Radiolytic effects of plutonium.

Plutonium isotopes, most of them a-emitters, cause radiolytic changes in the matrix, in whic h they are embedded. The internal irradiation of Pu metal or its alloys results in physical changes, largel y as a result of the formation of helium bubbles, well-known to material scientists and weapons specialists . In all other media where plutonium occurs, usually as Pu'+ in an ionic form, the results of irradiation ar e chemical in nature. Homogenous media containing Pu, are often aqueous or non-aqueous solutions o f plutonium compounds, mostly originating during processing of spent nuclear fuel or from Pu processing . Heterogenous matrices containing plutonium are more complex from the point of view of radiolysis; they usually contain a variety of combinations of common materials contaminated with radionuclides . This class of radioactive materials represents a challenge for the management of plutonium waste . One has to consider a range of time scales for radiolytic effects (and consequently a several orders o f magnitude range of the cumulative dose) beginning with waste generation, through packaging, transportation, to the period of final storage . Final storage could be for thousands of years in deep geologic repositories . At every ' stage of that time scale, radiolysis proceeds continuously an d cumulative effects c an complicate operating procedures and final disposition . The results presented here have been obtained from experiments that have irradiated of model materials, which are typically the objects of contamination with plutonium . They were irradiated with linearly accelerated electrons up to very high dose rates, adjusted to simulate any contamination at any point on the time scale

Radiation chemistry of polymeric components of radioactive waste

The presentation covers fragments of research on the role of radiation chemistry in radioactive waste management. Radioactive waste often contains polymeric materials contaminated with actinides, which exhibit a activity for thousands of years. Rules of safety of transportation and environmental security of permanent storage demand the understanding of radiation chemistry of typical waste matrices. Due to a slow decay and a short range of penetration of a emitters, the experiments with actinides are not easy. 'Therefore, accelerated experiments have been performed using 10 MeV electrons of high intensity. That way chemical effects proceeding over thousands of years could be reduced to minutes in the laboratory. Simulation of the effect of a-radiolysis on polymers by low LET radiation is justified, because low LET radiation produces multi-ionization spurs resulting in the same chemistry as high LET radiation