Decommissioning, Immobilisation and Storage
soluTIons for NuClear wasTe InVEntories
Decommissioning, Immobilisation and Storage
soluTIons for NuClear wasTe InVEntories
DISTINCTIVE is a multi-disciplinary collaboration of 10 universities and 3 key industry partners from across the UK’s civil nuclear sector.
Three sub-projects were awarded funding. Here the successful candidates summarise the proposed work:
Round 3
Building and Commissioning a Vacuum Sampling System for PuO2 Glovebox Experiments
Dr. Luke Jones – University of Manchester
The aim of this project is to build and commission a vacuum sampling system to be deployed and utilised with a gas chromatograph in NNL – Central Lab. This system will allow for longer term experiments with in-situ analysis which will reduce cross-contamination and impurities from outside influences on samples.
A Hot Isostatic Press Upgrade for Processing of Radioactive Materials
Dr. Shikuan Sun – University of Sheffield
This project aims to develop ceramic and glass-ceramic materials for actinide wastes. The DISTINCTIVE active equipment fund has allowed us to upgrade our research scale Hot Isostatic Press, to be able to routinely process significant inventories of radioactive material. Within DISTINCTIVE, we will utilise the capability to achieve proof of concept manufacture of uranium containing ceramics by hot isostatic pressing, providing sufficient volume of material to investigate the long term aqueous alteration mechanisms, which is essential evidence to establish waste package disposability. In so doing, we have created a unique national facility for research of this type, placing the UK at the forefront of the development of HIP technology for waste immobilisation applications.
Hard X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy Studies at the Photon Factory – Japan
Dr. Shikuan Sun – University of Sheffield
This project aims to develop ceramic and glass-ceramic materials for actinide wastes. The DISTINCTIVE active equipment fund has allowed us to access state of the art X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy techniques at the Photon Factory (Japan) to probe the redox state of plutonium surrogates in, and radiation damage behaviour of, our glass ceramic formulations for immobilisation of UK plutonium residues. X-ray absorption spectroscopy is and essential tool in this regard, providing information on element oxidation state (according to the chemical shift of the X-ray absorption edge) and the local structure of the radiation amorphised material.
More information about the Active Research Fund (ARF) can be found here.
Dr. Jone’s PDRA project is titled “Understanding the Interfacial Interactions of Plutonium Dioxide with Water “. His lead supervisor is Prof. Simon Pimblott (Simon.Pimblott@manchester.ac.uk).
Dr. Sun’s PDRA project is titled “Ceramic Materials for Actinide Disposition”. His lead supervisor is Prof. Neil Hyatt (n.c.hyatt@sheffield.ac.uk).
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