scholarly journals Performance of Clay Materials Constituting to Safety Barriers in Radiation Hazardous Facilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 42-57
Author(s):  
K. V. Martynov ◽  
◽  
E. V. Zakharova ◽  
A. N. Dorofeev ◽  
A. A. Zubkov ◽  
...  

The paper elaborates on the characteristics of clays and clay materials governing functional properties (performance) of clay barriers. It considers methods applied to identify these characteristics with relevant examples being provided Criteria were proposed to select the required and sufficient numerical values of these characteristics (requirements) considered appropriate for the barrier materials. The paper discusses operating and envisaged test installations designed for mock-up and field tests of clay barrier materials.

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 39-53
Author(s):  
K. V. Martynov ◽  
◽  
E. V. Zakharova ◽  
A. N. Dorofeev ◽  
A. A. Zubkov ◽  
...  

The article discusses the types of mineral raw materials that can be used to manufacture clay barrier materials. The paper evaluates the characteristics of materials governing the performance of clay barriers: grain size, mineral and chemical composition, physical, mechanical (in dry state) and colloidal properties, stability in the environment. It considers the methods used to identify these characteristics and provides relevant examples.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Safonov ◽  
Nadezhda Popova ◽  
Elena Spirina ◽  
Elena Abramova ◽  
Nadezhda Philippova ◽  
...  

<p>Clay minerals are widely used as materials for construction of engineered barriers for nuclear waste and spent fuel repositories all over the world due to perfect isolation properties and high sorption capacity. Unwanted microbiological processes that occur in geological repository can cause deterioration of clay barrier materials, which may significantly affect long-term safety of the repository. It is important to note that such unwanted processes could be caused both by native microbial population and bacteria brought in from outside during the construction of the repository.</p><p>This paper aims to develop a general concept that could be used to prove the risk of unwanted microbial processes’ occurrence in clay materials.  </p><p>Some features of mineral composition of clay materials, including the content of iron, sulphur, phosphorus, organic and mineral carbon, provide the basis for the concept. The ratios of free mono- and di-valent cations present in the solution (Na-K-Ca-Mg) are also taken into account. Another approach presumes microflora composition analysis by means of high-efficient 16S rRNA sequencing method. In addition, the results of several tests dedicated to microbial communities’ stimulation are discussed. These include tests on hydrogen or organic substance addition as electron donors with subsequent standard tests on metabolic activity evaluation, MTT test and respiration assessment of microbial population, which is represented by both planktonic cells and cells incorporated into biofilms. The developed concept was used to assess clay materials found in Russian Federation that could potentially be used to construct engineered safety barriers. These data formed the basis for the formation of a database of microbial safety of engineering barrier materials for radioactive waste storage.</p>


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Abramova ◽  
Alexey Safonov ◽  
Grigoriy Artemyev ◽  
Nadezhda Popova ◽  
Kirill Boldyrev

<p>Clay minerals are the main promising materials for engineering safety barriers in the disposal of radioactive waste in geological formations. Clays have high chemical stability, good sorption properties, and low diffusion coefficients. Bentonite clays combine the most optimal properties - high swelling pressure, low diffusion coefficients. At the moment, there is no unified international concept of the clay barrier density and its composition. Also, the parameters of the influence of biogenic processes on the properties of clay materials have not been correctly determined. It is planned to use of bentonite barrier between the metal container and the external environment in the design of the supercontainer for the new disposal of radioactive waste in the Nizhnekanskiy gneiss massif.</p><p>Within the studies of microbiological processes in the Yeniseisky disposal site, big attention will be paid to clay barriers as sources of biogenic elements in the system and microflora and organic and inorganic carbon.</p><p>Special attention will be paid to thermophilic microorganisms characterized by high growth rates and high levels of metabolic processes, which, along with the extreme impact of radioactive waste (temperature, gas release) on a site in the mountain range, can lead to the destruction of safety barriers.</p><p>Based on the data of phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences in clay materials, which are planned to be used as a barrier material, bacteria of the fermentative type of metabolism, capable of forming biogenic gases and organic acids, sulfate-reducing microflora, and a wide variety of microorganisms of the iron cycle were found. We investigating the processes under conditions corresponding to both the internal and external conditions of the clay barrier. As a result of our studies, in model experiments, the effect of microflora activation by radiolysis products, carbon steel corrosion products, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide was found. A thermophilic microbiota was found in samples with bentonite clays of the Khakass and Dinosaur deposits cultivated at temperatures of 50, 70, 90° C. High content of aluminum and silicon amorphous oxide phases was found in the liquid phase after cultivation, and an increase in bioleaching was observed with increasing temperature. Screening of biocidal additives was performed to suppress microbial activity, primarily sulfate reduction. The most effective, thermally stable biocide with prolonged action was polyhexamethylguanidine at a concentration of 0.5 wt. %.</p>


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 71-84
Author(s):  
O. A. Ilina ◽  
◽  
V. V. Krupskaya ◽  
S. E. Vinokurov ◽  
S. N. Kalmykov ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 205 ◽  
pp. 10006
Author(s):  
Bohan Zhou ◽  
Marcelo Sanchez ◽  
María Victoria Villar

