Engineering & Technology
Partnership for the Development of Next Generation Simulation Tools for Evaluating
Cementitious Barriers and Materials Used in Nuclear Applications
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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