scholarly journals The European DISCO project: deep geological disposal of modern spent nuclear fuel

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 233-234
Author(s):  
Dirk Bosbach ◽  
Lena Z. Evins
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Knowledge Gain ◽  
Geological Disposal ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Safety Cases ◽  
Project Objectives

Abstract. Direct disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in a deep-mined geological repository is foreseen in various countries. Several decades of research (incl. various European projects such as SFS, NF-PRO, MICADO, REDUPP and FIRST-Nuclides) have shown that SNF shows a number of favourable properties as a waste form. Based on this background, the scientific collaborative DISCO project (2017–2021) aims to improve the understanding of the scientific basis of the safety cases for SNF under repository conditions – specifically for modern fuels. It comprises 16 project partners from eight EU countries consisting of large research institutions and small and medium enterprises (SME's), as well as an end-user group. It is supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation with about 4 million euro (EU contribution). The project concept and implementation were initiated via the Exchange Forum of the Implementation of Geological Disposal – Technology Platform (IGD-TP) based on discussions among various actors, namely waste management organisations and the research community. The specific scientific issue of the DISCO project is whether the kinetics of the SNF dissolution process are affected by the composition and characteristics of the SNF itself, with a focus on modern Cr-doped and mixed oxide (MOX) fuels, which have been developed in recent years. The effect of dopants in the fuel matrix with regard to redox reactivity of the irradiated fuel needs to be evaluated, since this may affect the dissolution behaviour of and radionuclide release from these modern fuels. The overall objectives of the DISCO project are (1) to enhance our understanding of SNF matrix dissolution under conditions representative of failed containers in reducing repository environments and (2) to assess whether novel types of fuel (MOX, doped fuels) behave in a similar manner to conventional fuels. Experimental and modelling tasks have been defined to achieve the project objectives. The expected knowledge gain is essential for waste management organisations and will provide new insights into factors affecting their safety cases as fuel systems have evolved.

Deep Geological Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste

2015 ◽  
pp. 367-399
Author(s):  
Želimir Veinović ◽  
Biljana Kovačević Zelić ◽  
Dubravko Domitrović
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Geological Disposal ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
Deep Geological Disposal ◽  
Safety Cases ◽  
High Level

Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SF) and High-Level Waste (HLW) is one of the most important and challenging problems of the modern world. Otherwise a clean, cheap, constant, and secure way to produce electricity, nuclear power plants create large amounts of highly hazardous waste. Repositories—deep Geological Disposal Facilities (GDF)—for these types of waste must prevent radionuclides from reaching the biosphere, for up to 1,000,000 years, migrating from a deep (more than 300m), stable geological environment. At present, there are no operating GDFs for SF and/or HLW, mostly due to the difficult and complex task of preparing safety cases and licensing. The purpose of this chapter is to validate the generic R&D activities in this area and present alternative concepts of Radioactive Waste (RW) management: retrievability, reversibility, regional GDFs, long-term storage, and deep borehole disposal, demonstrating the main engineering tasks in solving the problem of RW management and disposal.

scholarly journals Nuclear Data Uncertainty Quantification in Criticality Safety Evaluations for Spent Nuclear Fuel Geological Disposal

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6499
Author(s):  
Matthias Frankl ◽  
Mathieu Hursin ◽  
Dimitri Rochman ◽  
Alexander Vasiliev ◽  
Hakim Ferroukhi
Keyword(s):  
Uncertainty Quantification ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Data ◽  
Data Uncertainty ◽  
Evaluation Methodology ◽  
Geological Disposal ◽  
Fuel Assemblies ◽  
Criticality Safety

Presently, a criticality safety evaluation methodology for the final geological disposal of Swiss spent nuclear fuel is under development at the Paul Scherrer Institute in collaboration with the Swiss National Technical Competence Centre in the field of deep geological disposal of radioactive waste. This method in essence pursues a best estimate plus uncertainty approach and includes burnup credit. Burnup credit is applied by means of a computational scheme called BUCSS-R (Burnup Credit System for the Swiss Reactors–Repository case) which is complemented by the quantification of uncertainties from various sources. BUCSS-R consists in depletion, decay and criticality calculations with CASMO5, SERPENT2 and MCNP6, respectively, determining the keff eigenvalues of the disposal canister loaded with the Swiss spent nuclear fuel assemblies. However, the depletion calculation in the first and the criticality calculation in the third step, in particular, are subject to uncertainties in the nuclear data input. In previous studies, the effects of these nuclear data-related uncertainties on obtained keff values, stemming from each of the two steps, have been quantified independently. Both contributions to the overall uncertainty in the calculated keff values have, therefore, been considered as fully correlated leading to an overly conservative estimation of total uncertainties. This study presents a consistent approach eliminating the need to assume and take into account unrealistically strong correlations in the keff results. The nuclear data uncertainty quantification for both depletion and criticality calculation is now performed at once using one and the same set of perturbation factors for uncertainty propagation through the corresponding calculation steps of the evaluation method. The present results reveal the overestimation of nuclear data-related uncertainties by the previous approach, in particular for spent nuclear fuel with a high burn-up, and underline the importance of consistent nuclear data uncertainty quantification methods. However, only canister loadings with UO2 fuel assemblies are considered, not offering insights into potentially different trends in nuclear data-related uncertainties for mixed oxide fuel assemblies.

Site Investigations of Potential Repository Sites in Sweden

2003 ◽  
Vol 807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Wikberg ◽  
Kaj Ahlbom ◽  
Olle Olsson
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Site Investigation ◽  
Management Programme ◽  
Nuclear Waste Management ◽  
Geologic Repository ◽  
The Public ◽  
Site Investigations

ABSTRACTThe Swedish nuclear waste management programme has entered the site investigation phase. Early 2002 SKB received permission from the municipalities of Östhammar and Oskarshamn to perform site investigations for a potential deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel. The goal of the site investigation phase is to obtain a permit to build the deep repository for spent nuclear fuel. In parallel with the investigations, consultations will be held with county administrative boards, regulatory authorities and municipalities, as well as with members of the public.

Technology Development to Support OCRWM Transportation Activities

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
William H. Lake ◽  
Nancy Slater-Thompson ◽  
Ned Larson ◽  
Franchone Oshinowo
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Technology Development ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
High Level ◽  
Transportation Program

Technology development activities are being conducted by the Department of Energy, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management to support spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste transport to the federal repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada in 2010. The paper discusses the motivation for pursuing transport technologies for a private sector operated transportation program, and describes some of the current technologies being pursued.

The Role of the Engineered Barrier System in Safety Cases for Geological Radioactive Waste Repositories: An NEA Initiative in Co-operation with the EC

2006 ◽  
Vol 932 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Bennett ◽  
Alan J. Hooper ◽  
Sylvie Voinis ◽  
Hiroyuki Umeki
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Radioactive Waste Repositories ◽  
Deep Underground ◽  
Safety Cases ◽  
Waste Repositories

Radioactive waste derives from all phases of the nuclear fuel cycle and from the use of radioactive materials in industrial, medical, military and research applications; all such wastes must be managed safely. The most hazardous and long-lived wastes, such as spent nuclear fuel and waste from nuclear fuel reprocessing, must be contained and isolated from humans and the environment for many thousands of years. Many Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) member countries are, therefore, researching plans for the management of long-lived radioactive waste in engineered facilities, or repositories, located deep underground in suitable geological formations.

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