Book Description

Safety concepts regarding nuclear waste disposal in underground repositories generally rely on a combination of engineered and geological barriers that minimize potential radionuclide release out of the containment-providing rock zone and transport through the biosphere. The presence of water, however, may alter the engineered barrier system, dissolve radionuclides, and facilitate radionuclide transport that over time may permeate the biosphere. So while barrier systems aim to prevent or hinder water from contacting the waste, the possible intrusion of aqueous solutions must be considered for several safety case scenarios impacted by the long-term evolution of a repository. Dissolution and solubility phenomena thus arise as important processes controlling the chemical behaviour of radionuclides and other key materials of relevance in the context of such repositories and their safety assessments. The solubility and aqueous speciation of radionuclides is of particular interest as they provide upper limits of water-transportable concentrations of radionuclides. Solubility phenomena of radioactive and other gases in water provide important information on gas transport and pressure build-up. Moreover, solubility assessments offer insight into time-independent constraints on the evolution of the disposal system. Particularly important in this regard is the geochemical modelling of radionuclide behaviour in the engineered barrier system as well as in natural aquatic systems along the transport path of radionuclides to the biosphere. The obtained information provides valuable inputs that appropriately constrain safety analyses of nuclear waste disposal.