CONSTRUCTION OF ENGINEERED SAFETY BARRIERS VIA SOIL MODIFICATION IN THE BORDER ZONES OF NEAR-SURFACE STORAGE FACILITIES

This article overviews FSUE RADON’s experience in engineered safety barrier construction via soil modification in the border zones of storage facilities to ensure their environmental safety. The modification technology is based on the injection of a modifying solution under pressure through a borehole system into the soils of the border zone. This solution penetrating into the rocks interacts with them reducing their water permeability and providing practically watertight engineered barriers of any configuration. Moreover, when arranged along the contour of contamination areas, the boreholes provide radionuclide containment within the boundaries of existing contamination plumes. The article discusses pilot projects on the construction of two engineered safety barriers using LBS and Akrilan 103 modifier solutions and a laboratory methodology developed to assess the effectiveness of the modifiers based on a physical model of the soil modification process.

Keywords: radioactive waste, soil modification, near-surface radioactive waste storage facilities, service boreholes, modifying solution, hydraulic permeability.

Ilyev A. A., Khripach I. V., Vanina E. A. Construction of Engineered Safety Barriers Via Soil Modification in the Border Zones of Near-Surface Storage Facilities. Radioactive Waste, 2026, no. 2 (35), pp. 94—101. DOI: 10.25283/258-9707-2026-2-94-101. (In Russian).