Alteration mechanisms study of MOX spent fuel in the presence of cimentious bentonitic material (MREA).

Thesis topic details

General information

Organisation

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
  

Reference

SL-DES-25-0077  

Thesis topic details

Category

Earth and environmental science

Thesis topics

Alteration mechanisms study of MOX spent fuel in the presence of cimentious bentonitic material (MREA). Experimental and modeling approaches

Contract

Thèse

Job description

In France, the reference way remains the reprocessing of spent fuel and the recovery of certain materials such as uranium and plutonium through the elaboration of MOX fuels and its recycling. However, the direct storage of fuels (UOX and MOX) in deep geological repository is also being studied in order to ensure that French storage concepts (Cigéo) are suitable for spent fuels as requested and included in the National Plan for the Management of Radioactive Materials and Waste (PNGMDR). Therefore, it is essential to study the alteration mechanisms of the spent fuel matrices in the presence of environmental materials that are similar, on a laboratory scale, to the current storage concept of radioactive waste in deep geological disposal: HA cells dug in the Callovo-Oxfordian (COx) clay whose low-alloy steel liner is isolated from the clay by a cimentious bentonitic grout called MREA. There is various objectives : on the one hand, to determine the impact of the environment on the alteration mechanisms of the fuel matrix as well as on the radionuclides release, and on the other hand, to develop a geochemical model to account for the main physicochemical processes involved. These studies are carried out at the ATALANTE facility (DHA) of the CEA Marcoule, where leaching experiments and characterizations of MOX fuels are achievable. This work is performed as part of the COSTO project and is supported by Andra and EDF.

University / doctoral school

Géosciences, Ressources Naturelles et Environnement - Paris VI -
Paris Sciences et Lettres

Thesis topic location

Site

Marcoule

Requester

Position start date

01/10/2024

Person to be contacted by the applicant

AUTILLO Matthieu matthieu.autillo@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DPME//LMPA
Cea Marcoule
bât Atalante
30207 Bagnols sur Cèaze cedex
0466397412

Tutor / Responsible thesis director

DE WINDT Laurent laurent.dewindt@mines-paristech.fr
Ecole de Mines de Paris
Centre de Géosciences, équipe Hydrodynamique et réactions
35 rue St Honoré 77305 Fontainebleau
01 64 69 49 42

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