Method of immobilizing nuclear waste
AssigneeSoletanche Freyssinet
InventorsLudovic Martin, Jean-Jacques Aman, Vincent Bernard
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method of immobilizing nuclear waste comprising: a mixing step during which nuclear waste is mixed with a mineral composition and water, a drying step during which the mixture obtained in the mixing step is dried so as to form an immobilizing matrix, characterized in that the mineral composition is obtained by a manufacturing process that comprises the steps consisting of: preparation of a base comprising a predetermined quantity of a mineral material synthesized by at least one part of a living structure selected from the vegetable kingdom, animal kingdom and/or microorganisms; and treatment of said base so as to convert it into an inactivated material with a predefined texture.
Claims10
Method of immobilizing nuclear waste comprising:
- a mixing step during which nuclear waste is mixed with a mineral composition and water,
- a drying step during which the mixture obtained in the mixing step is dried so as to form an immobilizing matrix,
- characterized in that the mineral composition is obtained by a manufacturing process that comprises the steps consisting of:
- preparation of a base comprising a predetermined quantity of a mineral material synthesized by at least one part of a living structure selected from the vegetable kingdom, animal kingdom and/or microorganisms;
- and
- treatment of said base so as to convert it into an inactivated material with a predefined texture.
Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio of the quantity by weight of the mineral composition to the quantity by weight of water is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 85/15.
Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mineral composition is selected in such a way that the immobilizing matrix has an 8-day compressive strength greater than or equal to 8 MPa.
Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein during the mixing step, sand is added, so that the ratio of the quantity by weight of the mineral composition to the quantity by weight of sand is greater than or equal to 1.5 and less than or equal to 10.
Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mixing step comprises:
- a premixing step during which the mineral composition and water are mixed,
- a kneading step during which the mixture obtained during the premixing step is kneaded, and
- an injection step during which the kneaded mixture is injected into a packaging containing the waste to be immobilized.
Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mineral composition comprises at least 50% and at most 80% by weight of calcium carbonate and at least 10% and at most 30% by weight of silica.
Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the quantity by weight of nuclear waste in the immobilizing matrix is greater than or equal to 10% and less than or equal to 80%.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.