Investigation of corrosion processes affecting copper barriers on used nuclear fuel containers for deep geological repositories

加拿大核安全委员会（CNSC）是负责监管使用过的核燃料（UNF）管理的联邦监管机构。在未来几年，CNSC预计核废物管理组织（NWMO）将提交一份许可证提案，以建立和运营一个长期储存UNF的深层地质处置库（DGR）。该项目的目标是与CNSC合作，提供关键的科学信息，使CNSC能够有效地评估西北气象组织的提案。特别是，这项研究将调查铜在DGR环境中的腐蚀情况，并评估UNF储存容器上的3 mm铜涂层是否可以有效地减轻腐蚀过程，并在100万年的使用寿命内保持UNF储存容器的完整性。该项目将包括四项主要任务; 1）对铜腐蚀研究进行全面的文献综述，以确定知识差距和不确定性，2）进行详细的柱实验，以进一步完善对铜腐蚀过程和铜腐蚀速率的理解，3）开发数值模型，以模拟DGR环境中的铜腐蚀过程，并根据可用数据校准模型，以及4）使用数值模型来提供长期铜腐蚀的预测。这项研究将有助于CNSC的决策过程，并为国际核废料管理界提供有关铜腐蚀的关键信息。

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) is the federal regulator responsible regulating the management of used nuclear fuel (UNF). In the coming years, the CNSC expects the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) to submit a proposal for a licence to build and operate a deep geological repository (DGR) for the long-term storage of UNF. The goal of this project, in partnership with the CNSC, is to provide critical scientific information to allow the CNSC to effectively evaluate the NWMO proposal. In particular, this research will investigate the corrosion of copper in the DGR environment and evaluate whether a 3 mm copper coating on UNF storage containers can effectively mitigate corrosion processes and maintain the integrity of the UNF storage container over a lifespan of one million years. This project will include four main tasks; 1) a thorough literature review of copper corrosion studies to identify knowledge gaps and uncertainties, 2) conduct detailed column experiments to further refine the understanding and rates of copper corrosion processes, 3) develop numerical models to simulate copper corrosion processes in the DGR environment and calibrate models to available data, and 4) use numerical models to provide forecasts of long-term copper corrosion. This research will aide in the CNSC's decision making process and provide critical information on copper corrosion for the international nuclear waste management community.