Thesis Abstracts 2005
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Combined Effects of Temperature, Chemical and Radiation Exposure on The Diffusion and Mechanical Properties of Polyamide 6,6 and Its Semi-aromatic Copolymer an Investigation into the Failure Mechanisms of Polymeric Materials Used as Storage Containers for Radioactive Waste
By:Laura-lee Brown, Ph.D. candidate
Supervisor: Dr. H.W. Bonin and Dr. V.T. Bui
Abstract
As part of the quest to find a solution for the disposal of Canada’s radioactive waste, the Royal Military College of Canada has been conducting research on the use of polymer-based composite materials for the design of radioactive waste storage containers. Previous work has determined that several of these materials exhibit the required mechanical strength and resistance to radiation to make them viable alternatives to the titanium alloys currently proposed by Atomic Energy Canada Ltd. (AECL) for the fabrication of the containers in the Environmental Impact Statement on the Concept of Disposal of Canada’s Nuclear Fuel Waste.
The mechanical performance of materials used for the fabrication of a storage container for radioactive waste is dependent on the environment to which the container will be exposed over its lifetime. There exists a complex relationship between the many variables affecting the properties of the polymer and potentially decreasing the mechanical performance properties of the container. To further complicate the system, the degradation processes are often time dependant. Under vault conditions, with ThO2 utilized as a filler/radiation absorber, temperature is the most important factor based on the very low lifetime dose and dose rate expected at the inside of the container wall.
