Description:

A voluntary course dealing with safe radioactive waste disposal. Classification of radioactive waste according to various aspects, principle of a multi-barrier system, vertical and horizontal way of disposal. Requirements for the construction of the deep geological repository. Natural analogues. Natural and engineered barriers. Bentonite - basic material of the geotechnical part of the engineered barrier, requirements for its properties. Interdisciplinarity of the research, laboratory and "in-situ research (underground laboratories), physical modelling (Mock-Up models). Practical laboratory lessons (plasticity of bentonites, swelling pressure measurements, permeability measurements of compacted samples, strength and deformation properties, thermophysical properties). Practical lesson at the Josef underground laboratory (http://ceg.fsv.cvut.cz) - construction of large in situ physical models).

Contents:

- Role of nuclear in energetics, types of Radwaste, Fuel Cycle
- LLW/ILW repository, Natural analogues, Deep repository
- Several Deep repository concepts, Requirements on sealing material, Localities of bentonite mining
- Basic characterization - Properties of bentonite, Microstructure, water in bentonite
- LABORATORY I. - Density, Specific density, Degree of saturation - Theory, Practical tests
- LABORATORY II. - Atterberg limits; - Theory, Practical test (Cone method)
- LABORATORY III. - Swelling pressure, Swell index, hydraulic conductivity - Theory, Practical test
- LABORATORY IV. - Thermal properties - Theory, Practical test (ISOMET)
- LABORATORY V. - Strength properties - compression, bending, shear - Theory, Practical test
- Underground Laboratories, Physical modelling, Large scale experiments
- Practical exercises in the Josef underground laboratory
- Students presentations

Seminar contents:

- Role of nuclear in energetics, types of Radwaste, Fuel Cycle
- LLW/ILW repository, Natural analogues, Deep repository
- Several Deep repository concepts, Requirements on sealing material, Localities of bentonite mining
- Basic characterization - Properties of bentonite, Microstructure, water in bentonite
- LABORATORY I. - Density, Specific density, Degree of saturation - Theory, Practical tests
- LABORATORY II. - Atterberg limits; - Theory, Practical test (Cone method)
- LABORATORY III. - Swelling pressure, Swell index, hydraulic conductivity - Theory, Practical test
- LABORATORY IV. - Thermal properties - Theory, Practical test (ISOMET)
- Underground Laboratories, Physical modelling, Large scale experiments - Mock-Up-CZ, TIMODAZ, DOPAS
- Practical exercises in the Josef underground laboratory
- Students presentations

Recommended literature:

Pusch R., 2001. SKB Technical Report TR-02-12, The Buffer and Backfill Handbook Part 2: Materials and techniques, Roland Pusch, Geodevelopment AB
Pusch R., 2002. SKB Technical Report TR-02-20, The Buffer and Backfill Handbook Part 1: Definitions, basic relationships, and laboratory methods, Geodevelopment AB

Keywords:

radioactive waste, deep repository, bentonite, plasticity, permeability, swelling, modelling

Abbreviations used:

Semester:

• W ... winter semester (usually October - February)
• S ... spring semester (usually March - June)
• W,S ... both semesters

Mode of completion of the course:

• A ... Assessment (no grade is given to this course but credits are awarded. You will receive only P (Passed) of F (Failed) and number of credits)
• GA ... Graded Assessment (a grade is awarded for this course)
• EX ... Examination (a grade is awarded for this course)
• A, EX ... Examination (the award of Assessment is a precondition for taking the Examination in the given subject, a grade is awarded for this course)

Weekly load (hours per week):

• P ... lecture
• C ... seminar
• L ... laboratory
• R ... proseminar
• S ... seminar