Feasibility study to develop DEnsification processing of a Ceramic MAtrix composite material for Nuclear waste containment (DECMAN)

这项由两家英国中小型企业和剑桥大学合作进行的可行性研究的目的是调查金属基陶瓷增强复合材料是否可以通过发展固结和化学过程反应来致密或固结材料来存储低放射性核废料的潜力。该复合材料已具有较高的韧性、强度、相对较低的密度、热稳定性和经济吸引力。这些属性非常适合预期的核废料储存应用。然而，在其标准形式下，它对水溶液的渗透性太高。该项目的目标是研究降低渗透率的可能性，方法是利用实验室演示对生产程序进行低成本修改，以增加复合材料的密度，并对固结材料的长期渗透行为进行流体动力学模拟。该项目预计将持续9个月，并将开发出坚固、轻便、低成本的陶瓷复合材料，用于进一步开发低水平核废物安全壳的原型。

The aim of this collaborative feasibility study between two UK SME's and the University of Cambridge is to investigate the potential of whether a metal matrix ceramic reinforced composite can be used to store low level nuclear waste by developing consolidation and chemical process reactions to densify or consolidate the material. The composite already has high toughness, strength, relatively low density, is thermally stable and is economically attractive. These attributes are well suited to the intended nuclear waste storage application. However, in its standard form, its permeability to aqueous liquids is too high. The objective of this project is to study the potential for reducing the permeability, by low cost modifications to the production procedures using laboratory demonstrations to increase composite density, and to carry out fluid dynamics modelling of the long-term permeation behaviour of the consolidated material. The project is expected to last for 9 months and to result in the development of tough, lightweight, low-cost ceramic composite material for further prototype development of low-level nuclear waste containment vessels.