Modeling a three-layer container based on halloysite nano-clay for radioactive waste disposal

Abstract

This work aims to modify the shielding properties of liquid radioactive waste (LRW) containers used in nuclear power plants (NPP) for cooling water treatments. The proposed modified container consists of three main layers: a stainless steel inner capsule, halloysite clay filler, and an outer cementation concrete layer. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate the absorbed and equivalent doses (μSv) around the LRW container. The dose rate is affected by the thickness of the inner capsule as well as the halloysite filler. The results show that increasing capsule thickness by 0–3 cm reduces the equivalent dose rate by 82.89%. Increasing filler thickness by 0–17 cm reduces the equivalent dose rate by 15.26%. The proposed container has many other advantages. It can reduce radioactive waste by 99.85% and is not expensive — due to the low price of concrete and halloysite. As a result, it is a good candidate for use in the dry disposal of radioactive wastes.