Towards higher temperatures in nuclear waste repositories

Can clays ensure nuclear waste repositories?

Research on argillite as a possible host rock for nuclear waste disposal is still an open subject since many issues need to be clarified. In the Underground Research Laboratories constructed for this purpose, a damaged zone around the excavation has been systematically observed and characterized by the appearance of micro-fissures. We analyse here -at nanoscale level- the calcite/clay assembly,...

Hydrologic issues associated with nuclear waste repositories

Significant progress in hydrology, especially in subsurface flow and solute transport, has been made over the last 35 years because of sustained interest in underground nuclear waste repositories. The present paper provides an overview of the key hydrologic issues involved, and to highlight advances in their understanding and treatment because of these efforts. The focus is not on the developme...

Modeling transient heat transfer in nuclear waste repositories.

The heat of high-level nuclear waste may be generated and released from a canister at final disposal sites. The waste heat may affect the engineering properties of waste canisters, buffers, and backfill material in the emplacement tunnel and the host rock. This study addresses the problem of the heat generated from the waste canister and analyzes the heat distribution between the buffer and the...

Clay as sealing material in nuclear waste repositories

some agent. This agent is usually water, which can transport the radionuclides in dissolved form or in colloids or small particles. We can therefore establish that a basic characteristic of a safe repository is for it be impermeable, that is, water should not be able to penetrate it. At this stage it is appropriate to consider the physical form in which the waste will be taken to the repository...

Particulate Phases Possibly Conveyed from Nuclear Waste Repositories by Groundwater