Modelling of hydrogen production from pore water radiolysis in cemented intermediate level waste

In France, some of the intermediate and low level wastes are embedded in hydraulic binder and put into concrete canisters. They contain β and γ emitters which cause an irradiation of water present in the pores of the hydraulic binder. This is responsible for a dihydrogen (H2) production due to radiolysis. EDF R and D and CEA have collaborated since many years in order to understand this phenomenon and develop a model called DO-RE-MI which can predict such a production of dihydrogen in concrete waste packages. A parametric study, using the developed model, was implemented in order to determine the effects of each parameter on H2 production. The main results are presented in this paper. (authors)