Diamond drilling for nuclear waste QC

Specialised diamond core drilling equipment could soon have a role to play in the safe disposal of intermediate level radioactive waste (ILW). Equipment to core and extract samples for quality checking from cement-filled steel waste drums by techniques compatible with eventual remote-handling operations in a 'hot-cell' is being developed. All coring tests carried out to date have been on simulant waste: 200 litre drums containing mixtures of Ordinary Portland Cement, Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag and Pulverised Fuel Ash. No radioactive materials have yet been used for the coring trials. The coring equipment and the diamond coring bits are described. (author)