- 1Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS), Decommissioning and Waste Management Division, Germany (silvio.sperbeck@grs.de)
- 2Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), Germany
- 3Technische Universität Braunschweig, Institut für Baustoffe, Massivbau und Brandschutz (iBMB), Germany
Germany's interim storage facilities are designed to last 50 years and are licensed to operate for 40 years. They will be needed much longer, as a final repository will not be available until 2050 at the earliest.
The objective of research project ZuMoBau-ZL is to develop a suitable condition assessment and monitoring concept for the structures for the interim storage facilities, including life prediction models, with which the remaining service life can be predicted, verified, and monitored as realistically as possible.
This effort will be carried out in four steps:
1) Compilation of a catalogue of damage and degradation mechanisms for nuclear interim storage facilities in Germany, considering the specific use, construction details and other boundary conditions. Weighting of relevant damage and degradation mechanisms and selection of suitable models for their description are the second part of this step.
2) Provision of an application matrix for non-destructive and low-destructive inspection methods, structural health and monitoring techniques, adapted to the catalogue of step 1, and identification of gaps in existing technologies.
3) Adapting and optimizing durability and performance models for the specific types of structures to allow predictions of future conditions and degradation, in order to optimize maintenance and repairing measures.
4) Provide interfaces to databases and BIM (Building Information Modelling). Selected methods and results will be demonstrated on a reference structure (CONCERTO) available at the Technische Universität Braunschweig.
The first two steps have been completed and will be updated after the demonstrations. The main degradation mechanisms identified as relevant are rebar corrosion and carbonation. Methods such as radar, ultrasound and air permeability measurements will be used to assess the condition. The reference structure will be equipped with various corrosion and moisture sensors and an innovative ultrasonic monitoring method in May 2025. The first data evaluation is expected in autumn 2025.
How to cite: Sperbeck, S., Niederleithinger, E., Oeff, J., Leusmann, T., and von Wehren, S.: ZuMoBau-ZL – providing methods to ensure extended lifetime for structures in interim storage facilities, Third interdisciplinary research symposium on the safety of nuclear disposal practices, Berlin, Germany, 17–19 Sep 2025, safeND2025-81, https://doi.org/10.5194/safend2025-81, 2025.