The safe isolation of high-level radioactive waste from the human environment is a key requisite in the nuclear fuel cycle. Deep geological repositories (i.e. >500m) in a suitable rock mass, involving both engineered and natural barriers is currently the most favoured option for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste. Complex Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical and Chemical (THMC) phenomena are anticipated during the repository lifetime. The formation of gasses (e.g., as a result of oxidation processes) and their possible migration through the engineered barrier system (EBS) could jeopardise the main barrier functions. This paper focuses on the experimental study of the gas flow process through clay-barrier materials, particularly on the effect of degree of saturation, clay initial dry density, and confinement stress on gas permeability. It is shown that the initial dry density of the clay has a significant impact on gas flow, especially at low saturations. As expected, lower gas permeability values were obtained near saturation. Confinement has a minor impact on gas flow, at least for the range of stresses investigated in this paper.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 54-65
Author(s):  
D. I. Pavlov ◽  
◽  
O. A. Ilina ◽  

The article describes different designs and materials of engineered safety barriers (ESB) for radioactive waste disposal facilities, systematizes the functions and technical specifications of EBS and based on a system approach proposes safety barrier materials and designs for the disposal of radioactive waste class 3 and 4.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 78-88
Author(s):  
K. V. Martynov ◽  
◽  
V. O. Zharkova ◽  
E.V. Zakharova ◽  
◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexey Safonov ◽  
Elena Abramova ◽  
Nadezhda Popova ◽  
Grigory Artemiev ◽  
Kirill Boldyrev

<p>The concept of engineered geologic disposal has been developed for the safe long-term management of long-lived high-level radioactive waste (HRW) by many countries. Russian Federation evaluates the “Yeniseiskiy” Nizhnekansky granite-gneiss crystalline formation, in Krasnoyarsk region. To this date microbiological studies became an integral part of safety assessment in Russia like other countries.</p><p>A multi-barrier concept was used to create super-container (SC). SC contains a primary vitrified radioactive waste package, placed in the carbon steel casing, bentonite and aluminate concrete layers placed between the casing and inner IC surface. All selected barrier materials are potential areas for biogenic processes.</p><p>The talk presented a plan of experimental research of biogenic processes and first step results. Microbiological studies at the first stage are carried out in laboratory conditions, at the second stage they will be carried out under the conditions of URL and include:</p><p>- changes of host rock sorption and diffusion properties due to biofilms formation,</p><p>- assessment of the possibility biocolloidal particles formation and determination clay and ferruginous colloids stability during biogenic processes;</p><p>To date, the study of the phylogenetic and functional diversity of the microflora of the granite-gneiss massif, near-surface waters, and clay materials that will be used in disposal has been carried out. It has been established that microorganisms, isolated from samples, collected nearby the zone of the future repository are capable of participating in a number of undesirable processes, including steel corrosion acceleration, the formation of biogenic gases, and changes in the properties of clay materials. Our studies also show that microbial communities of clays are activated by hydrogen, which is a product of steel corrosion and water radiolysis. At the first stage, we found an increase in the corrosion of carbon steel in the presence of microorganisms sampled from the study area.</p><p>An acceleration of the corrosion rate of carbon steel (from 1.3 to 1.9 μm/year) was observed with an increase in temperature from 20 to 50<sup>0</sup>С, the calculated value of the activation energy was 22 kJ/mol * K. Based on the data obtained, a kinetic model of carbon steel corrosion in the presence of microorganisms was created, including both the inclusion of the activation energy and the inhibition of corrosion by the formed corrosion products.</p><p> </p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 51-60
Author(s):  
S. G. Maryinskikh ◽  
◽  
V. V. Zhigarev ◽  
O. A. Ilyina ◽  
V. V. Krupskaya ◽  
...  

Large-scale efforts implemented under the Unified State System for RW Management including the construction of near-surface disposal facilities for RW Class 3 and 4, as well as provision of long-term safety at nuclear legacy facilities require the scientific community to develop systems of engineered safety barriers preventing radionuclide releases into the environment. In the near future, at least 70 storage facilities for non-retrievable RW will require the installation of such barrier systems. The quality of barrier materials constituting to the system of engineered safety barriers (EBS), including their ability of providing a uniform backfilling of cavities inside the structures, is viewed as an important design parameter requiring proper assessment both under the production control of materials and quality control of designed EBS, including relevant in situ testing.


Author(s):  
T. Wichertjes ◽  
E.J. Kwak ◽  
E.F.J. Van Bruggen

Hemocyanin of the horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) has been studied in nany ways. Recently the structure, dissociation and reassembly was studied using electron microscopy of negatively stained specimens as the method of investigation. Crystallization of the protein proved to be possible and X-ray crystallographic analysis was started. Also fluorescence properties of the hemocyanin after dialysis against Tris-glycine buffer + 0.01 M EDTA pH 8.9 (so called “stripped” hemocyanin) and its fractions II and V were studied, as well as functional properties of the fractions by NMR. Finally the temperature-jump method was used for assaying the oxygen binding of the dissociating molecule and of preparations of isolated subunits. Nevertheless very little is known about the structure of the intact molecule. Schutter et al. suggested that the molecule possibly consists of two halves, combined in a staggered way, the halves themselves consisting of four subunits arranged in a square.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document