Specific outcomes of the research on the spent fuel long-term evolution in interim dry storage and deep geological disposal

Diffusion of radiogenic helium in natural uranium oxides

“…This was observed, for example, in sintered 238 PuO 2 fabricated at CEA thirty years ago [2,35] as systematic grain decohesion, as shown in Fig. 10.…”

“…The first scenario is the most challenging in a spent fuel repository because a significant increase in the fuel surface area would have a major effect on the two main source terms: instant release of radionuclides located outside the (U,Pu)O 2 grains and radionuclides located in the (U,Pu)O 2 matrix [1][2][3].…”

Impact of Fuel Assembly Transportation on Zirconium Alloys: toward a Mechanistic Understanding

“…During dry transportation, at temperatures around 400°C, the cladding experiences a creep deformation under the hoop stress induced by the internal pressure of the fuel rod. A recovery of the radiation damage can occur during transportation that can affect the subsequent mechanical properties [1].…”

Perspectives on the closed fuel cycle – Implications for high-level waste matrices

“…He produced by radioactive decay in UO 2 and MOX fuels with a burn-up of 47.5 GWd t À1 calculated with the CESAR code[21].…”

“…238 PuO 2 (90% 238 Pu) pellet (after cutting and polishing) stored during 30 years in inert atmosphere[21].…”