4SIGHT- A Concrete Degradation Computer Code for Performance Assessment of Nuclear Waste and Decommission Facilities

Published

February 19, 2017

Author(s)

Kenneth A. Snyder, J Philip, H Graves

Abstract

The 4SIGHT computer code facilitates the performance assessments (PA) of nuclear waste and decommissioning facilities that employ concrete as the principal engineered barrier to isolate waste. Such facilities include those for Low Level Waste (LLW) disposal, decommissioning of nuclear structures or those decommissioned facilities employing concrete structures, cement based grout curtains and/or impermeable walls, and Assured Isolation Facilities (AIF). The program uses combined numerical models for the ion transport, chemical reaction and subsequent changes to the transport coefficients to model the response of a concrete structure to its environment. Based on extensive laboratory and field research results on the degradation mechanisms in concrete, the 4SIGHT code is able to model synergistic degradation effects that may occur in concrete structures that isolate nuclear waste. Models of diffusive transport of concentrated ionic species were validated in 4SIGHT using reference and laboratory data, and the impact of flexural cracking and parameter uncertainty were included in the code.

Citation

Proceedings of the Workshop on the Use and Performance of Concrete in Nuclear Power Plant Fuel Cycle Facilities

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

building materials, concrete, degradation modeling, reaction, transport

Citation

Snyder, K. , Philip, J. and Graves, H. (2017), 4SIGHT- A Concrete Degradation Computer Code for Performance Assessment of Nuclear Waste and Decommission Facilities, Proceedings of the Workshop on the Use and Performance of Concrete in Nuclear Power Plant Fuel Cycle Facilities (Accessed May 15, 2025)