Thermally Constrained Conceptual Deep Geological Repository Design under Spacing and Placing Uncertainties

The temperature evolution within a deep geological repository (DGR) is a key design consideration for the safe and permanent storage of the high-level radioactive waste contained inside used nuclear fuel containers (UFCs). Due to the material limitations of engineered components with respect to high temperature tolerance, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization of Canada requires the maximum temperature within a future Canadian DGR to be less than 100 °C. Densely placing UFCs within a DGR is economically ideal, but greater UFC placement density will increase the maximum temperature reached in the repository. This paper was aimed to optimize (i) the separation between UFCs, (ii) the distance between container placement rooms, and (iii) the locations of the age-dependent UFCs in the placement rooms for a conceptual DGR constructed in crystalline rock. Surrogate-based optimization reduced the amount of computationally expensive evaluations of a COMSOL Multiphysics model used to study the temperature evolution within the conceptual DGR and determined optimal repository design points. Via yield optimization, nominal design points that considered uncertainties in the design process were observed. As more information becomes available during the design process for the Canadian DGR, the methods employed in this paper can be revisited to aid in selecting a UFC placement plan and to mitigate risks that may cause repository failure.

An evaluation of key challenges of CO2 transportation with a novel Subsea Shuttle Tanker

Recently, a novel Subsea Shuttle Tanker (SST) concept has been proposed to transport carbon dioxide (CO2) from ports to offshore oil and gas fields for either permanent storage or enhanced oil recovery (EOR). SST is a large autonomous underwater vehicle that travels at a constant water depth away from waves. SST has some key advantages over subsea pipelines and tanker ships when employed at marginal fields. It enables carbon storage in marginal fields which do not have sufficient volumes to justify pipelines. Further, in contrast to ships, SST does not require the use of a permanently installed riser base. This paper will evaluate the key challenges of using such vessel for CO2 transportation. It discusses the most important properties such as thermodynamic properties, purity, and hydrate formation of CO2 at different vessel-transportation states in relation to cargo sizing, material selection, and energy consumption.

Ensuring radiation safety during temporary storage of solidified radioactive waste in light hangar-type facilities

Expensive permanent storage facilities with massive engineered structures are used traditionally to ensure safe temporary storage of solidified radioactive waste at the NPP sites. Such approach is dictated by the need to comply with the regulatory requirements for limiting the gamma background in the area adjacent to the storage facility. The costs involved in temporary storage of solidified RW can be optimized by using light hangar-type storage facilities. At the same time, the safety of storage, including radiation protection of the personnel, the public and the environment, is undoubtedly ensured through the use of special organizational and engineering solutions. The Novovoronezh NPP, a branch of JSC Concern Rosenergoatom, operates successfully light hangar-type facilities for temporary storage of solidified RW classified as medium-level waste in accordance with OSPORB-99/2009. In the process of operation, a methodology and a method for conditioning and temporary storage of solidified RW were developed to ensure the RW removal for final disposal with no extra process operations and unreasonable costs. A methodology has been developed to assess the radiation situation around storage facilities during temporary storage of RW, as well as a software package for predicting the radiation situation when deciding on the arrangement of the storage facility’s peripheral rows.

Marine Monitoring for Offshore Geological Carbon Storage—A Review of Strategies, Technologies and Trends

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) could significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and reaching international climate goals. In this process, CO2 is captured and injected into geological formations for permanent storage. The injected plume and its migration within the reservoir is carefully monitored, using geophysical methods. While it is considered unlikely that the injected CO2 should escape the reservoir and reach the marine environment, marine monitoring is required to verify that there are no indications of leakage, and to detect and quantify leakage if it should occur. Marine monitoring is challenging because of the considerable area to be covered, the limited spatial and temporal extent of a potential leakage event, and the considerable natural variability in the marine environment. In this review, we summarize marine monitoring strategies developed to ensure adequate monitoring of the marine environment without introducing prohibitive costs. We also provide an overview of the many different technologies applicable to different aspects of marine monitoring of geologically stored carbon. Finally, we identify remaining knowledge gaps and indicate expected directions for future research.

