In 2014, SKB submitted a permit application to expand the SFR repository to include not only operational waste but also decommissioning waste from the dismantling of Swedish nuclear power plants. Kemakta was involved in many key aspects of the project, conducting both technical investigations to support system and process understanding, as well as contributing to project management, data quality assurance, and reporting. For example, we:
- Investigated concrete degradation, which provided the basis for the plan to repair the 1BMA barrier and modify the design of the 2BMA canisters.
- Developed site-specific Kd values, taking into account the potential impact of alkaline leachate from cement in the repository. This was done through modeling of surface complexation and cation exchange processes to derive correction factors for Kd for specific groundwater compositions.
- Evaluated the accumulation of complexing agents in the SFR, which was used to select reduction factors for the sorption of radionuclides.
- Investigated the effects of induced earth currents on the corrosion rate of reactor tanks during unbalanced operation of direct current transmission between Sweden and Finland (Fennoskan).
- Provided recommendations on corrosion rates for metals under conditions relevant to the repository’s lifespan, aiming to estimate the release rates of radionuclides.
- Defined the initial state as of the year 2075, which was published as a report and applied as input data in the modeling of SFR.
- Took responsibility for project management.
- Ensured data quality and flow within the project.
- Authored sections and served as editor for process reports.
- Developed descriptive FEP tables for managing processes related to the waste in SFR.
