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

两家英国中小企业和剑桥大学之间的可行性合作研究的目的是研究金属基陶瓷增强复合材料是否可以用于储存低水平核废料，通过发展固结和化学过程反应来强化或固结材料。这种复合材料已经具有高韧性、高强度、相对低密度、热稳定性和经济吸引力。这些特性非常适合核废料储存应用。然而，在标准形式下，它对含水液体的渗透性太高。该项目的目标是研究降低渗透率的潜力，通过低成本修改生产程序，使用实验室演示来增加复合密度，并对固结材料的长期渗透行为进行流体动力学建模。该项目预计将持续9个月，并最终开发出坚固、轻量化、低成本的陶瓷复合材料，用于进一步开发低水平核废料容器的原型。

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.