Do Rocks Hold The Key To Nuclear Waste Storage?
As the sources of traditional fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas continue to decrease there is a growing demand for more sustainable forms of energy. The option to turn to nuclear power for the production of electricity has long been debated but disposal of the waste material is a major cause for concern. Experts believe one of the most viable solutions for the safe management of nuclear radioactive waste is deep geological disposal, but this needs extensive testing and validation before it can be considered as the long-term solution. The OMNIBUS project developed ultrasonic technology with a primary aim to monitor the rock barrier at potential underground radioactive waste storage sites (including argillaceous rock masses), says Professor Paul Young, the project co-ordinator at the University of Liverpools Department of Earth Sciences. The technology (hardware and software) has been successfully tested insitu to provide real time monitoring of rock masses to provide information on changes that are occurring. The software provides methods for interpreting these changes in terms of crack density, crack size and orientation, as well as fluid content. This information on changing rock properties is very important in terms of short and long term safety in these types of facilities. Three main technologies have been produced that will have significant application in areas, apart from radioactive waste management, where continuous and non-destructive testing of brittle materials such as concrete and metals are undertaken. For instance, in mining and petroleum sectors as well as in seismological studies and civil engineering for structures including dams, tunnels, and bridges. They are: · Ultrasonic Monitoring Hardware A state-of-the-art system of custom designed and built components as well as off the shelf components. This includes the technology for installing ultrasonic sensors in boreholes in a rockmass as well as for high speed high resolution data collection. · Ultrasonic Monitoring Software to allow ultrasonic data acquisition control, real time ultrasonic data processing and visualization, as well as ultrasonic data interpretation of rock properties from the display and analysis of model data. · Ultrasonic Modelling Software that can be used to help understand the effect that rock properties have on ultrasonic transmission characteristic including phase and amplitude spectra. The nuclear energy programme of Framework Funding is aimed at intensifying and deepening the already well established co-operation at European level in the field of nuclear research, says Paul Leeks, Project Director for FP6UK. The exploitation of nuclear fission energy for energy production requires progress to be made in the problem of waste, and more particularly the industrial implementation of technical solutions for the management of long-lived waste. The current Framework Programme (FP6) runs until 2006 and organisations wanting free, easy to access, information on the 19bn euros of funding available to support internationally collaborative R&D should log on to http://fp6uk.ost.gov.uk or call central telephone support on 0870 600 6080.The EU's Framework Programmes are the worlds largest, publicly funded, research and technological development programmes. The Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) covers the period 2002-2006 and is the European Unions main instrument for the funding of collaborative research and innovation. It is open to public and private entities of all sizes in the EU and a number of non-EU countries. It has an overall budget of 19 billion (Euros). Most of the budget for FP6 is devoted to work in seven priority thematic areas:,? Life sciences, Genetics and Biotechnology for Health;,? Information Society Technologies;,? Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences, Knowledgebased Multifunctional Materials and New Production Processes and Devices;,? Aeronautics and Space;,? Food Quality and Safety;,? Sustainable Development, Global Change and Ecosystems; and,? Citizens and Governance in a Knowledge-based Society. There is also a focus on the research activities of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) across all seven thematic areas. The services of FP6UK are provided by the Office of Science & Technology (OST) / Department of Trade & Industry (DTI). More information can be found on http://fp6uk.ost.gov.uk EURATOM Programme,The EURATOM Programme provides for research and training on nuclear energy in FP6 for the European Atomic Energy Community. The funding for fission research in FP6 is split between research the management of radioactive waste (90 million); radioactive protection (50 million); and other activities in the field of nuclear technologies (including a small amount on innovative reactors) and safety (50 million).
Countries
France, United Kingdom