Underground Nuclear Cavern Migration Prevention System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The migration of radioactive wastewater from underground nuclear power plants poses a significant threat to natural environments due to its permeation and pollution of the surrounding environment, despite being sealed and buried.
Innovation Solution
A multi-layered migration prevention system comprising an inner liner, drainage layer, and filling layer of rock fractures, along with an impermeable layer surrounding the nuclear island, designed to prevent exosmosis, gather and drain seepage water, and isolate the underground cavern group from natural groundwater, employing reinforced concrete structures and grouting materials to enhance impermeability and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radioactive wastewater is sealed and buried in underground caverns, then the nuclear waste is contained, but the wastewater tends to permeate and pollute the surrounding environment through rock fractures and groundwater
Solution Approach 1:
The containment system is divided into multiple independent layers: inner liner (municipal or HDPE), primary grouting layer, drainage layer with collection system, secondary grouting layer, and outer impermeable layer. Each layer provides a separate barrier function, so that if one layer fails, other layers continue to prevent pollution.
Solution Approach 2:
The rock fractures are grouted with impermeable materials before the wastewater is disposed of in the caverns. The drainage system is pre-installed with collection sumps and pumping equipment ready to immediately collect and remove any seepage water that penetrates the barriers.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple layers of waterproof structures are implemented, then environmental pollution is prevented, but the system complexity and construction difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex containment system is broken down into discrete, standardized layers and components that can be constructed sequentially using conventional mining and civil engineering methods, making the complexity manageable through systematic division of labor and construction phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The drainage layer acts as an intermediary system between the waterproof barriers and the external environment. It provides a controlled pathway for any water that penetrates the barriers, collecting and removing it through pumps and drainage tunnels, thus simplifying the overall system by providing a single point of control for water management.
3Reliability
If the inner liner is made as a reinforced concrete structure or reinforced concrete plus waterproof board, then the sealing performance is improved, but the manufacturing and construction difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inner liner combines reinforced concrete structure with waterproof board materials to create a composite barrier system. The reinforced concrete provides structural strength and stability, while the waterproof board layer provides enhanced impermeability, achieving superior sealing performance through material combination rather than relying on a single complex material.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively blocks underground migration channels for radioactive wastewater, prevents large-scale migration, and ensures the safety and stability of the reactor cavity by collecting, processing, and monitoring radioactive waste water, even during serious accidents, thereby reducing environmental pollution.
Implementation Method 1
the inner liner is configured to prevent exosmosis of the radioactive wastewater of the reactor cavity
Implementation Method 2
the drainage layer is configured to gather and drain seepage water
Implementation Method 3
The drainage layer comprises multiple layers of first drainage tunnels and first drainage holes
Implementation Method 4
The inner filling layer of rock fractures and the outer filling layer of rock fractures both comprise grouting materials in the rock fractures and the rock mass
Implementation Method 5
the impermeable layer is disposed in a periphery of the underground cavern group comprising the reactor cavity and the auxiliary cavities, and is configured to isolate the underground cavern group from natural underground water
Data Source
AI summary
A migration prevention system for radioactive wastewater from an underground nuclear power plant. The underground nuclear power plant includes a nuclear island including an underground cavern group including a reactor cavity and auxiliary cavities. The migration prevention system includes a protective layer coating the reactor cavity and an impermeable layer surrounding the nuclear island. The protective layer includes an inner liner, a drainage layer, and a filling layer of rock fractures in that order. The inner liner is configured to prevent exosmosis of the radioactive wastewater of the reactor cavity. The drainage layer is configured to gather and drain seepage water. The impermeable layer is disposed in the periphery of the underground cavern group including the reactor cavity and the auxiliary cavities, and is configured to isolate the underground cavern group from natural underground water.