Scaling effect on cesium diffusion in compacted MX-80 bentonite for buffer materials in HLW repository
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Yi-Ling Liu
Abstract
In this study, radionuclide behavior in high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal repositories is complicated because of the spatial heterogeneity of porous media, coupled flow-transport mechanisms, and multiple chemical reaction processes. Discrepancies in the diffusion behavior of a non-sorbing tracer (HTO) and a reactive tracer (137Cs) in porous media have long been recognized but are not yet fully understood, which hinders effective assessment of the capabilities of buffer materials. This paper was dedicated to exploring and explaining the discrepancies in the transport behavior of non-sorbing and reactive tracers through laboratory experiments and an investigation of contributing mechanisms. Our results showed that for a bentonite sample of the same thickness, 137Cs has smaller apparent and less effective diffusion coefficients than those for HTO. These discrepancies can be attributed to the negative surface electric effects, atomic properties, and chemical reactions. In the case of bentonite samples with different thicknesses (0.5, 0.75, 2.0, 2.5 cm), the apparent and effective diffusion coefficients show an increasing trend with bentonite thickness. According to the experimental data and fitting results, the apparent and effective diffusion coefficients are highly related to bentonite thickness. Thus, scaling effects on transport parameters were proposed to explain the results, which were attributed to the nonuniform distribution of the pore space in the bentonite sample. The scale effect behavior of radionuclide was quantified through a regression analysis. The results can be used to improve buffer designs for radionuclides diffusion.
Funding source: China Institute for Radiation Protection (CIRP)
Award Identifier / Grant number: 2022 Year CIRP Open Fund of Radiation Protection L
Funding source: Huaqiao University's Academic Project and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Award Identifier / Grant number: 22SKBS005
Funding source: Fujian Province Social Science Foundation
Award Identifier / Grant number: FJ2022T002
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Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
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Research funding: This project was mainly supported by the Huaqiao University’s Academic Project supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 22SKBS005) and Fujian Province Social Science Foundation (No. FJ2022T002). The experimental and instrumental analyses of this study were supported by the Instrumentation Center at the National Tsing Hua University, and XRD was conducted at the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC) 17A Beam in Taiwan under contract number 2022-1-126-3. Finally, we thank Dr. Jey-Jau Lee and Dr. Ting-Shan Chan for their professional and technical support for our experiments at the NSRRC.
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Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this article.
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© 2023 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Scaling effect on cesium diffusion in compacted MX-80 bentonite for buffer materials in HLW repository
- Enhanced heat transfer in corrugated plate fin heat sink
- Discussion of options to increase the control drum worth in fast reactor
- New semi-empirical systematic of (p,n) reaction cross section at 7.5 MeV
- Computational analysis of nuclear desalination system under various configurations
- Performance analysis of nuclear powered desalination unit based on MED-TVC: a case study for Saudi Arabia
- Analysis of 4-inch cold leg top-slot break LOCA in ATLAS experimental facility using MARS-KS
- Evaluating the performance of Indonesia’s nuclear energy program using INPRO methodology
- Thermal hydraulic analysis of VVER spent fuels stored in vault dry system under different operating and design conditions
- Comparative analysis of swelling and porosity evolution in UO2 fuel via two approaches
- Euler–Maruyama algorithm in estimating UGV path and location in nuclear emergency and security applications
- Modeling and simulation of deposited energy gain via irradiation of heavy ion beams on the fusion reactor contains spherical fuel capsules with foam
- Calendar of events
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Scaling effect on cesium diffusion in compacted MX-80 bentonite for buffer materials in HLW repository
- Enhanced heat transfer in corrugated plate fin heat sink
- Discussion of options to increase the control drum worth in fast reactor
- New semi-empirical systematic of (p,n) reaction cross section at 7.5 MeV
- Computational analysis of nuclear desalination system under various configurations
- Performance analysis of nuclear powered desalination unit based on MED-TVC: a case study for Saudi Arabia
- Analysis of 4-inch cold leg top-slot break LOCA in ATLAS experimental facility using MARS-KS
- Evaluating the performance of Indonesia’s nuclear energy program using INPRO methodology
- Thermal hydraulic analysis of VVER spent fuels stored in vault dry system under different operating and design conditions
- Comparative analysis of swelling and porosity evolution in UO2 fuel via two approaches
- Euler–Maruyama algorithm in estimating UGV path and location in nuclear emergency and security applications
- Modeling and simulation of deposited energy gain via irradiation of heavy ion beams on the fusion reactor contains spherical fuel capsules with foam
- Calendar of events
