Judgement of properties and function of concrete in connection with final disposal of nuclear fuel wastes in rock

This report deals with the possibility of using concrete in conjuction with the permanent storage of nuclear fuel waste in rock storage facilities. The emphasis has been placed on properties such as strength and tightness and how these may be affected by internal and external causes of destruction during a filling stage of approximately 100 years and during the final storage stage of 1 000 - 100 000 years. It is established that spontaneous structural changes, which lead to a certain increase in porosity, cannot be precluded during the filling stage and uring the final storage stage. It is deemed possible to avoid cracking during the manufacture and during the filling stage if the concrete is kept moist. The risk for cracking during the final storage stage is difficult to assess. Attempts are made to estimate the tightness of aged concrete during the various stages. The tightness during the final storage stage is difficult to assess due to the fact that the scope of the cracking cannot be estimated. Chemical attacks during the filling stage are deemed to be small and can be repaired. The risk for destruction due to radioactive radiation is extremely small. Reinforcement, if any, can be protected during the filling stage on condition that the concrete is kep saturated but all reinforcement will be destroyed during the final storage stage. By way of conclusion, a number of general views on the choice of concrete and work methods are provided. (author)