Development of stress analysis software to guide waste package design for use in Deep Borehole Disposal of high-level nuclear waste.

深孔处置(DBD)是谢菲尔德大学率先提出的一种潜在的变革性处置概念，作为一种潜在的更安全、更安全和更具成本效益的高放废物和乏燃料处置解决方案，已获得全球关注。在DBD中，废物容器垂直堆放在钻孔的废物布置区内(最低1-2公里)。当考虑操作后的安全情况时，重要的是确保容器(和任何外包装)能够在不影响包装的机械完整性的情况下承受垂直负载压力和大的静水压力。博士生将专注于容器设计的应力分析，其目的是指导罐或外包装壁的厚度，使其能够承受垂直柱状堆叠中的容器的井下压力和负载。将主要使用有限元方法(FEM)。将开发详细的非线性模型，以实现最终一系列装满核废料的罐，同时考虑周围环境(例如土壤/岩石)的相互作用。然后，这种方法将被实施到为该应用量身定做的软件包中，该软件包将允许工程师快速、轻松地找到给定处置方案(废物类型、孔直径等)的最小厚度和罐的数量。

Deep Borehole Disposal (DBD), a potentially transformative disposal concept largely pioneered at the University of Sheffield, has gained global attention as a potentially safer, more secure and cost-effective solution to the disposal of HLW and spent fuel. In DBD, the waste containers are stacked vertically within the waste deployment zone of the borehole (lowest 1-2 km). It is important when considering the post-operational safety case to ensure that the containers (and any overpacks) are able to withstand both the vertical load stresses and a large hydrostatic pressure without compromising the mechanical integrity of the packages.The PhD student would focus on the stress analysis for the canister design where the aim is to guide the thickness of the canisters or overpack walls such that they withstand the downhole pressure and the load of containers in a vertical columned stack. The finite element method (FEM) will primarily be used. Detailed nonlinear models will be developed to achieve an eventual series of nuclear waste filled canisters while at the same time considering the interaction of the surrounding environment (e.g. soil/rocks). This approach would then be implemented into a tailored software package for this application that would allow engineers to quickly and easily find the minimum thickness and number of canisters for a given disposal scenario (waste type, hole diameter, etc).