Russian scientists completed a project to predict the properties of corium at the Japan Fukushima NPP

Moscow, August 2 - Neftegaz.RU. TENEX in a consortium with specialists of V. Khlopin Radium Institute, NIIAR (part of ROSATOM), A. Alexandrov NITI, as well as the Petersburg branch of the Institute of Geoecology successfully completed work on a 2-year project to study the impact of storage conditions on the characteristics of simulant fuel-containing materials (corium), which were developed based on the characteristics of fuel debris formed after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP.

The scientists produced simulants of silicate-containing fuel fragments and studied their properties in the aging process in 3 conditions.
The resulting mathematical model makes it possible to predict the behavior of materials during extraction, transportation and storage with discrete steps of 10, 20, 30 and 50 years.

Deputy Director General of TENEX for back-end Elena Artemova, said:

• The program on experimental handling of fuel-containing materials, which is significant in terms of volume and duration, has been completed
• The results of the project are important both from the point of view of significant research value and from the point of view of practical applicability

The experiments have shown that long-term storage of corium under water leads to its partial leaching, as well as to secondary phase formation in the surface layer.
In the future, during extraction and drying, the surface of such a material may turn into dust.

The conclusions obtained as a result of the project will allow to make experimentally based decisions when choosing a technology for safe extraction of corium from the post severe accident power station.

Albert Aloy, Chief Researcher of the Department of Applied Radiochemistry of V.Khlopin Radium Institute, noted:

• The results of our research will help our Japanese colleagues to take into account the possible risks associated with the formation of radioactive dust and the occurrence of any uncontrolled situations leading to secondary contamination of the territory during the decommissioning of the power station
• These results can also help minimize the possibility of personnel exposure and reduce the financial costs of eliminating the consequences of accident