Copper canister lifetime limited by a sulfide intrusion in a deep geologic repository

Korea has continuously implemented an ambitious nuclear energy deployment program since 1978. Korea currently operates 20 units, 16 PWRs and four CANDUs and constructs four and reviews license application of two more units. Also, Korea plans to build two more units by 2016. In addition, according to the new “Green Growth Plan while reducing the emission of carbon dioxide” Korea will introduce 10–12 units by 2030. This will inevitably result in more burdens on the safe management of spent nuclear fuels. Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has developed a final disposal concept for Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) named KRS. KRS proposes to emplace SNF in a deep geologic formation such as a crystalline rock. Two key engineered barriers are applied to retard the potential release of a radionuclide from an embedded SNF; a waste container and an engineered barrier. Such an engineered barrier is composed of domestic calcium bentonite and the waste container is composed of an outer copper layer and an inner steel layer. The outer layer, a copper layer is dedicated to protect a waste container against corrosion. The main corrosion mechanism to corrode a copper waste container is a pitting whose speed of corrosion is 5–25 times higher than that of a uniform corrosion. In this paper, a special mass transfer resistance model is developed to predict the migration of sulfide from a fracture to a waste container surface via a bentonite layer. Based on it the lifetime of a copper canister layer limited by a pitting corrosion is estimated. Results show that under normal conditions, a copper layer can sustain its integrity for up to more than millions of years.