In nuclear facilities around the UK, waste suspension flows transport legacy radioactive material between, e.g., historic ponds and interim storage facilities as part of decontamination processes. The waste treatment programme relies heavily on the retrieval of legacy sludges, often performed using circular cross-section pipelines which transport solid-liquid suspensions over significant distances. Presently, these systems suffer […]
Read moreWaste suspension flows are encountered across the nuclear sector, and their characterisation is of great importance to the safe transport of radioactive material. A waste treatment program that has received high priority in recent years, is the retrieval of legacy waste sludge from historical ponds to safe interim storage facilities. Suspension transfer via pipeline has […]
Read moreUsing a combination of kinetic Monte Carlo radiation transport and (if necessary) atomistic simulation approaches, this investigator will investigate the energy transfer processes at work when brucite is irradiated in water. The description of the energy spectrum of particles thus transferred from the brucite to the water will be augmented with description of the energy […]
Read moreMagnesium silicate hydrate (M-S-H) based cements are a new type of cement that exploits the strength generated when magnesium oxide is made to react with a soluble silica source to form a mostly amorphous hydrated gel of magnesium silicate (M-S-H gel). It is a perfect candidate for reducing the volume of waste from the fuel […]
Read moreThis project will focus on determining how the degree of crystallinity would affect cracking of vitrified High Level Waste (HLW). Radiation is known to affect glass in a variety of ways, for example causing a volume change. This volume change can induce strain which can lead to cracking. Historic work on active glass showed that […]
Read moreA programme of synthesis of a range of model (lab-scale) thermally treated simulant waste materials will be initiated with the addition of active (e.g. U, Th) or inactive (e.g. Cs, Ce for Pu etc.) radionuclide surrogates. We will liaise with NNL to also obtain products of full-scale Geomelt trials (active or inactive) for appropriate waste […]
Read moreA considerable proportion of the UK’s LLW and ILW radioactive waste inventories arise in a range of physical and chemical forms with varying degrees of radioactive / toxic hazard. They include PCM, IEX resins and decommissioning wastes such as concrete, bricks, sludges and contaminated soils. These wastes are considered unsuitable for treatment using existing vitrification […]
Read moreThis project is intended to develop a deeper understanding of how glass chemistry can be used to maximise waste incorporation while minimising volatilisation. Specific aims are to understand the waste incorporation reactions and radionuclide incorporation mechanisms for a variety of representative wastes. These aims will be addressed by undertaking 1) investigations of quenched melts produced […]
Read more
