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Project Vision
Develop a reasonable
and credible tool to predict performance of cement barriers used in nuclear applications
over extended time frames (e.g., > 1000 years).
DOE’s Office of Engineering and Technology, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
US National Institutes for Science and Technology, the Savannah River National Laboratory,
and the Consortium for Risk Evaluation
with Stakeholder Participation have initiated a partnership
to conduct a multi-year project to develop a computer model to predict the service
life of cement used in nuclear applications.
This group
was established based on the results of the Cementitious Materials for Waste Treatment,
Disposal, Remediation, and Decommissioning Workshop  sponsored by the Office of Environmental
Management in December 2006. A major
need identified at this workshop was for a simulation tool to predict the degradation
of cementitious materials over the very long time.
The detection and assessment of the magnitude and rate of occurrence of any
environmental related degradation of reinforced concrete are key factors in maintaining
the capability of these structures to meet their operational requirements.
Because reinforced concrete is a major construction material used for many
of the facilities and structures involved in the processing and the long-term storage
and the disposal of radioactive waste materials generated by the nuclear fuel cycle,
is required to function safely and reliably in challenging and varying environments
for periods of time that can potentially range up to thousands of years.
The "Partnership for the Development
of Next Generation Simulation Tools for Evaluating Cementitious Barriers
and Materials Used in Nuclear Applications” was initiated in 2007 to develop a modular,
integrated set of simulation tools to predict evolution of cementitious barriers
used in nuclear applications over time.
These tools will be used to evaluate and predict the behavior of cementitious barriers
(near surface engineered waste disposal systems, e.g., waste forms and barriers,
entombments, environmental restoration) and structural concrete components of nuclear
facilities (spent fuel pools, dry spent fuel storage units, and recycling facilities
(e.g., fuel fabrication, separations processes) and their interaction with the immediately
adjacent environment. The system boundary
for simulation purposes would be the physical boundary of the engineered system
under consideration. The simulation
then would provide, as output, information on evolution of hydraulic properties
and constituent release to either a vadose zone or saturated zone model.
A meeting was held August 1 & 2, 2007 in Germantown Maryland to begin discussions on
development of this simulation tool. To request the list of attendees/representatives, please click
HERE. A second meeting was held on
October 2-4, 2007 in Gaithersburg, Maryland to develop a draft project plan for work
to be conducted over a five year period. Please contact Texas Chee at 301-903-7921 or Texas.Chee@em.doe.gov for more information.
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