ABOUT
In Germany, high-level radioactive waste has been generated primarily through the operation of nuclear power plants. It comprises approximately 10,000 tons of irradiated fuel assemblies as well as vitrified high-level radioactive waste from the reprocessing of 7,000 tons of nuclear fuel. The legally mandated disposal route for this waste is final disposal in deep geological formations. A key challenge is to reliably understand the long-term behavior of high-level radioactive waste—particularly in the event of potential contact with groundwater. The goal is to reduce existing uncertainties, systematically eliminate conservative assumptions in safety analyses, and strengthen confidence in the underlying system models. The timeframes leading up to the commissioning and final closure of a repository are very long. It is therefore crucial to investigate how the waste behaves during long-term interim storage. At IFN-2, the focus is on experimental studies of irradiated mixed-oxide (MOX) fuels. Against this background, the institute addresses the following key topics:
- performing hot-cell experiments to investigate the corrosion of spent MOX fuel under conditions relevant to final disposal;
- experimental studies on the long-term behavior of vitrified high-level radioactive waste under repository relevant conditions
- single-effect studies on simplyfied spent nuclear fuel model systems, as well as alternative disposal options.
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Last Modified: 13.05.2026