Articles | Volume 49
https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-49-67-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/adgeo-49-67-2019
30 Aug 2019
 | 30 Aug 2019

Exploratory what-if analysis of some debated canister failure modes in the review of a licence application for the construction and operation of a spent nuclear fuel repository in Sweden

Bo Strömberg, Lena Sonnerfelt, and Henrik Öberg

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Cited articles

Björck, M., Pehkonen, H., Vuori, L., Tigerström, M., Lahtonen, K., Valden, M., Purhonen, T., and Cederqvist, L.: Evaluation of a gas shield for friction stir welding of copper canisters, Posiva SKB Report 02, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., POSIVA OY, 2017. 
Frankel, G. S.: Pitting Corrosion of Metals: A Review of the Critical Factors, J. Electrochem. Soc., 145, 2186–2198, 1998. 
Hultquist G., Graham M. J., Kodra O., Moisa S., Liu R., Bexell U., and Smialek J. L.: Corrosion of copper in distilled water without O2 and the detection of produced hydrogen, Corros. Sci. 95, 162–167, 2015. 
King, F., Lilja, C., Pedersen, K., Pitkänen, P., and Vähänen, M.: An update of the state-of-the-art report on the corrosion of copper under expected conditions in a deep geologic repository, SKB TR-10-67, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co, 2010. 
Lilja, C., Sellin, P., and Hedin, A.: Svar till SSM på begäran om komplettering rörande grundvattenkemi på kort och medellång sikt, SKBdoc 1437441, Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB, 2013 (in Swedish). 
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Short summary
A potential post-closure release of radionuclides from a KBS-3 spent fuel repository depends on the failure modes of copper canisters. It is generally accepted that a combined erosion/corrosion case and future large earthquakes could cause such failures. In paper, we address other proposed failure modes, not by assessing their relative merits but rather their potential consequences. It is judged that a hypothetical poor creep ductility of copper would have the largest potential consequences.