-triazine-3,5,6-triyl))tetrabenzenesulfonate (SO3-Ph-BTBP) are used for selective separation of Am(III) from Cm(III) and other trivalent fission lanthanides by smart...
Tc-99 is one of the most important isotopes likely to be disposed of in the proposed UK Geological Disposal Facility for higher-activity radioactive wastes, due to its long half-life, high fission yield and ability to migrate through the geosphere as the pertechnetate ion. However, much of the technetium is likely to be in the lower oxidation state of Tc(IV) due to the low Eh in the near...
Radionuclide migration is one of the key problems for the long-term safety of nuclear waste repositories. One possible mechanism to retard or prevent the migration of radionuclides from the repository to the biosphere is the adsorption onto mineral surfaces of the surrounding host rock. Clay rock formations such as the Opalinus Clay are being considered for potential sites for nuclear waste...
The products of radiolysis and hydrolysis of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in strongly alkaline conditions were studied using several methods — HRMS, FT-IR and LCMS analysis, combinable HPLC with UV / VIS and refractometry. The studied conditions correspond to the environment formed by cementitious materials utilized as the engineering barrier in the disposals of radioactive waste. Degradation...
The interaction of highly mobile radioactive elements in the spent fuel with the different technical and geological barriers of a nuclear waste repository needs quantification and mechanistic understanding to allow a reliable safety assessment.
One of the most concerning mobile fission products is Tc-99. It is a long-lived radionuclide (half-life of 0.213 million years) that is expected to...
Short-lived, very low-level radioactive wastes (VLLW) will be stored in near surface repositories in many countries, including Finland, Sweden and the UK. Very low-level radioactive wastes may be produced whilst operating or decommissioning a nuclear power plant, as medical waste or as naturally occurring radioactive materials. Here, most radionuclides have half-lives less than 30 years and...
Engineered biopolymers have received a great deal of interest for environmental remediation of radionuclides in recent years. Composites derived from alginate, chitin or activated biochars
exhibit promising uptake capacities for common and problematic radionuclides such as strontium, cesium and uranium due to a wide range of surface functionality, extensive multiscale porosity, and excellent...
The management of radioactive waste requires an accurate description of source terms
and their behavior in natural or engineered barriers. Many radioactive waste involve organic
contaminants, either included in the source term (e.g. 14C bearing lixiviates of graphite waste)
or released simultaneously with radionuclides (e.g. degradation products of plastics or
adjuvents in cementitious...
To evaluate the long-term safety of low/intermediate level radioactive waste repositories and future deep geological repositories for spent nuclear fuel, it is necessary to investigate the behaviour of radionuclides that will be present, such as uranium or lead. Radionuclide migration is affected by interactions with engineering barriers of the repositories, which may also include sorption of...
Zirconia (ZrO2) doped with lanthanides or actinides has been extensively studied for several tailored applications, such as for the immobilization of actinides present in high-level radioactive waste streams (HLW) or as inert matrix fuel for the incineration of e.g. waste plutonium. Doped zirconia matrices have been reported to have a very high radiation tolerance, however, inconsistencies...
Multiple strategies have been developed to separate lanthanides (Ln) and actinides (An) from Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and PUREX raffinate through solvent extraction. Current research is focusing on the development of new ligands to separate Am(III) from Cm(III) and other fission Ln(III). Diglycolamides (DGA) such as N,N,N′,N′‐tetra-n-octyl diglycolamide (TODGA) are promising extractants for...
The use of MOx with high plutonium contents as a fast reactor fuel is under consideration to help manage plutonium inventory. These plutonium contents are above those typically reprocessing and posse a number of challenges. Increased plutonium content makes the fuel dissolve more slowly and leads to an increase in plutonium-rich residues. Increasing the dissolver cycle time to allow for the...
The reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel is currently moving towards advanced cycles that contemplate the recycling of minor actinides (MAs: Am, Cm, Np), as a strategy to minimise the radiotoxicity of the waste that must be stored [1]. One of the constraining points for the development of extraction processes from the point of view of safety is their resistance to the highly radioactive field...
Lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) is a eutectic alloy composed of 44.5 at% Pb and 55.5 at% Bi. It is of particular interest as a possible coolant for the Generation IV nuclear reactors and accelerator-driven systems (ADS) given its good thermophysical properties (low melting point, low vapor pressure, and good thermal conductivity) and inertness towards reactions with water and air. However, the...
The Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP) at Sellafield has reached its end-of-life and is about to be decommissioned. One of the first steps to reducing the hazards associated with the plant is Post-Operational Clean Out (POCO). As part of this process, a large amount of radioactive metallic waste is required to be managed through the waste hierarchy, with one of the key stages being...
In the context of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) disposition, a deep geological repository (DGR) based on a multi barrier concept is considered in many countries as the safest and most sustainable disposal option. The licensing of such a DGR is challenging and demands amongst others, safety assessments considering time frames of up to one million years. Moreover, a profound understanding of the...
To improve the efficiency of nuclear reactors by extending the fuel cycle, burnable neutron absorbers, such as Gd2O3, have been extensively added in the PWR and BWR fuels to control the reactivity due to their large neutron absorption cross-section. Doped fuels must be safely stored after their life cycle in a deep geological repository, therefore their behaviour in case of canister failure...
Uranium Nitride (UN) is a potential candidate for the advanced technology fuels (ATF) concept, as it has numerous benefits compared to conventional uranium oxide (UO2) used today. Namely, higher thermal conductivity and uranium density. UN main drawback is its poor corrosion resistance in oxidizing environments. Doping of UN with oxide scale forming elements such as chromium could improve the...
Tritium is a radioactive beta emission isotope of hydrogen with a mass of 3.0 and is mainly present as tritiated water(HTO) in wastewater discharged from nuclear facilities.
However, since HTO and H2O have very similar physical and chemical properties, it is very difficult to separate a trace amount of HTO mixed in a large amount of water (H2O). There is a commercialized isotope exchange and...
Extraction properties and radiation stability of two systems with hydrophobic extractants (CyMe4-BTBP or CyMe4 BTPhen) and three systems with hydrophilic masking agents ((SO3H)2-BTP, (SO3H)2-BTBP or (SO3H)2 BTPhen) were studied throughout the GENIORS project.
The study of extraction systems containing CyMe4-BTBP or CyMe4-BTPhen dissolved in fluorinated BK-1 diluent revealed that the...
