Speaker
Description
In Germany, the Asse II mine was originally used for the commercial potash and rock salt production and later on for the emplacement of radioactive waste. Between 1967 and 1978, nearly 47,000 m3 of low- and intermediate-level waste were emplaced in the Asse II mine but the exact composition of the disposed waste is poorly known. At the time of emplacement, the waste acceptance criteria did not require information about the nuclide mixture and the chemical composition.
Since 1988, saturated brine is entering the mine in the upper part of the south flank, where the distance to the overburden is short. The main problems in the Asse II mine are the high degree of rock deformation, the distance of the emplacement chambers to the overburden in combination with the permanent brine inflow of about 12 m3 per day. Because, there is a risk that waterways formed by undergone fracture deformation will access the emplacement chambers at some point. Since April 2013 the so-called “Lex Asse” (§57b of the Atomic Energy Act) is the legal basis to accelerate the retrieval of the radioactive waste in the Asse II mine as well as its closure by simplifying licensing methods and speeding up work but ensuring long-term safety. In April 2017, the Bundesgesellschaft für Endlagerung mbH (BGE) became responsibility for the Asse II mine as operator and licence holder. After retrieval and before the waste may be stored again in a future facility, it will have to be characterised.
Cosmic-ray muon tomography utilises muons created by high-energy cosmic-rays in the atmosphere for the imaging of shielded structures, e.g nuclear waste containers. Muons are highly penetrating, natural, ubiquitous and health and safety neutral. Muon tomography for nuclear waste containers has been developed by the University of Glasgow and the UK National Nuclear Laboratory since 2009. It has been commercialised through the award-winning start-up company Lynkeos Technology. The worldwide first muon tomography system for nuclear waste containers, the Lynkeos MIS, is operating on the Sellafield site since 2018.
BGE and Lynkeos Technology have carried out a feasibility study on the use of cosmic-ray muon tomography for the waste containers to be retrieved from the Asse II mine. The study focusses in particular on the imaging of the contents of concrete shielded 200 l drums (“Verlorene Betonabschirmung (VBA)”) that are otherwise impossible to image. Detailed results of the study will be shown in this presentation.
| Speaker's title | Mr |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Lynkeos Technology Ltd. |
