Speaker
Description
Safe and secure management of disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRSs) represent a challenging topic in the field of radioactive waste management. In particular the end of life-cycle management of these sources is not a straightforward problem due to the variability of the radioactivity content and the half-lives. Among the different end of life cycle management strategies for these sources, storage and disposal strategy represents an appealing solution from the technical, safety, and security points of view. In this respect, small diameter borehole disposal concept was recommended by IAEA, as an efficient, economical, and secure disposal concept for these sources. This disposal concept relies on the use of cementitious backfill, as a part of the engineering barriers, to support the structural integrity of the facility and to confine radioactivity within the facility. An integrated research project was established to support the design phase of the borehole disposal facility in Malaysia that aims to optimize the cementitious backfill barrier by investigating its mechanical and confinement performances. The mechanical performance was optimized by varying the mix design of the backfill materials. The confinement performances of radium, caesium, and strontium was studied by assessing the batch kinetic, isotherm, and equilibrium sorption behaviour for optimum palm oil fuel ash (POFA)-supplemented cementitious and control OPC backfill materials toward these contaminants. In addition, diffusion experiments were carried out to study the migration of the radio-contaminants of interest. This paper is devoted to summarize some of the important findings from this integrated research project on radium containment in POFA-supplemented cementitious material. A summary of the batch investigation results will be presented, where results of sorption equilibrium time in both POFA cement and OPC materials, the nature of the reaction and the controlling sorption mechanism will be identified. The diffusion experiment setup will be presented and results will be used to calculate the diffusion coefficient in the proposed backfill materials.
Keywords: Disused sealed radioactive sources (DSRSs); Radium; Palm oil fuel ash (POFA); Sorption; Containment
| Speaker's title | Ms |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Nuclear Malaysia |
| Do you wish to participate as a Young Professional? | No |
| Do you wish to be considered for a Young Professional grant? | No |
