Abstract
To obtain reliable estimates of the quantities and rates of the gas production in L/ILW a series of measurements was carried in the last 7 years in Hungary. The typical gas production rates were 0.05–0.2 STP litre gas/day for CO2 and CH4 generation, and less for H2. No explosive gas mixture was indicated in the L/ILW drums during the investigated storage period. Compositions of headspace gases in closed L/ILW vaults were in agreement with gas generation processes observed in L/ILW drums. The stable carbon isotope measurements show that the main source of the CO2 gas is the degradation of organic matter and indicates microbial degradation processes as the main sources of CH4. Typical tritium activity concentrations were <10 Bq/l gas in the drums and <1,000 Bq/l gas in the vaults. Typical 14C activity values of the headspace gases were <2.0 Bq/l gas in the drums and <1,000 Bq/l gas in the vaults.
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Molnár, M., Palcsu, L., Futó, I. et al. Study of gas generation in real L/ILW containers. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 286, 745–750 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-010-0795-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-010-0795-y