Sheffield holds first open international scientific conference on nuclear borehole waste disposal
DBD is an alternative to a mined repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power stations in deep holes underground with a diameter of less 66 centimetres. Representatives from around the world participated in the three day conference, including leading deep borehole scientists, as well as representatives from the drilling and waste management industries and governmental organisations. The meeting included both technical and policy presentations as well as a panel discussion on key issues to be addressed to promote the development and availability of DBD as a mechanism for safe, secure disposal of certain high-level radioactive waste.
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The conference was organised by Drs. Karl Travis and Nick Collier from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Dr Travis and Professor Fergus Gibb’s research into deep borehole disposal has been influential in the US government’s decision to conduct the Deep Borehole Field Test (DBFT) which will involve construction of a demonstration borehole just under half a metre in diameter and 5 kilometres below the surface.
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Key points:
The next steps will be to form an international working group to develop, public, government and regulatory confidence in DBD as a disposal solution. This group will promote deep borehole disposal development and implementation, building on the success of the conference in Sheffield meeting by calling for future series of meetings covering scientific, technical, political and socio-economic aspects of DBD. |