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Fusion Science and Technology
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Retrieval of nuclear waste canisters from a borehole
Borehole disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level waste (HLW) uses off-the-shelf directional drilling technology developed and commercialized by the oil and gas sectors. It is a technology that has been gaining traction in recent years in the nuclear industry. Disposal can be done in one or more boreholes (including an array) drilled into suitable sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic host rocks. Waste is encapsulated in specialized corrosion-resistant canisters, which are placed end to end in disposal sections of relatively small-diameter boreholes that have been cased and fluid-filled. After emplacement, the vertical access hole is plugged and backfilled as an engineered barrier.
Andrew T. Anderson, Alan K. Burnham, Michael T. Tobin, Per F. Peterson
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 30 | Number 3 | December 1996 | Pages 757-763
Plasma-Facing Components: Analysis and Technology | doi.org/10.13182/FST96-A11963026
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This paper discusses results of modeling and experiments on the x-ray response of selected materials relevant to the NIF target chamber design. X-ray energy deposition occurs in such small characteristic depths (on the order of a micron) that thermal conduction and hydrodynamic motion significantly affect the material response, even during the typical 10-ns pulses. The finite-difference ablation model integrates four separate processes: x-ray energy deposition, heat conduction., hydrodynamics, and surface vaporization.
Experiments have been conducted at the Nova laser facility in Livermore on the response of various materials to NIF-relevant x-ray fluences. Samples of fused silica, silicon nitride, boron carbide, boron, silicon carbide, carbon, aluminum oxide, and aluminum were tested. The response was diagnosed using post-shot examinations of the surfaces with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) instruments. On the basis of these observations, judgments were made about the dominant removal mechanisms for each material. The relative importances of these processes were also investigated with the x-ray response model.