The Department of Energy (DoE) in the US has taken the initiative to develop a set of tools to predict the structural, hydraulic and chemical performance of cement barriers used in nuclear applications over extended time frames (>1000 years) ECN Biomass, Coal & Environmental research contributes to this project by modeling leaching and transport of radionuclides with the LeachXS-Orchestra.modeling tool.

The research in this 5 year project “Development of Next Generation Simulation Tools to Evaluate Cementitious Barriers and Materials Used in Nuclear Applications” aims at reducing uncertainties related to release through cement barriers in the long term. . By developing a set of interlinked tools it will be possible to provide an improved assessment of the long term stability of the considered containment and disposal scenarios The results of the project will be of importance for decision makers and provides insights in the design of new facilities

The partnership consists of DOE, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Vanderbilt University, Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), SIMCO Technologies Inc., and ECN.

The contribution by the Environmental Risk Assessment Group of ECN focuses on modeling of the chemical reaction transport of radionuclides through the cement barrier for the different containment scenarios. The experience gained in studying release from cement mortars, cement stabilised hazardous wastes and transport of released substances in soil and groundwater will be used in this work.
The development of specific scenario descriptions within the LeachXS-Orchestra modeling environment for implementation in an all encompassing modeling tool covering all relevant physical and chemical processes for the containment and disposal scenarios depicted in figure 1 forms an important part of this international cooperation. The results of the work will also benefit environmental impact evaluations of non-radioactive waste disposal.

Contact
Hans van der Sloot
ECN Biomass Coal & Environment
Tel.: 0224 - 564249
vandersloot@remove-this-part-removethis.ecn.nl