2009 Report to Government on National Research and

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3.50 Existing EPSRC-funded research is principally supported through managed calls. The scope of each call is at the discretion of EPSRC, which has advisory input from a variety of sources, including the Letter of Arrangement (LoA) group. The EPSRC set up the LoA group in 2005 with members from nuclear companies and the regula<strong>to</strong>rs (EPSRC, HSE, BNFL, AWE, MoD, British Energy and NDA). The LoA group is a forum for research funders <strong>to</strong> share strategic priorities and potentially <strong>to</strong> identify areas for collaborative activities. The decision whether <strong>to</strong> proceed with proposed areas and the exact scope of an activity rests with EPSRC. 3.51 In April <strong>2009</strong>, EPSRC held a workshop on “Nuclear Engineering” jointly with the USDOE and the National Science Foundation. The aim was <strong>to</strong> “identify opportunities in areas where UK-USA collaborations make sense and fill the needs for one or both countries”, and nuclear engineering was defined very broadly. Topics discussed relevant <strong>to</strong> interim s<strong>to</strong>rage and geological disposal of higher activity wastes were largely within the Spent Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management and/or Post Operation theme, which encompassed: a. reprocessing b. waste forms c. permanent s<strong>to</strong>rage d. disposal e. transmutation of waste (reduction of volumes and waste recycling) f. environmental waste management and legacy waste g. advanced fuel cycles. 3.52 In the context of the UK’s MRWS programme, questions of interest were essentially restricted <strong>to</strong> four <strong>to</strong>pics within this theme (wasteforms, permanent s<strong>to</strong>rage, disposal, and ‘environmental waste management and legacy waste’) out of a <strong>to</strong>tal of 34 <strong>to</strong>pics identified across the six themes. Topics related <strong>to</strong> life extension, new build, future reac<strong>to</strong>r systems and reprocessing dominated the workshop output. At the time the workshop was held, there was much uncertainty over the USA Yucca Mountain programme, so it was difficult <strong>to</strong> discuss geological disposal and interim s<strong>to</strong>rage did not appear <strong>to</strong> have attracted much USA research activity. NERC 3.53 NERC funds research via universities and its own research centres with a remit <strong>to</strong> increase knowledge and understanding of the natural world and <strong>to</strong> tackle major environmental issues including climate change, biodiversity and natural hazards. It also provides independent research and training in the environmental sciences. NERC supports research <strong>to</strong>talling about £400M annually. 3.54 In 2007, NERC launched its new science strategy, following a 2-year consultation period with the UK's environmental research users, funders and providers. The strategy, Next Generation Science for Planet Earth, sets out an overview of how NERC, in partnership with others, will respond <strong>to</strong> the critical issue of the 21st century - the sustainability of life on Earth. The strategy defines the funding priorities for 2007-2012 and was developed with strong inputs from the Science and Innovation Strategy Board (SISB), NERC’s principal advisory committee. CoRWM Document 2543, Oc<strong>to</strong>ber <strong>2009</strong> Page 38 of 151
Box 1. Research Council Funded University Research Consortia The KNOO consortium is a 4-year, ~£6M, RCUK initiative which started in 2005 and is funded through the multidisciplinary research consortia programme, Towards a Sustainable Energy Economy, <strong>to</strong> support nuclear-related research. KNOO is led by Imperial College and is a consortium of 7 universities; it comprises 4 work packages, only one of which is relevant <strong>to</strong> radioactive waste issues (WP-3: An Integrated Approach <strong>to</strong> Waste Immobilisation and Management). In developing KNOO, geological disposal was specifically excluded from the programme scope because it was not, at that time, <strong>Government</strong> policy. The KNOO programme ended in September <strong>2009</strong> and the Research Councils have announced a followup managed call in the nuclear area, predominantly aimed at reac<strong>to</strong>r lifetime extension and new build. The DIAMOND consortium (2008-2012, £4.28M) is led by the University of Leeds. It involves 6 universities and is divided in<strong>to</strong> three areas - Environment, Migration and Risk; Decommissioning, the His<strong>to</strong>ric Legacy and Site Termination; and Materials - Design, Development and Performance. Two areas focus on work relevant <strong>to</strong> waste management: Decommissioning, the His<strong>to</strong>ric Legacy and Site Termination is centred on the improved and accurate characterisation of s<strong>to</strong>red legacy wastes (particularly “Orphan wastes” for which no clear management route exists) and the development of novel technologies for retrieval and treatment; Materials - Design, Development and Performance aims <strong>to</strong> address key knowledge gaps in the conditioning, s<strong>to</strong>rage and disposal of wastes in order <strong>to</strong> underpin future decision- making in waste management. The ‘Biogeochemical Applications in Nuclear Decommissioning and Waste Disposal’ consortium (<strong>2009</strong>-2013, £1.9M) involves 5 universities and the British Geological Survey. The consortium will explore the use of microbial technologies <strong>to</strong> reduce the risk of radionuclide migration from decommissioning and disposal sites by ‘microbially engineering’ precipitates <strong>to</strong> seal fractures in the surrounding rock/soil mass and by immobilising radionuclides within these precipitates. Three other EPSRC research grants, awarded under RCEP over the period 2005-2012, are directly relevant <strong>to</strong> the MRWS programme. These awards, amounting <strong>to</strong> £2.16M, are focused either on the properties and behaviour of borosilicate glass or on the potential for microorganisms in near-surface media <strong>to</strong> retard radionuclide migration. In July <strong>2009</strong>, the EPSRC, under its High End Computing programme, funded a further relevant research project, ‘Understanding the Chemistry of Ceramic Materials Under Irradiation’. This project, involving 3 universities and awarded a <strong>to</strong>tal of £756K over the period 2010-2014, will investigate the mechanisms by which radioactive elements are incorporated in<strong>to</strong> possible host matrices, how radiation damage changes the host properties (in particular, dissolution), and how radioactive species may escape from such host matrices. 3.55 The NERC science strategy is delivered via seven science themes: climate system, biodiversity, earth science system, natural hazards, sustainable use of natural resources, environment pollution and human health (EPHH), and technologies. The themes most relevant <strong>to</strong> MRWS-related R&D are EPHH and Technologies. 3.56 EPHH examines the interactions of humans with the environment, how manmade changes may affect the health of humans and how adverse effects may be prevented. NERC is currently setting up an Expert Group, under the most recent EPHH theme action plan, <strong>to</strong> identify research gaps in the area of Radioactivity and the Environment, covering all aspects of radioactivity from atmospheric CoRWM Document 2543, Oc<strong>to</strong>ber <strong>2009</strong> Page 39 of 151
Page 1 and 2: Committee on Radioactive Waste Mana
Page 3 and 4: Finland ...........................
