Status of Sandia backfill-getter development studies

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:6712944

Molecke, M. A.; Nowak, E. J.

In this paper, specific functions desired of the backfill as well as various recent experimental studies, results, and current plans for further studies, and modeling of the backfill's effectiveness for delaying radionuclide release are presented. Experimental studies and results are as follows: smectite swelling clay, bentonite, has been selected as a major component in the backfill because of its favorable properties in contact with salt and brine solution; sorptive properties for Pu and Am in batch and column-type experiments are being measured; various materials such as synthetic zeolites, titanates, and charcoal show promise for sorbing fission products in brine; mechanisms of backfill alteration or degradation which may cause the backfill barrier to lose some of its chemical and physical effectiveness is being investigated, with pH, Eh, temperature, pressure, radiation, and backfill-getter overall composition as parameters of interest; hydrothermal backfill-brine reactions have been studied experimentally; geotechnical measurements on bentonite and bentonite-sand mixtures have yielded brine and water permeabilities in the microdarcy range; and engineering-scale work on backfill emplacement forms and techniques to be used in a repository is under investigation, and will culminate with an actual demonstration of backfill emplacement in a field test.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-76DP00789
• OSTI ID: 6712944
• Report Number(s): SAND-80-2190C; CONF-801209-7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
053000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Environmental Aspects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
ACTINIDES
ADSORBENTS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM SILICATES
AMERICIUM
BACKFILLING
BENTONITE
CHARCOAL
CLAYS
ELEMENTS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INORGANIC ION EXCHANGERS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
MANAGEMENT
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METALS
MINERALS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIUM
POLLUTANTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
SALT DEPOSITS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SMECTITE
SORPTION
SORPTIVE PROPERTIES
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TITANATES
TITANIUM COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSPLUTONIUM ELEMENTS
TRANSURANIUM ELEMENTS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
ZEOLITES