Principles of Formation of Collection Funds of Microorganism Strains

The aim of the review was to consider the principles and criteria for the formation of funds of service microbiological collections and the specialized State collection of pathogenic bacteria (SCPB) at the RusRAPI “Microbe”. The rapid pace of characterization, study, and use of microbial diversity makes the development of criteria for the selection of microorganisms for permanent storage in collections particularly relevant. The number and format of these criteria are determined by the tasks the collection centers of different levels and specialization are facing. Service collections form their funds by depositing or acquiring type, reference, educational strains. In recent years, the practicability of expanding the range of strains, the deposition of which is desirable in service collections, has been recognized. These are strains characterized by phylogenetic, genomic, metabolic, ecological uniqueness; with a fully sequenced genome; known and emerging plant, animal and human pathogens that caused disease outbreaks; used in international research projects; having biotechnological and economic significance. The main task of the SCPB as a specialized state collection of pathogenic bacteria of groups I–II is to preserve strains characterizing the intraspecific diversity and populations of pathogens circulating in natural foci or in certain territories of the Russian Federation, isolated during epizootics, local or epidemic outbreaks. The selection criteria for strains for permanent storage are their ecological, phenotypic, and genetic peculiarities. The preservation of such a collection is important for future research using new technologies and tracking the evolution of pathogenic bacteria – causative agents of particularly dangerous infectious diseases.

It’s pronounced “EE-lick”: Milo Ellik, veteran, urologist, and inventor of the evacuator that bears his name

Objectives The Ellik Evacuator is a commonly used tool in transurethral endoscopic surgery and a standard of care for the rapid removal from the bladder of resected tumor fragments, prostatic chips, or blood. Little is known, however, about the inventor of the Ellik evacuator, his urologic contributions, and how the evacuator came to be. Methods We contacted surviving descendants of Dr. Milo Ellik, and conducted interviews as part of an oral history project. Original medical equipment and personal belongings, provided by the family of Dr. Ellik, were analysed. Secondary source materials included published urologic articles and unpublished biographic information. Results Milo Ellik was born in Chicago in 1905 but was orphaned and put himself through college. He graduated from the University of Iowa with an MD in 1932 and began residency under Nathan Alcock. Ellik conceived of the evacuator that bears his name as a resident, visiting the glass-blowing facility at the Iowa University Hospital to construct the prototype. He published the results in a 1937 issue of the Journal of Urology but did not obtain a patent which was eventually procured by Bard in 1940. Conclusions Milo Ellik designed a major innovation in transurethral surgery as a resident in urology by constructing the first glass evacuator that bears his name. The Ellik family donated a large quantity of Dr. Ellik’s inventions to the AUA’s Didusch Museum for permanent storage and study.

Bone and antler artefacts from the Middle and Late Mesolithic layers of Ivanovskoye 7 in the collection of MAE RAS

A collection of bone artefacts from Mesolithic layers of the site Ivanovskoye 7, excavated by the Upper Volga expedition under direction of M.G. Zhilin was taken for permanent storage by MAE RAS in 2012. Three cultural layers yielded impressive collections of bone and antler artefacts of early, middle and late periods of the Butovo culture. Finds from the bottom layer are already described in detail [Zhilin 2018]. The present article is devoted to publication of bone and antler artefacts from the Middle and Late Mesolithic layers of this site. Further development of traditions of the bone industry of the bottom layer is observed in these layers. At the same time new tool types emerge, and some types of bone and antler artefacts widespread in the bottom layer are absent in the upper layers. Comparison of finds from Mesolithic layers of Ivanovskoye 7 with other peat bog sites of the Butovo culture indicates rather steady development of bone industry. During the whole period of its existence the population of the Butovo culture was equipped with a highly developed set of bone and antler artefacts needed for successful living in the forests of temperate zone. Bone industry of the Late Mesolithic layer of Ivanovskoye 7 found further development in the Early Neolithic Upper Volga culture.

A Low Cost Sensor System for Monitoring and Predicting Corrosion of Long Term Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage

With the closing of the Yucca mountain storage facility, on-site storage of spent nuclear fuel at reactor sites has increased and will continue to increase until a permanent storage facility is prepared. Dry storage canisters are used to store spent nuclear fuel waste over long periods of time, but are susceptible to mechanical failure via corrosion. This dissertation presents a system to monitor the integrity of the storage canister. Sensor data fusion algorithms have been designed to predict the integrity of the storage system and provide feedback for preventative maintenance. The environmental conditions that lead to corrosion have been replicated and detected by the sensor system within an environmental chamber and the predictive model has been able to estimate the time till failure of a sacrificial corrosion sensor.

Crypt4GH: a file format standard enabling native access to encrypted data

Motivation The majority of genome analysis tools and pipelines require data to be decrypted for access. This potentially leaves sensitive genetic data exposed, either because the unencrypted data is not removed after analysis, or because the data leaves traces on the permanent storage medium. Results : We defined a file container specification enabling direct byte-level compatible random access to encrypted genetic data stored in community standards such as SAM/BAM/CRAM/VCF/BCF. By standardizing this format, we show how it can be added as a native file format to genomic libraries, enabling direct analysis of encrypted data without the need to create a decrypted copy. Availability and implementation The Crypt4GH specification can be found at: http://samtools.github.io/hts-specs/crypt4gh.pdf. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.