DIAMOND: Decommissioning, Immobilisation And Management Of Nuclear wastes for Disposal
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leeds
Department Name: Inst of Particle Science & Engineering
Abstract
Legacy waste treatment and disposal, as well as decommissioning and site remediation, from the last 60 years of the UK's civil nuclear program are conservatively estimated at a cost of 70B for the UK taxpayer. The diversity of issues that must be addressed in tackling this problem is immense and requires a wide range of innovative solutions drawn from an equally wide range of technology discipline areas. The proposed research program is divided into three work packages (WPs): (1) Environment, Migration and Risk; (2) Decommissioning, the Historic Legacy and Site Termination; and (3) Materials - Design, Development and Performance.WP 1: Environment, Migration and RiskCleaning up contaminated land is a substantial component of nuclear site restoration. The range of radioactive contaminants present, and the potential for mixed contamination, represents a major challenge. In particular, the potential for migration of soluble and colloidal species in the subsurface is a key uncertainty in defining site end points. Currently, most cleanup is expected to be through invasive technologies; hence, we will explore more cost-effective in situ technologies such as barrier treatment systems. Many of the uncertainties and technical challenges associated with geological disposal of immobilised radioactive wastes are critically dependent on the rate of release from the engineered facility, and on the subsequent behaviour of the radionuclides in the disturbed zone and the far field. Work Package 2: Decommissioning, the Historic Legacy and Site TerminationHeterogeneous wastes present in fuel storage and handling facilities are a key target of the consortium. These wastes comprise irradiated fuel, contaminated materials and corrosion products. Total volumes and compositions (both chemical and radioactive) are poorly known, although there are believed to be several hundred m3 in each of the main storage ponds. Improved and accurate characterisation is therefore a priority, and novel technologies for retrieval and treatment are proposed here. In addition, historical activities have created small volumes of orphan wastes for which no clear management route exists; their diversity requires new and versatile treatment methods which will be developed in this programme. We also focus on the quantification of radionuclide inventories, contaminant transport through engineered pathways and waste retrieval as areas where we can make a further contribution.Work Package 3: Materials- Design, Development and PerformanceGeological disposal has been accepted by Government as the best available approach for the long term management of UK radioactive wastes, supported by a robust programme of interim storage . The focus of research in this WP is therefore to address key knowledge gaps in the conditioning, storage and disposal of wastes in order to underpin future decision making in waste management. Research is based on three key themes, aimed at: 1) understanding the effects of radiation and radiolysis on the stability of nuclear ceramics during interim storage; 2) understanding the corrosion mechanisms of spent nuclear fuels, steel packaging and HLW glasses under conditions of storage and disposal; 3) development of new materials and processing routes with the flexibility to immobilise a spectrum of wastes, including fuel debris and graphite, in a form suitable for storage and disposal. A further aspect of this WP will be development of new synthetic routes to advanced inert matrix fuels.
Organisations
Publications
Young A
(2013)
Behaviour of radionuclides in the presence of superplasticiser
in Advances in Cement Research
Thorpe C
(2014)
The interactions of strontium and technetium with Fe(II) bearing biominerals: Implications for bioremediation of radioactively contaminated land
in Applied Geochemistry
Zou B
(2015)
Effects of velocity and concentration on diffusive transport in low permeability geological systems
in Applied Geochemistry
Zhang T
(2014)
Formation of magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) cement pastes using sodium hexametaphosphate
in Cement and Concrete Research
Zhang T
(2011)
Development of low pH cement systems forming magnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H)
in Cement and Concrete Research
Zhang T
(2016)
Control of drying shrinkage in magnesium silicate hydrate (m-s-h) gel mortars
in Cement and Concrete Research
Hunter T
(2013)
The influence of system scale on impinging jet sediment erosion: Observed using novel and standard measurement techniques
in Chemical Engineering Research and Design
Di Giovanni B
(2012)
Particulate clusters and permeability in porous media
in Chemical Engineering Research and Design
Rice H
(2015)
Constraints on the functional form of the critical deposition velocity in solid-liquid pipe flow at low solid volume fractions
in Chemical Engineering Science
Hunter T
(2012)
Using a multi-frequency acoustic backscatter system as an in situ high concentration dispersion monitor
in Chemical Engineering Science
Rice H
(2015)
Measurement of particle concentration in horizontal, multiphase pipe flow using acoustic methods: Limiting concentration and the effect of attenuation
in Chemical Engineering Science
Thorpe C
(2012)
Strontium sorption and precipitation behaviour during bioreduction in nitrate impacted sediments
in Chemical Geology
Kerridge A
(2011)
Quantum chemical studies of the hydration of Sr2+ in vacuum and aqueous solution.
in Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)
Kerridge A
(2010)
All-electron CASPT2 study of Ce(?8-C8H6)2
in Comptes Rendus. Chimie
Kerridge A
(2011)
The coordination of Sr2+ by hydroxide: a density functional theoretical study
in Dalton Transactions
Birjkumar KH
(2011)
Computational investigation of the speciation of uranyl gluconate complexes in aqueous solution.
in Dalton transactions (Cambridge, England : 2003)
Cook A
(2012)
Calibration of the scanning Kelvin probe force microscope under controlled environmental conditions
in Electrochimica Acta
Cole I
(2011)
Multiscale modelling of the corrosion of metals under atmospheric corrosion
in Electrochimica Acta
Thorpe CL
(2012)
Alkaline Fe(III) reduction by a novel alkali-tolerant Serratia sp. isolated from surface sediments close to Sellafield nuclear facility, UK.
in FEMS microbiology letters
Holdich R
(2010)
Membrane Emulsification with Oscillating and Stationary Membranes
in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Holdich R
(2013)
Continuous Membrane Emulsification with Pulsed (Oscillatory) Flow
in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Dragosavac M
(2011)
Continuous Flow Stirred Cell Microfiltration of Ion Exchange Media to Determine Mass Transfer Kinetics and Equilibrium Data
in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research
Cassingham N
(2011)
The Structural Role of Zn in Nuclear Waste Glasses
in International Journal of Applied Glass Science
Douglas D
(2011)
Laser Ablation of a Sample In Liquid-LASIL
in Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry
Ivanov P
(2012)
The effect of humic acid on uranyl sorption onto bentonite at trace uranium levels.
in Journal of environmental monitoring : JEM
Stockdale A
(2011)
Estimation of Model VII humic binding constants for Pd2+, Sn2+, U4+, NpO2(2+), Pu4+ and PuO2(2+).
in Journal of environmental monitoring : JEM
Rose P
(2011)
Crystallisation of a simulated borosilicate high-level waste glass produced on a full-scale vitrification line
in Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids
Bingham P
(2011)
Oxidation state and local environment of selenium in alkali borosilicate glasses for radioactive waste immobilisation
in Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids
Davoisne C
(2011)
Krypton irradiation damage in Nd-doped zirconolite and perovskite
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Heath P
(2013)
Encapsulation of TRISO particle fuel in durable soda-lime-silicate glasses
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Kuenzel C
(2015)
Encapsulation of Cs/Sr contaminated clinoptilolite in geopolymers produced from metakaolin
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Mulroue J
(2013)
Trapping of He in intrinsic defects in zirconolite
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Stennett M
(2011)
Rapid synthesis of Pb5(VO4)3I, for the immobilisation of iodine radioisotopes, by microwave dielectric heating
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Gilbert M
(2011)
Krypton and helium irradiation damage in neodymium-zirconolite
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Phillips J
(2011)
Anion capture with calcium, aluminium and iron containing layered double hydroxides
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Godinho J
(2011)
Sintering of CaF2 pellets as nuclear fuel analog for surface stability experiments
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Mulroue J
(2013)
Charge localization on the hexa-interstitial cluster in MgO.
in Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal
Reid D
(2012)
The fluorite related modulated structures of the Gd2(Zr2-xCex)O7 solid solution: An analogue for Pu disposition
in Journal of Solid State Chemistry
Giddings A
(2011)
Synthesis, structure and characterisation of the n=4 Aurivillius phase Bi5Ti3CrO15
in Journal of Solid State Chemistry
Zhang T
(2012)
Magnesium-silicate-hydrate cements for encapsulating problematic aluminium containing wastes
in Journal of Sustainable Cement-Based Materials
Kuenzel C
(2012)
Ambient Temperature Drying Shrinkage and Cracking in Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers
in Journal of the American Ceramic Society
Hill GL
(2011)
High-pressure and -temperature ion exchange of aluminosilicate and gallosilicate natrolite.
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Protchenko AV
(2012)
A stable two-coordinate acyclic silylene.
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Saleh L
(2011)
Group 3 and Lanthanide Boryl Compounds: Syntheses, Structures, and Bonding Analyses of Sc-B, Y-B, and Lu-B s-Coordinated NHC Analogues
in Journal of the American Chemical Society
Schmidt R
(2012)
Effects of sintering temperature on the internal barrier layer capacitor (IBLC) structure in CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) ceramics
in Journal of the European Ceramic Society
Kuenzel C
(2013)
Production of nepheline/quartz ceramics from geopolymer mortars
in Journal of the European Ceramic Society
Dragosavac MM
(2012)
Production of porous silica microparticles by membrane emulsification.
in Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids
Ojovan M
(2010)
Glassy Wasteforms for Nuclear Waste Immobilization
in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A
Ohe T
(2018)
Adsorption and diffusion of strontium in simulated rock fractures quantified via ion beam analysis
in Mineralogical Magazine