Durability test of geomembrane liners presumed to avail near surface disposal facilities for Low-level waste generated from research, Industrial and Medical facilities

Nakata, Hisakazu ; Amazawa, Hiroya; Sakai, Akihiro ; Kurosawa, Ryohei; Kanno, Naohiro*; Kashima, Takahiro*; Sakamoto, Yoshiaki 

The Low-level Radioactive Waste Disposal Project Center will construct near surface disposal facilities. The disposal facilities consist of concrete pit type for low-level radioactive wastes and trench type for very low level radioactive wastes. As for the trench type disposal facility, two kinds of facility designs are on projects -one for normal trench type disposal facilities and the other for trench type disposal facilities with geomembrane liners that could prevent from causing environmental effects of non radioactive toxic materials. This study examined mechanical strength and permeability properties to assess the durability on the basis of an indoor accelerated exposure experiment targeting the liner materials presumed to avail the conceptual design so far. Its results will be used for the basic and detailed design henceforth by confirming the empirical degradation characteristic with the progress of the exposure time.