Corrosion Techniques and Strategies for Used Fuel Containers with Copper Corrosion Barriers under Deep Geological Disposal Conditions: A Literature Review

Safe emplacement of high-level nuclear waste (HLNW) arising from the utilization of nuclear power is a frequently encountered and considerably challenging issue. The widely accepted and feasible approach for the permanent disposal of HLNW involves housing it in a corrosion-resistant container and subsequently burying it deep in a geologic repository. The focus lies on ensuring the durability and integrity of the container in this process. This paper introduces various techniques and strategies employed in controlling the corrosion of used fuel containers (UFCs) using copper (Cu) as a corrosion barrier in the context of deep geological disposal. Overall, these corrosion prevention techniques and methods have been effectively implemented and employed to successfully mitigate the corrosion challenges encountered during the permanent disposal of Cu containers (e.g., corrosion mechanisms, corrosion parameters) in deep geologic repositories. The primary objective of this review is to provide an extensive examination of the alteration in the corrosion environment encountered by the UFCs when subjected to deep geologic repository conditions and focusing on addressing the potential corrosion scenarios.