Materials Research in Nuclear Waste Management: Reflections on Twenty-Five MRS Symposia

2002 ◽  
Vol 713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney C. Ewing
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Nuclear Waste Management ◽  
The Past ◽  
Materials Research ◽  
Long Term Performance ◽  
Term Performance ◽  
Selection Of

ABSTRACTThe MRS symposium, “Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management” was first held in Boston, November 28th to December 1st, 1978. This symposium marks the twenty-fifth in a series that now rotate to meeting sites around the world. During the past 24 years, there has been considerable progress in the development and understanding of the behavior of materials that are used in the processing, transport, containment and disposal of radioactive waste. The design and selection of materials for long-term performance has required a uniquely interdisciplinary effort. Over the same period, there have been important developments in the regulatory framework that guides the scientific and engineering needs of nuclear waste management. This paper provides a subjective commentary on the major developments and innovations during the past 25 symposia. The future challenge will be the proper and constructive integration of the science into the development of nuclear waste disposal strategies.

Preface

2003 ◽  
Vol 807 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Nuclear Waste Management ◽  
Scientific Program ◽  
The World ◽  
Excellent Work

The symposium “Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management XVII” was held in June 15 – 19, 2003, in Kalmar, Sweden. The symposium, which was officially opened by the County Govenor of Kalmar County, Sven Lindgren, attracted 222 participants from 21 countries. Nearly 200 papers were presented during the three days of scientific sessions.Organizing a symposium this size requires the assistance of a large number of people involved both in establishing the scientific program and in planning and executing the practical organizational arrangements. Our window to the world, the symposium's homepage, was continuously kept up to date through the excellent work of Jonny Rönnfjord.

scholarly journals Evolution and Structure of the Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management

MRS Advances ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (17-18) ◽  
pp. 959-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Diaz-Maurin ◽  
Hilary C. Sun ◽  
Jerold Yu ◽  
Rodney C. Ewing
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Health Science ◽  
Nuclear Waste Management ◽  
Relative Decline ◽  
Effects Of Radiation ◽  
The Individual

ABSTRACTThe final disposal of nuclear waste is at the interface between the technologies of the nuclear fuel cycle that produce the waste and the natural hydrologic and geochemical cycles of geologic repositories. Despite this broad interdisciplinary scope, nuclear waste management, as practiced, remains “balkanized” among the relevant disciplines. The individual subdisciplines continue to work in relative isolation from one another: materials science dealing with the immobilization of nuclear waste; engineering science dealing with the design, construction and operation of the repository; geoscience dealing with the long-term behavior of host rocks and the hydrology; health science dealing with the effects of radiation; social sciences dealing with the issues of trust, risk and ethics. Understanding how these very different disciplines interact is fundamental to creating and managing a nuclear waste organization. Based on a comprehensive review of the scholarly and scientific literature of waste management, we have analyzed the evolution and structure of research in nuclear waste management between 1979 and 2017. Focusing on materials science, we show that some research themes have been isolated from the most central themes of nuclear waste management. Moreover, we observed a relative decline of the fundamental research in materials science. This decline was evidenced by a drop in the number of articles published in the proceedings of the MRS symposia “Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management” since 2000. We argue for the need to more precisely and inclusively define the field of nuclear waste management.

Studies of Ancient Glass and Their Application to Nuclear-Waste Management

MRS Bulletin ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 500-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannelore Römich
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Glass Composition ◽  
Nuclear Waste Management ◽  
High Potassium ◽  
Ancient Glass ◽  
Long Term Behavior ◽  
High Potassium Content

AbstractDuring several hundred years of burial in the soil, glass objects, especially those with the high potassium content of medieval compositions, develop heavily corroded surfaces, showing phenomena such as local pitting, laminated layers, and browning effects. The long-term behavior of glass in the soil or in contact with groundwater is not only of interest to glass scientists with a background in archaeology, but also for those with a special interest in nuclear-waste management. Several attempts have been made to propose the decomposition of ancient glasses as an indicator for the performance of buried nuclear-waste glasses. In spite of differences in glass composition and exposure conditions, the development of alteration or corrosion layers with time is a common concern, as shown in this article. Laboratory experiments, representing a simplified model for real conditions, offer the possibility for systematic investigations.

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