This event is being organised jointly by Nuclear Restoration Services Ltd and the Nuclear Industry Association to engage with the supply chain and other organisations to foster innovation in the management of graphite. The event is one of three such events dedicated to that purpose.
Whilst a baseline of deep geological disposal is well established for England and Wales, a facility will not be available for reactor wastes until at least the 2050s. Opportunities to sustainably manage irradiated graphite to avoid prolonged and potentially expensive interim storage are being investigated. Nearly 100,000Te of this material from more than 40 reactors will need to be managed in the UK over the next century and innovation is encouraged to meet key challenges related to this material, particularly the presence of long-lived radionuclides (e.g. C-14, Cl-36). UK irradiated graphite represents more than a third of the world total so there is an opportunity for UK to play a key role in emergent technologies.
Contributions are also sought that are relevant to management of graphite that may be utilised in future reactor designs to minimise the potential for large amounts of legacy material being generated in the decades to come.
Topics will include: