Nature of the near-field environment in a deep geological repository and the implications for the corrosion behaviour of the container

King, Fraser; Hall, David S.; Keech, Peter G.

doi:10.1080/1478422x.2017.1330736

Cited by 55 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Once placement of bentonite buffer boxes in the DGR is complete, void spaces will be filled in with additional bentonite clay backfill [9].…”

Section: Storage Of Used Nuclear Fuelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Models predict that a maximum container surface temperature of 84°C will be achieved after 45 years [16]. Although the rate of transport of dissolved species to and from the UFC will be slower, diffusion of gaseous species could be more rapid [9].…”

Section: Environmental Conditions Of a Dgrmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The second stage begins when temperatures decrease after the initial heat release from radioactive decay. Lower temperatures will allow bentonite resaturation, a process estimated to take 50 years in the case of a crystalline host rock and 5000 years in the case of a sedimentary host rock [9]. The third and final stage will begin when temperatures have equilibrated and bentonite has saturated, and will continue indefinitely [7].…”

Section: Environmental Conditions Of a Dgrmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbiology of barrier component analogues of a deep geological repository

et al. 2022

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Canada is currently implementing a site selection process to identify a location for a deep geological repository (DGR) for the long-term storage of Canada’s used nuclear fuel, wherein used nuclear fuel bundles will be sealed inside copper-coated carbon steel containers, encased in highly compacted bentonite clay buffer boxes and sealed deep underground in a stable geosphere. Because a DGR must remain functional for a million years, there is value to examining ancient natural systems that serve as analogues for planned DGR components. Specifically, studying the microbiology of natural analogue components of a DGR is important for developing an understanding of the types of microorganisms that may be able to grow and influence the long-term stability of a DGR. This study explored the abundance, viability, and composition of microorganisms in several ancient natural analogues using a combination of cultivation and cultivation-independent approaches. Samples were obtained from the Tsukinuno bentonite deposit (Japan) that formed ~10 mya, the Opalinus Clay formation (Switzerland) that formed ~174 mya, and Canadian shield crystalline rock from Northern Ontario that formed ~2.7 bya. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicons revealed that three of the ten Tsukinuno bentonite samples analyzed were dominated by putative aerobic heterotrophs and fermenting bacteria from the Actinobacteria phylum, whereas five of the Tsukinuno bentonite samples were dominated by sequences associated with putative acidophilic chemolithoautotrophs capable of sulfur reduction.

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“…Once placement of bentonite buffer boxes in the DGR is complete, void spaces will be filled in with additional bentonite clay backfill [9].…”

Section: Storage Of Used Nuclear Fuelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Conditions Of a Dgrmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Environmental Conditions Of a Dgrmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbiology of barrier component analogues of a deep geological repository

et al. 2022

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“…Its general approach is to: (i) predict possible pore-water/groundwater conditions based on known geological data, (ii) collect input electrochemical data for copper oxidation over a very wide range of potential pore-water/ groundwater conditions, including for pH and electrolyte type and amount, (iii) develop models for oxic corrosion of both active and passive conditions and (iv) assess and quantify the degree of damage to the UFC due to localised corrosion processes based on a combination of experimental and modelled data. This program has so far established a range of possible near-field conditions during the early thermal transient (see King et al [20]) and, from potentiodynamic polarisation curves, has examined the passivity of copper in these conditions (see Qin et al [21]). In this context, passivity is considered to be a thin and continuous layer of cuprite.…”

Section: The Localised Corrosion Behaviour and Surface Roughening Of mentioning

confidence: 99%

An overview of the Canadian corrosion program for the long-term management of nuclear waste

Hall

Keech

2017

Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology

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The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has developed a comprehensive Proof Test Plan to evaluate the feasibility and safety of its deep geological repository solution for nuclear waste. This work plan includes many active research programs to build confidence in the Canadian used nuclear fuel container design, a copper-coated steel vessel that is optimised for the CANDU waste form. Ongoing research within the Proof Test Plan includes several programs to evaluate the possible extent of damage that may be caused by various corrosion mechanisms: the anoxic corrosion of copper in pure water, concentrated chloride solutions, and in the presence of sulphide; a comparison of the corrosion behaviour of copper coatings on steel with wrought copper; the localised corrosion and surface roughening of copper; the γ-radiolysis-induced corrosion of copper; the galvanic corrosion of through-coating defects; and the localised corrosion of the internal steel weld region.

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“…Much less is known regarding the ability of the models to describe uptake data at even higher background salt concentrations. Some countries discuss settings for nuclear waste disposal that involve high salt concentrations of the relevant waters [18]. As an example, in Germany some options for repositories in areas that would involve highly saline aqueous solutions (up to saturated brines, i.e., for rock-salt about 5 M NaCl at room temperature) have been discussed [19], and experimental data and models for treating such systems are required.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adsorption of Strontium onto Synthetic Iron(III) Oxide up to High Ionic Strength Systems

Garcia

Lützenkirchen

Huguenel³

et al. 2021

Minerals

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In this work, the adsorption behavior of Sr onto a synthetic iron(III) oxide (hematite with traces of goethite) has been studied. This solid, which might be considered a representative of Fe3+ solid phases (iron corrosion products), was characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and its specific surface area was determined. Both XRD and XPS data are consistent with a mixed solid containing more than 90% hematite and 10% goethite. The solid was further characterized by fast acid-base titrations at different NaCl concentrations (from 0.1 to 5 M). Subsequently, for each background NaCl concentration used for the acid-base titrations, Sr-uptake experiments were carried out involving two different levels of Sr concentration (1·10−5 and 5·10−5 M, respectively) at constant solid concentration (7.3 g/L) as a function of −log([H+]/M). A Surface Complexation Model (SCM) was fitted to the experimental data, following a coupled Pitzer/surface complexation approach. The Pitzer model was applied to aqueous species. A Basic Stern Model was used for interfacial electrostatics of the system, which includes ion-specific effects via ion-specific pair-formation constants, whereas the Pitzer-approach involves ion-interaction parameters that enter the model through activity coefficients for aqueous species. A simple 1-pK model was applied (generic surface species, denoted as >XOH−1/2). Parameter fitting was carried out using the general parameter estimation software UCODE, coupled to a modified version of FITEQL2. The combined approach describes the full set of data reasonably well and involves two Sr-surface complexes, one of them including chloride. Monodentate and bidentate models were tested and were found to perform equally well. The SCM is particularly able to account for the incomplete uptake of Sr at higher salt levels, supporting the idea that adsorption models conventionally used in salt concentrations below 1 M are applicable to high salt concentrations if the correct activity corrections for the aqueous species are applied. This generates a self-consistent model framework involving a practical approach for semi-mechanistic SCMs. The model framework of coupling conventional electrostatic double layer models for the surface with a Pitzer approach for the bulk solution earlier tested with strongly adsorbing solutes is here shown to be successful for more weakly adsorbing solutes.

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Nature of the near-field environment in a deep geological repository and the implications for the corrosion behaviour of the container

Cited by 55 publications

References 22 publications

Microbiology of barrier component analogues of a deep geological repository

Microbiology of barrier component analogues of a deep geological repository

An overview of the Canadian corrosion program for the long-term management of nuclear waste

Adsorption of Strontium onto Synthetic Iron(III) Oxide up to High Ionic Strength Systems

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