Radiation Effects on Materials in the Near-Field of Nuclear Waste Repository
Site restoration activities at DOE facilities and the permanent disposal of nuclear waste generated at DOE facilities involve working with and within various types and levels of radiation fields. Once the nuclear waste is incorporated into a final form, radioactive decay will decrease the radiation field over geologic time scales, but the alpha-decay dose for these solids will still reach values as high as 1018 alpha-decay events/gm in periods as short as 1,000 years. This dose is well within the range for which important chemical (e.g., increased leach rate) and physical (e.g., volume expansion) changes may occur in crystalline ceramics. Release and sorption of long-lived actinides (e.g., 237Np) can provide a radiation exposure to backfill materials, and changes in important properties (e.g., cation exchange capacity) may occur. The objective of this research program is to evaluate the long term radiation effects in the materials in the near-field of a nuclear waste repository with accelerated experiments in the laboratory using energetic particles (electrons, ions and neutrons). The proposed target materials for study include zeolites, clays because they are important materials in the near-field expected to retard the migration of radionuclides by absorption or ion exchange processes. Due to the moving of both PI and the co-PI of this program from the University of New Mexico to the University of Michigan in mid-1997, the program schedule has been delayed for several months and now with a DOE approved new ending date of November 14, 1999. Thus, this report is an annual report covering the period from June 1, 1998 to May 30, 1999 , although the initial award was made in mid-1996. The final report will be submitted by the end of 1999.
- Research Organization:
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM) (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG07-97ER45652
- OSTI ID:
- 827065
- Report Number(s):
- EMSP-54691-1999; R&D Project: EMSP 54691; TRN: US0403096
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Jun 1999
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTINIDES
ALPHA DECAY
CATIONS
CERAMICS
CLAYS
DECAY
ELECTRONS
ION EXCHANGE
NEUTRONS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
RADIOISOTOPES
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SORPTION
TARGETS
ZEOLITES