Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has partnered with three private firms to manufacture and commission a novel system for coating spent nuclear fuel containers in copper as part of the program to prevent any release of radiation from an eventual underground disposal site.
The nonprofit, utility-funded organization is in site selection and planning for construction of a geologic repository that would hold an anticipated 5.2 million bundles of used fuel from the nation’s nuclear power plants 500 meters underground. Five locations, all in the province of Ontario, remain in contention.
The Nanovate Testing System tank would “clad” the steel used fuel containers in copper as a means of preventing corrosion, according to an NWMO press release. The vessels would spend roughly 10 days submerged in an electroplating solution, which would leave a copper coating of 4 to 5 millimeters, though additional research and development could shorten that timeline.
The finished tank is the result of three years of development at a cost of roughly $3 million CAD ($2.3 million), according to Derek Wilson, NWMO chief engineer and vice president of contract management.
“The NWMO is responsible for the safe, long-term management of used nuclear fuel, in a manner that protects both people and the environment,” Wilson told Weapons Complex Morning Briefing by email. “A key part of our ongoing work is the NWMO proof testing program, which works to ensure the best available research, science, technology and engineering acumen is put to work in service of Canada’s plan, this includes development of the NTS tank.”
The tank will ultimately be put to work when the NWMO manufactures its used fuel containers. Integran Technologies provided the coating process development and holds the tank at its facility in Mississauga, Ontario. The other participating companies were Integrated Technologies, of Burlington, Vt., which provided plating tank design, and Empire Buff Ltd., of Quebec, for the tank fabrication.
The NWMO plans to select the site for its deep geologic repository by 2023, followed by regulatory approval, construction, and decades of waste emplacement.
