Recent activities in the field of nuclear waste management |
| |
Authors: | Akira Kitamura Akira Kirishima |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Sector of Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Muramatsu, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1194, Japankitamura.akira@jaea.go.jp;3. Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan |
| |
Abstract: | Buffer construction using bentonite pellets as filling material is a promising technology for enhancing the ease of repository operation. In this study, a test of such technology was conducted in a full-scale simulated disposal drift, using a filling system which utilizes a screw conveyor system. The simulated drift, which contained two dummy overpacks, was configured as a half-cross-section model with a height of 2.22m and a length of 6.0 m. The average dry density of the buffer obtained in the test was 1.29 Mg/m3, with an angle of repose of 35 to 40 degrees. These test results indicate that buffer construction using a screw conveyor system for pellet emplacement in a waste disposal drift is a promising technology for repositories for high level radioactive wastes. |
| |
Keywords: | buffer construction granular bentonite HLW repository remote operations screw conveyor technology demonstration quality testing dry density |
|
|