Page 5 and 6: Geosphere Characterisation ........
Page 7 and 8: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. CoRWM’s remi
Page 9 and 10: odies would need to</strong
Page 11 and 12: disseminate and assimilate its resu
Page 13 and 14: 1.3 CoRWM’s Work Programme for 20
Page 15 and 16: 1.11 The R&D requirements for the l
Page 17 and 18: 2. ESTABLISHING R&D REQUIREMENTS Wh
Page 19 and 20: adioactive waste management facilit
Page 21 and 22: should mitigate the risks of findin
Page 23 and 24: there is no unwarranted repetition
Page 25 and 26: safety case development, the overal
Page 27 and 28: Table 1. Approximate annual levels
Page 29 and 30: Figure 1. Structure of UK R&D provi
Page 31 and 32: NDA R&D for Geological Disposal 3.1
Page 33 and 34: 3.27 The purpose of NNL can be summ
Page 35 and 36: identified the research required an
Page 37: submitted to RCEP
Page 41 and 42: 3.62 BGS is conducting three projec
Page 43 and 44: 3.70 In the current FP7 programme (
Page 45 and 46: 3.77 RCEP noted that there was a la
Page 47 and 48: sectors: land disp
Page 49 and 50: eyond those that RWMD intends <stro
Page 51 and 52: Box 2. USDOE 2006 Workshop R&D Issu
Page 53 and 54: 3.111 Fundamental and applied resea
Page 55 and 56: France 3.122 There are six major gr
Page 57 and 58: and in concert with Forpro is desig
Page 59 and 60: • encourage the transfer and pres
Page 61 and 62: comparison to othe
Page 63 and 64: 4. R&D SKILLS TO SUPPORT THE MRWS P
Page 65 and 66: Figure 3. UK Nuclear Skills Map Sou
Page 67 and 68: ensure the availability of a skille
Page 69 and 70: which is longer than the competitio
Page 71 and 72: Box 4. Postgraduate University Prov
Page 73 and 74: 4.30 The NDA also operates a gradua
Page 75 and 76: for NDA to acquire
Page 77 and 78: Retention of Skills 4.48 It has bee
Page 79 and 80: 5. INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIRED FOR R&D
Page 81 and 82: purchase of equipment. In addition,
Page 83 and 84: 5.23 The Pacific Northwest National
Page 85 and 86: 5.35 The range of possible function
Page 87 and 88: 5.40 Early in 2009
Page 89 and 90:
6. SOME R&D ISSUES 6.1 R&D carried
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interactions, the impact of highly
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7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
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7.11 CoRWM has found that responsib
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and Appendix A is only intended <st
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Current and Planned R&D for ILW A.5
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wasteform integrity at end of s<str
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Magnox Fuel A.20 Magnox fuel consis
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capability exists in the UK for doi
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purpose-built building. The former
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pending a decision on its long-term
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through all these. The nature of th
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Box 7. Radionuclide Speciation Many
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could mix with the bulk hydrogen ga
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than that for uranium-235. Likewise
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near-field of the part containing t
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• Long-term stability and perform
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few millimetres to
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environment, all with the character
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Number Title 2500 Interim S
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EPSRC, 2009. Grant
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Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,
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Skomurski FN, Ewing RC, Rohl AL, Ga
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Co-location Disposal of “high lev
Page 137 and 138:
Geosphere Solid portion of the eart
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Packaging Placing waste int
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Stillage A metal frame used <strong
Page 143 and 144:
BNGSL British Nuclear Group Sellafi
Page 145 and 146:
FP Framework Programme (of the Euro
Page 147 and 148:
MOX mixed oxide fuel (contains uran
Page 149 and 150:
RS Royal Society RSC Royal Society
Page 151:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Leadership in the
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2009 Report to Government on National Research and

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