Projects
Projects: Projects for Investigator |
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| Reference Number | EP/H013814/1 | |
| Title | Understanding the chemistry of ceramic materials under irradiation | |
| Status | Completed | |
| Energy Categories | Nuclear Fission and Fusion(Nuclear Fission, Nuclear supporting technologies) 100%; | |
| Research Types | Basic and strategic applied research 100% | |
| Science and Technology Fields | PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Chemistry) 50%; PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Metallurgy and Materials) 50%; |
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| UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation | Not Cross-cutting 100% | |
| Principal Investigator |
Professor JH Harding No email address given Engineering Materials University of Sheffield |
|
| Award Type | Standard | |
| Funding Source | EPSRC | |
| Start Date | 01 July 2010 | |
| End Date | 30 September 2014 | |
| Duration | 51 months | |
| Total Grant Value | £330,814 | |
| Industrial Sectors | Energy; Environment | |
| Region | Yorkshire & Humberside | |
| Programme | Energy : Physical Sciences | |
| Investigators | Principal Investigator | Professor JH Harding , Engineering Materials, University of Sheffield (99.999%) |
| Other Investigator | Dr KP Travis , Engineering Materials, University of Sheffield (0.001%) |
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| Web Site | ||
| Objectives | These grants are linked : EP/H012230/1; EP/H013814/1; EP/H012990/1 | |
| Abstract | The safe disposal of radioactive waste is a problem that must be solved . First, there is the existing legacy of waste in the UK (about 3.4 million cubicmetres of which 1,100 cubic metres is high level waste - not counting the 1500 tonnes of Pu left over from the Cold War). Second, any future development of nuclear power requires a publically acceptable method of disposing of nuclear waste. TheCoRWM (Committee on Radioactive Waste Management) recommendation that high level waste should be disposed of in a repository with geological barriers has been accepted by the Government. (In the UK co-disposal of long-lived intermediate level waste and high level waste together with spent fuel is the preferred option). The radioactive elements themselves must be trapped in a matrix that will notdisintegrate during prolonged heavy particle bombardment at moderately high temperatures. This matrix must be able to accommodate high concentrations of radioactive species, resist radiation damageand not release the radioactive species to the environment for many thousands of years. Also, it must be easy to make and shape. We need information on how radioactive elements are incorporated into possible hosts, and how these hosts change when they are damaged. In particular, we need to understand how the effects of radiation affects whether they will dissolve in water. Understanding this basic chemistry is essential if suitable hosts are to be found. This proposal will provide new insights into the problem of immobilising radioactive waste in suitable hosts using a combination of computersimulation techniques. We will develop methods to evaluate the level and type of damage, link this to escape of radioactive species from the host and dissolution of the host itself. This will enable us to evaluate possible hosts for immobilising radioactive waste | |
| Publications | (none) |
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| Final Report | (none) |
|
| Added to Database | 14/09/09 | |
