The Development of Durable, Man-Made Containment Systems for Fuel Isolation

AbstractProgress in the Canadian program to develop high integrity containment systems for the direct disposal of irradiated fuel in a deep geologic vault is described. Possible containment lifetimes, and the factors that influence container design and materials selection, are discussed. Most effort is currently directed toward developing containers with a design lifetime of about 500 yr, in which a corrosion-resistant metal shell provides the primary barrier to radionuclide release. Two design concepts are being studied, one in which the container shell completely supports the service stresses, and one in which an internal medium provides support for the outer shell. The design details for various containers are described, together with the fabrication and testing programs that are in progress or planned. The possibility of incorporating additional independent barriers to extend the containment life, and of developing long-term containment systems based on ceramic, vitreous or thick metal containers, is ...