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Institute of Energy and Climate Research IEK-6: Nuclear waste management and reactor safety

Strasbourg, 22nd February 2012 | Stefan Neumeier; G. Modolo, D. Bosbach

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Institute of Energy and Climate Research

IEK-1: Materials synthesis and processing IEK-2: Microstructure and properties IEK-3: Fuel cells IEK-4: Plasma physics IEK-5: Photovoltaics IEK-6: Nuclear waste management and reactor safety IEK-7: Stratosphere IEK-8: Troposphere IEK-STE: Systems analysis and technology evaluation IEK-PBZ: Project fuel cell

The Institute of Energy and Climate Research investigates modern energy conversion technologies within the framework of climate and environmental protection.

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Institute of Energy and Climate Research IEK-6: Nuclear waste management and reactor safety

Reactor safety Prof. H.-J. Allelein

Nuclear fuel cycle Prof. B. Thomauske

Nuclear waste management Prof. D. Bosbach

73 people (plus 24 PhD students)

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IEK-6 research topics - nuclear waste management

Applied science

• Product quality control for the Konrad repository as well as high level waste from reprocessing in France and United Kingdom

• Characterisation of nuclear waste packages

• Project „Nuclear graphite“

• Nuclear safeguards

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Product Quality Control is the examination of radioactive waste to “verify the compliance of waste residue properties with the acceptance criteria of a

repository”. (DIN 25401-9)

• Develop a product quality control system, e.g. appropriate proof tools to check on radioactive waste properties & characteristics.

• Examine the long-term disposability of rad-waste residues from nuclear reprocessing (high-level vitrified waste containers)

• Process based product control: process qualification, inspections, documentation check.

• Overall & general tasks: method evaluation, advise (e.g. in politics). • Ever since 1985 PKS has been operating in the area of product

quality assurance of radioactive waste as a group of specialized experts on request of the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS).

Product quality control of radioactive waste

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Characterisation of nuclear waste packages

Segmented γ-scanner

Neutron counter

Tomography system

Non-destructive methods

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Characterisation of nuclear waste packages

PGNAA for the characterisation of chemo-toxic components (Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis)

Energy [keV]

550 600 650 700 750 800

Coun

ts

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

Cd-1

13

Cd-1

13

Pb-2

07m

Ge-7

4

Ge-7

3Ge

-73

Cs-1

37

Fe-5

6Ge

-73

Ca-4

0

Fe-5

6

Cl-3

5

PGNAA-spectrum for 3 g Cd and 260 g Pb in 38 kg cement

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R&D Objectives of the IEK-6 Graphite Project

Retrieval of i-graphite from reactor core (e.g. dust problem), Characterisation of i-graphite features Clarification of contamination origin, Treatment / purification options, Re-use / Recycling of i-graphite for different purposes, Storage and disposal behaviour

Applied Methods Radiochemical characterisation before treatment Graphite purification by

Reactive gases (O2, steam, CO2) Chemical agents Electrolyses

Structural analyses after treatment Identification of chemical bonds of contaminants

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Nuclear safeguards

The IAEA and the German Government, represented by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), have agreed upon a Joint Programme on the Technical Development and Further Improvement of IAEA Safeguards in 1978.

IEK-6 coordinates the programme in close cooperation with the BMWi and works on nuclear measurement technologies, satellite imagery analysis and geoinformation systems.

The programme includes R&D tasks on measurement methods and techniques, safeguards data and information processing, containment and surveillance techniques, safeguards concepts for future technologies, and provides training of IAEA staff, consultancy support and the delegation of cost-free experts to the IAEA.

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IEK-6 research topics – nuclear waste management

• Long-term safety of nuclear disposal Spent fuel corrosion; formation of secondary alteration phases and

retention of radionuclides; instant release fraction

• Innovative waste management strategies Ceramic waste forms; partitioning (P&C); ceramic based target

materials (P&T)

Basic science

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Spent fuel corrosion

Basic science for the retention / sorption of radionuclides within a multi barrier system

Radiolysis Matrix dissolution Secondary phases

Long-term safety of deep geological disposal

U-IV

U-VI

RN

H2 H2O2

O2

α,β,γ H2O

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Corrosion experiments Irradiated and non-irradiated research reactor fuel samples - Corrosion rates - Mobile / immobile RN

Separation and identification of individual secondary phases

Synthesis of secondary phases, identification of RN binding mechanism

IEK-6 approach

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Charging cell 601 Operation site 601

Glovebox, top

Hot Cell 601

Area: 4.5 m x 3 m x 4.55 m, volume: 60 m³ air exchange: 21 fold per hour 4 manipulators, crane inside (3 t) Connected charging cell Glovebox, top

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Ceramic matrix

Spent fuel

Dissolution

Actiniden

+ FP

Actiniden

Am3+ Cm3+ Pu4+

UO22+

NpO22+

Integrated approach

Transmutation Partitioning Conditioning

Co-Conversion

Innovative waste management strategies

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Partitioning

Basic science Synthesis of ligands Extraction mechanisms Process development Stability of ligands Process design

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Radiochemical analytics (1) Liquid Scintillation counting (LSC) Aqueous & organic samples Quantulus (Perkin Elmer), Autosampler Ultra low level activity determination Determination of environmental activity (14C) α, β discrimination

TRI-CARB 2200 (Perkin Elmer) Autosampler > 100 samples

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Radiochemical analytics (2) α-spectroscopy Qualitative & quantitative analysis of α-emitter Si-detector Low level detection γ-spectroscopy HP Ge-detector (N2-cooled), NaI-detector, LaBr-detector Radionuclide detection with low γ-energy (55Fe: Eγ < 5.9 keV) Low level detection Borehole detector

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Ceramic matrix

Spent fuel

Dissolution

Actiniden

+ FP

Actiniden

Am3+ Cm3+ Pu4+

UO22+

NpO22+

Integrated approach

Transmutation Partitioning Conditioning

Co-Conversion

Innovative waste management strategies

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Ln(III)/An(III)PO4 Nd: YSZ Ln(III)/An(III) Zr2O7

New materials for nuclear waste disposal Current research activities

Synthesis

Characterisation

Radiation damage (Subatech, Nantes)

Stability/Corrosion (Under repository relevant conditions)

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SEM

EXAFS

ceramic waste form

Analytical methods used by IEK-6

TRLFS

XRD

Optical microscopy

FIB/TEM

Raman

IR

Microstructure Long range order

Short and medium range order

Molecular Modelling

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Electron microscopy ESEM: Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy Quanta 200 FEG (FEI) EDX & WDX (EDAX)

FIB: Focused Ion Beam NVision 40 Cross Beam Workstation (Zeiss) EDX & EBSD (Oxford) STEM

TEM: Transmission Electron Microscopy LIBRA 200 Cs (Zeiss) 200 kV Resolution: < 0.1 nm Cooperation with IEK-2

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X-ray Diffraction D8 Advance (Bruker-AXS) Scintillation counter, NaI Linear detector VÅNTEC Cu-Kα, Theta/Theta geometry Climate chamber MRI Hot Humidity

D4 Endeavor Quick sample changing for high sample throughput 66 samples Cu-Kα, Theta/2Theta geometry Linear detector LYNXEYE, high speed & high count rate

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Vibrational spectroscopy Raman spectroscopy Lab RAM HR (Horiba Scientific) Confocal Raman Microscope

Infrared spectroscopy Equinox 55 (Bruker) KBr-pellets ATR (attenuated total reflection) TGA

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Miscellaneous ICP-MS ELAN 6100 DRC (PerkinElmer SCIEX ) STA 449C Netzsch Dilatometer DIL 402C (Netzsch) Induction furnace (Linn High Therm GmbH), 2500 °C, MS High temperature furnace HTK 8 (GERO GmbH), 2200 °C Vacuum hot press HP W 5 (FCT Systeme), 2200 °C, press capacity max. 50 kN, 5 x 10-2 mbar BET AUTOSORB-1 (Quantachrome Instruments) Spectral photometer CADAS 100 (Dr. Lange) Granulometer CILAS 920 Autoclaves Gas chromatography (Siemens AG) …

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IEK-6 research topics – nuclear waste management

„Material science for nuclear waste management“ M. Klinkenberg, S. Neumeier, D. Bosbach

IEK-6: Nuclear waste management & reactor safety Report 2009/2010

Institute of Energy and Climate Research

www.fz-juelich.de/iek/iek-6 Downloads

Thank you for your attention!!!