Search results for "nuclear waste"

Trust, mistrust and distrust as blind spots of Social Licence to Operate: illustration via three forerunner countries in nuclear waste management

2021

The notion of social licence to operate (SLO) has become a widely applied concept for companies in mining and resource extraction industries to manage their social and community relations, in the face of local criticism and opposition. SLO literature and practice have highlighted earning the trust of the local community as a key requirement for an SLO. This article addresses three weaknesses in how the current SLO literature addresses trust. The arguments are illustrated via examples from nuclear waste management in Finland, France and Sweden–three forerunners in implementing high-level nuclear waste repository projects. Nuclear waste management constitutes a relevant case for analysis, as …

The Art of Being Ethical and Responsible : Print Media Debate on Final Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel in Finland and Sweden

2022

AbstractAfter decades of preparation, the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel has reached the construction stage in Finland, and the neighboring Sweden is likely to soon follow in the footsteps. These Nordic countries rely on a similar technical concept based on passive safety, advocated as a means of minimizing the burden to future generations. The scholarly literature on the ethics of nuclear waste management has thus far paid little attention to the views of the broader publics on the associated ethical challenges. This article helps to fill the gap through a longitudinal and comparative analysis of ethical discussion of the final disposal of SNF in news articles and letters to the edit…

Socio-technical risk governance through dyadic risk dialogue : copper corrosion as a safety challenge in the geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel

2014

The risk of corrosion in oxygen-free water has become an issue of scientific controversy possibly even threatening the realisation of the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel in Finland and Sweden. In Sweden there has been extensive discussion about the issue since 2007, but only recently has this debate increased in Finland although the similar disposal concept (KBS-3) is applied in both countries. In this report, we analyse how the implementer, Posiva (a Finnish nuclear waste company), and the regulator, STUK (the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority), have been engaged in a dialogue on the risk of copper corrosion. For over thirty years the implementer and regulator have been e…

Community divided : adaptation and aversion towards the spent nuclear fuel repository in Eurajoki and its neighbouring municipalities

2010

Effects of radiation and hydrogen-loading on the performances of raman-distributed temperature fiber sensors

2015

International audience; The integration of Raman-distributed temperature fiber-based sensors (RDTS) into the envisioned French deep geological repository for nuclear wastes, called Cigéo requires evaluating how the performances of RDTS evolve in harsh environments, more precisely in presence of H2 or γ-rays. Both H2 and radiations are shown to affect the temperature measurements made with the single-ended RDTS technology. The amplitudes of the observed effects depend on the different classes of multimode fibers varying in terms of composition and coatings. By selecting the most tolerant fiber structure for the sensing, we could maintain the RDTS performances for such application. A hardeni…

A multi-technique, micrometer- to atomic-scale description of a synthetic analogue of chukanovite, Fe-2(CO3)(OH)(2)

2014

International audience; A synthetic analogue of chukanovite Fe-2(CO3)(OH)(2) is formed during experimental work on iron-clay interactions simulating the cooling of containers in radioactive waste repositories. Despite its small size and the mixture with other minerals it is undoubtedly identified by X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy. For the first time, the structural characterisation of a synthetic chukanovite is carried out thanks to the combination of Automated Diffraction Tomography and Precession Electron Diffraction. Refinement results and comparison with literature data show that the structure…

Hydrogen and radiation induced effects on performances of Raman fiber-based temperature sensors

2014

International audience; Raman Distributed Temperature Sensors (RDTS) offer exceptional advantages for the monitoring of the envisioned French deep geological repository for nuclear wastes, called Cigéo. Here, we present experimental studies on how the performances of RDTS evolve in harsh environments like those associated with H2 or g-rays. Both of them are shown to strongly affect the temperature measurements made with RDTS. We showed that by adapting the characteristics of the used fiber for the sensing, we could limit its degradation but that additional hardening by system studies will have to be developed before integration of RDTS in Cigéo.

Tracer migration in crystalline rock : application to geological barriers of nuclear waste storage

2016

This work deals with transport of radionuclides in the geosphere. The subject is investigated through characterisation of water conducting fractures, determining of rock transport properties and development of new methods for characterising geological samples. Here, as is often the case, radionuclide transport is investigated indirectly by characterising the structures, where the transport takes place, and directly by measuring transport properties in the gas phase. First water conducting fractures of three different types and the rock matrix surrounding them were analysed through rock samples from Olkiluoto. The analysis was done using X-ray tomography, the 14C-PMMA autoradiography techniq…

'We have a solution': Delivering on the promise to take national responsibility for nuclear waste management

2022

We examine the realization of the umbrella promise to assume national responsibility for the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Three case studies are used to illustrate how Finland delivers on the promise to take care of its own nuclear waste - a promise that has greatly contributed to the legitimacy of nuclear power in Finland. The article shows how this promise is being challenged by new competitors, business visionaries, and the public. The case studies illustrate the tensions between those who made the promise and the actors who interpret and mobilize the promise for varying purposes and under changing circumstances. We investigate techno-scientific promises by looking at debates ab…

Thermo-mechanical volume change behaviour of Opalinus Clay

2016

The paper examines the thermo-mechanical volume change behaviour of Opalinus Clay in relation to different stress conditions and overconsolidation ratio (OCR) values and evaluates the impact of temperature on some hydro-mechanical properties of this material. To this aim, a focused experimental campaign consisting in high-temperature/high-pressure oedometric tests has been carried out. The results show that the thermo-mechanical volume change behaviour of Opalinus Clay is heavily affected by the OCR: thermal expansion is found when the heating is carried out at high OCR, whereas irreversible thermal compaction is observed when heat is applied at a vertical effective stress that is sufficien…