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The Impact of Alpha-Radiolysis on the Release of Radionuclides from Spent Fuel in a Geologic Repository

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 February 2011

Ivars Neretnieks
Ivars Neretnieks*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemical EngineeringRoyal Institute of TechnologyS-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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Abstract

Spent nuclear fuel buried in deep geologic repositories may eventually be wetted by water. The alfa-radiation will radiolyse the water and produce hydrogen and oxidizing agents, mainly hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. The hydrogen will escape by diffusion and the oxidizing agents may attack the canister materials, oxidize the uranium oxide matrix or diffuse out and oxidize reducing agents in the surrounding rock.

The rate of radiolysis has been computed recently within the Swedish nuclear fuel safety projects KBS. It is strongly influenced by the amount of available water and by the presence of dissolved iron. The movement of the oxidizing agents out from the canister and their reaction with the reducing agents (mainly ferrous iron) in the Swedish crystalline rock has been modelled as well as the movement of the radionuclides within and past the redox front. Some substances such as uranium, neptunium and technetium will precipitate at the redox front and will be withdrawn from the water to a considerable extent.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 26: Symposium D – Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management VII , 1983 , 1009
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1984

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References

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