| |
|
 |
| |
| Industrial
Applications and Machinery -> Nuclear Waste |
| |
 
Copper is the ideal material for the construction of canisters for
the disposal of spent nuclear fuel because of its outstanding corrosion
resistance, easy fabricability, abundant availability, and overall
cost effectiveness.
Copper was selected as the canister material of choice in the Swedish
national program for nuclear waste disposal. Experimental work and
engineering and scientific analysis were undertaken to confirm the
validity of copper and solve issues that might inhibit prompt development
of the copper canister.
The copper canister developed by the Swedes is a large, plain cylindrical
can into which spent nuclear fuel elements are packed and sealed for
final disposal in granitic rock. Measuring 36.9 cm (14'9") tall and
78.75 cm (31.5") in diameter, the canisters use a heavy wall copper
tube as the main body, with forged end pieces machined to fit snugly
on the tube. The tube wall thickness is 9.75 cm (3.9") and may become
thinner, reflecting increased confidence in the invulnerability of
copper to corrosion and damage in the final repository.
Copper is also likely to be the material of choice for nuclear waste
disposal in Canada and Switzerland.
In the most pessimistic case, a copper canister as thin as 1.25 cm
(0.5 in.) would not be penetrated by corrosion in its final disposal
location in 100,000 years. The present Swedish design is expected
to last more than 1 million years before any corrosion penetration
could occur. |
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|  |
|
