Advanced characterization and modelling of degradation in nuclear waste canister materials

核能是应对气候变化的一种技术成熟、无碳的关键能源，已被各国政府视为加拿大实现其减少温室气体排放承诺的关键。核能的一个经常被提及的缺点是剩余的乏燃料；在使用寿命结束时，加拿大核电站将产生约580万束乏燃料，这些乏燃料需要安全储存100万年。2007年，加拿大政府启动了自适应阶段管理（APM），作为加拿大安全和负责任处置乏核燃料的方法。APM与其他国际项目类似，涉及将乏燃料储存在深层地质储存库（DGR）中；DGR是一个多屏障系统，其中燃料束被放置在镀铜钢容器中，嵌入粘土中，并被基岩包围。核废料管理组织（NWMO）是负责设计和调试DGR的组织。作为他们倡议的一部分，NWMO建立了一个世界领先的研究计划，调查DGR材料的性能，并在了解材料选择和腐蚀行为方面取得了重大进展。然而，如果加拿大的计划要取得成功，许多知识差距仍然存在，需要加以解决。考虑到需要100万年的使用寿命，在纳米尺度上理解腐蚀和材料降解将尤为重要，而且在这个尺度上还没有全面的研究。该联盟计划将填补知识空白，特别是评估纳米级腐蚀机制、机械行为、粘土-金属相互作用和冶金效应。多名研究人员将合作提供必要的专业知识，在广泛的科学领域进行研究。新的显微镜，实验和建模方法和设施将用于研究微观到原子尺度的相互作用，降解机制运作的分辨率。HQP将在一个包容的环境中工作，有令人兴奋的机会向多位大学专家学习，与NWMO科学家互动，并接受最先进设施的培训。

Nuclear power is a key technology-ready, carbon-free energy source for combating climate change, and has been recognized by governments as critical to Canada achieving its commitment for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. An often cited drawback of nuclear is the remnant spent nuclear fuel; at end-of-life, Canadian plants will have produced ~5.8 million spent fuel bundles, which require safe storage for 1 million years. In 2007, The Government of Canada initiated Adaptive Phase Management (APM) as the method for safe and responsible disposal of spent nuclear fuel in Canada. APM is similar to other international programs, and involves storage of spent fuel in a deep geological repository (DGR); the DGR is a multi-barrier system where fuel bundles are placed in Cu-coated steel containers, embedded in clay, and surrounded by bedrock. The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is the organization mandated to design and commission the DGR. As part of their initiative, the NWMO has established a world-leading research program investigating the performance of DGR materials, and has made significant progress in understanding materials selection and corrosion behaviour. However, many knowledge gaps still exist and need to be addressed if Canada's plan is to succeed. Given the 1-million year lifetime required, understanding corrosion and materials degradation at the nanoscale will be especially important, and has not been comprehensively investigated at this scale. This Alliance program will address knowledge gaps, particularly evaluating the nanoscale mechanisms governing corrosion, mechanical behavior, clay-metal interactions, and metallurgical effects. Multiple researchers will collaborate to provide the necessary expertise to perform studies across the broad scope of scientific fields. Novel microscopy, experimental, and modelling methods and facilities will be used to study micro-to-atomic scale interactions, the resolution where degradation mechanisms operate. HQP will work in an inclusive environment with the exciting opportunity to learn from multiple university experts, interact with NWMO scientists, and receive training on state-of-the-art facilities.