In 1987, the US Congress designated Yucca Mountain (YM) as the sole permanent repository for the nation’s nuclear waste (spent or used nuclear fuel). The US Department of Energy YM Project identified several stages in the characterization, recommendation, licensing and construction of the site. One of these stages is called Performance Confirmation (PC), which will start at the date in which the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) grants the license to the DOE to build and operate the repository. In the PC period (which may last more than 100 years), the engineered barriers (which include the containers for the waste) will be monitored for environmental degradation (corrosion) performance. This monitoring may involve the use of witness coupons and the use of sensors which will measure temperature, relative humidity, irradiation, microbial activity, etc. Sensors need to be specially developed for nuclear waste monitoring since the measured changes may be small, but the performance time will be unusually long.

Subject
Barriers, Water, Sensors, Materials, Corrosion resistant alloys, Nuclear power, Salts, Yucca mountain, Containment, Metal coupons, Nuclear waste, Corrosion resistance, Wastes
Keywords:
Spent Fuel, Nuclear Waste Repository, Performance Confirmation, Monitoring, Sensors
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2019
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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