STUDIES OF NATURAL AND HISTORICAL ANALOGUES AND THE USE OF THEIR FINDINGS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF SAFETY BARRIER BEHAVIOR UNDER THE SAFETY DEMONSTRATION OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITIES

The article discusses and substantiates the possibility and necessity of applying the findings of studies focused on natural and historical analogues in the development of radioactive waste disposal facilities (RWDF) and demonstration of their long-term safety. It explores the issues associated with the behavior of various structural materials used in the construction of RWDF, in particular, those used in the development of engineered safety barrier system (EBS). The article overviews available publications on natural and historical analogues of engineered barrier materials — silicate glasses, native and anthropogenic copper and bronze, iron, alkaline cements, uranium deposits, as well as the system of natural reactors in Oklo considered as an analogue of deep disposal facilities for radioactive waste. It evaluates natural conditions contributing to the preservation of their insulating properties and the containment of radionuclides contained in the radioactive waste (RW) in the system of engineered and natural RWDF barriers. The study concludes that the findings of the studies can and should be used to provide parametric support in computational modeling applied to assess the long-term safety of RW disposal systems.

Keywords: radioactive waste, natural analogues, historical analogues, radioactive waste disposal facility, engineered safety barrier materials, corrosion, leaching, safety assessment.

Boldyrev K. A., Sobolev D. A., Kochkin B. T., Barinov A. S. Studies of natural and historical analogues and the use of their findings in the assessment of safety barrierbehavior under the safety demonstration of radioactive waste disposal facilities. Radioactive Waste, 2022, no. 3 (20), pp. 72—96. DOI: 10.25283/2587-9707-2022-3-72-96. (In Russian).