The Advancement of Neutron-Shielding Materials for the Transportation and Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel

Qi, Zhengdong; Yang, Zhong; Li, Jianping; Guo, Yongchun; Yang, Guichun; Yu, Yang; Zhang, Jiachen

doi:10.3390/ma15093255

Cited by 28 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…[ 28,29] Wet Storage Most nuclear reactor designs have some form of spent fuel storage pools as an intermediate step. [30][31][32] Dry Storage After a period of at least 5 to 10 years, nuclear fuel can be transferred into dry interim storage.…”

Section: Description Relevant Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Review of International Nuclear Waste Management

Fernández-Arias,

Vergara,

Antón-Sancho

2023

Energies

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In the current situation of global energy transition, nuclear energy maintains its reputation as a stable power generation technology, without dependence on other resources and without CO2 emissions. However, one of the main problems with its use is the management of the radioactive waste it generates, which has given rise to different international strategies: (i) reprocessing; (ii) storage; and (iii) disposal. Given the interest generated by nuclear energy in recent times and the need to manage the waste generated, this paper presents a global review of the different international nuclear waste management strategies, using a scientific method based on (i) a bibliometric review of the scientific publications related to nuclear waste management and (ii) an analysis of the technical aspects of the different international management strategies. The effective and safe management of nuclear waste will contribute to the advancement of international nuclear energy development strategies that encourage the construction of new nuclear power plants and the lifetime extension of existing ones.

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Section: Description Relevant Referencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Review of International Nuclear Waste Management

Fernández-Arias,

Vergara,

Antón-Sancho

2023

Energies

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“…Several countries, including France, China, and Russia, choose the “post-treatment” strategy. In this approach, spent fuel is stored in specialized facilities until its radioactivity reduces sufficiently for reprocessing [ 6 ]. The safe transportation of this spent fuel requires specialized casks designed to shield against radioactivity which incorporate multiple layers of materials such as steels, lead, concretes, and polymers [ 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Service-Life Rigid Polyurethane Foam Fillings for Spent Fuel Transportation Casks

Zhang,

Shen,

et al. 2024

Polymers

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Soft materials bearing rigid, lightweight, and vibration-dampening properties offer distinct advantages over traditional wooden and metal-based fillings for spent fuel transport casks, due to their low density, tunable structure, excellent mechanical properties, and ease of processing. In this study, a novel type of rigid polyurethane foam is prepared using a conventional polycondensation reaction between isocyanate and hydroxy groups. Moreover, the density and size of the pores in these foams are precisely controlled through simultaneous gas generation. The as-prepared polyurethane exhibits high thermal stability exceeding 185 °C. Lifetime predictions based on thermal testing indicate that these polyurethane foams could last up to over 60 years, which is double the lifetime of conventional materials of about 30 years. Due to their occlusive structure, the mechanical properties of these polymeric materials meet the design standards for spent fuel transport casks, with maximum compression and tensile stresses of 6.89 and 1.37 MPa, respectively, at a testing temperature of −40 °C. In addition, these polymers exhibit effective flame retardancy; combustion ceased within 2 s after removal of the ignition source. All in all, this study provides a simple strategy for preparing rigid polymeric foams, presenting them as promising prospects for application in spent fuel transport casks.

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“…Recently, polymer matrix composites as radiation shields received a lot of attention due to their lightweight and flexibility [7,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Boron carbide is one of the favorable reinforcement materials for radiation-shielding polymer matrix composites because of its high 10 B content.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transition Metal Borides for All-in-One Radiation Shielding

Avcıoğlu,

Avcıoğlu

2023

Materials

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All-in-one radiation shielding is an emerging concept in developing new-generation radiation protection materials since various forms of ionizing radiation, such as neutrons and gamma rays, can occur simultaneously. In this study, we examine the ability of transition metal borides to attenuate both photon and particle radiation. Specifically, fourteen different transition metal borides (including inner transition metal borides) are selected for examination based on their thermodynamic stabilities, molecular weights, and neutron capture cross-sections of the elements they contain. Radiation shielding characteristics of the transition metal borides are computationally investigated using Phy-X/PSD, EpiXS and NGCal software. The gamma-ray shielding capabilities of the transition metal borides are evaluated in terms of the mass attenuation coefficient (μm), the linear attenuation coefficient (µ), the effective atomic number (Zeff), the half-value layer (HVL), the tenth-value layer (TVL), and the mean free path (MFP). The mass and linear attenuation factors are identified for thermal and fast neutrons at energies of 0.025 eV and 4 MeV, respectively. Moreover, the fast neutron removal cross-sections (∑R) of the transition metal borides are calculated to assess their neutron shielding abilities. The results revealed that borides of transition metals with a high atomic number, such as Re, W, and Ta, possess outstanding gamma shielding performance. At 4 MeV photon energy, the half-value layers of ReB2 and WB2 compounds were found as 1.38 cm and 1.43 cm, respectively. Most notably, these HVL values are lower than the HVL value of toxic Pb (1.45 cm at 4 MeV), which is one of the conventional radiation shielding materials. On the other hand, SmB6 and DyB6 demonstrated exceptional neutron attenuation for thermal and fast neutrons due to the high neutron capture cross-sections of Sm, Dy, and B. The outcomes of this study reveal that transition metal borides can be suitable candidates for shielding against mixed neutron and gamma radiation.

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The Advancement of Neutron-Shielding Materials for the Transportation and Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel

Cited by 28 publications

References 89 publications

Global Review of International Nuclear Waste Management

Global Review of International Nuclear Waste Management

Long-Service-Life Rigid Polyurethane Foam Fillings for Spent Fuel Transportation Casks

Transition Metal Borides for All-in-One Radiation Shielding

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