// Disposal Technology and Specialpurpose Machines

KerWerk

Investigation of the corrosion stability of silicon carbide ceramics under conditions relevant to geological disposal and derivation of potential container concepts

The research project “Untersuchung der Korrosionsstabilität von Siliciumcarbid-Keramiken unter für die Endlagerung relevanten Bedingungen und Ableitung möglicher Behälterkonzepte” in English “Investigation of the corrosion stability of silicon carbide ceramics under conditions relevant to geological disposal and derivation of potential container concepts” (KerWerk Stability) is a joint project of BGE TECHNOLOGY GmbH and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS).

The objective of the project is to investigate the corrosion stability of silicon carbide (SiC) ceramics under conditions relevant to the geological disposal of radioactive waste and to derive influences on potential container concepts based on these findings.

Technical ceramics, in particular SiC ceramics, exhibit high corrosion stability under the anticipated repository conditions. Due to their very low diffusion coefficients for radioactive isotopes, they also act as an effective diffusion barrier for environmentally hazardous components of spent nuclear fuel. This indicates their potential suitability as a material for disposal containers.

However, reliable data on the long-term chemical-mechanical stability of ceramic materials under repository conditions are currently not available. Such data constitute a key basis for the development and engineering design of ceramic container concepts.

Within the project, corrosion investigations under repository-relevant conditions are carried out by Fraunhofer IKTS. Based on these results, BGE TEC performs an engineering assessment and evaluates the suitability of the investigated ceramic materials for use as container materials.