| Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste | |
| LECTURERS: | Prof. M. Mazurek, PD P. Wersin, Dr. D. Grolimund |
| SCOPE: | Disposal and investigation strategies for deep underground repositories of radioactive waste |
| HELD AT: | BE |
| CATEGORY: | Applications |
| ECTS Credits: | 2.5 |
| PREREQUISITES: | |
| REQUISITES: | |
| FORMAT: | |
| FREQUENCY: | biennially in spring semester, held in odd years |
| CONTENTS: | The radioactive waste that is accumulating from nuclear power plants, medical and research institutions poses a challenge to environmentally sound disposal. Containment in deep geological formations is the most frequently considered option. The disposal problem therefore has an essential geological component, and suitably trained Earth Science graduates are increasingly finding employment in the radwaste sector.Several national research programmes (e.g. France, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, USA) are targeted at locating, investigating and realising disposal facilities. These case studies are used in this course to illustrate the main problem areas of waste isolation. Emphasis is on geochemistry and on the interdisciplinary synthesis that leads to an improved understanding of the relevant processes and their interactions.This course covers: nuclear fuel cycle; waste types; disposal and investigation strategies; radionuclide transport and retardation mechanisms; the geosphere as a transport barrier; natural analogues; role of underground rock laboratories; safety analysis; aspects of drilling, mining and tunnelling. |
| ASSESSMENT: | Written examination |
| KSL-Link: | KSL |
(prer): Courses with prerequisites.