The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

NDA hosts major international scientific workshop

17 April 2008

 

The NDA’s Radioactive Waste Management Directorate recently hosted a three-day international workshop in Oxford that marked the start of the new phase of the DECOVALEX project, D-2011.

In D-2011, research teams from a number of countries will work together to improve understanding of how the construction and operation of geological disposal facilities will affect the surrounding rock, and how, in turn these changes affect the movement of groundwater and transport of contaminants and so influence the safety of the facility. The teams will study data from full-scale underground experiments conducted in Switzerland, Sweden and other countries.

28 delegates from Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Japan, Korea, Spain, Sweden and the USA attended the event. Dr Cherry Tweed and Dr Simon Norris, from NDA RWMD, lead the UK participation in the project, heading-up a team of contractors including colleagues from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory USA.

Cherry commented
“Working together is very effective in advancing research in these complex coupled processes.”

Simon added
“We need to demonstrate understanding of these processes to support the safety case for the UK’s geological disposal facility. NDA’s involvement in this and other international collaborative programmes ensures we have the experience and state-of the-art understanding needed to advance the UK programme.”

D-2011 runs from April 2008 until June 2011. NDA is one of eight funding organisations and a member of the project steering committee.