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There have been uncountable leaks! Storing nuclear waste is very tricky. It changes chemically due to the atomic decay, so you have to figure out a container t
by didbfkf 7y ago
There have been uncountable leaks!
Storing nuclear waste is very tricky. It changes chemically due to the atomic decay, so you have to figure out a container that is stable against scores of different chemicals in many concentrations.
On top of that, it’s emitting heat so the container can’t be too big otherwise it’ll melt.
Then the waste evolves gases, some radioactive, that make the pressure build up.
Then your container is getting bombarded by alpha rays which wedges itself between the grain boundaries and embrittlement the container.
It’s a bloody (and expensive) mess!
- 08-15 7y agoAll of this is made up nonsense. Only 14 radioactive fission product isotopes end up in the final waste form, and they are in an inert oxide form. Their decay chains are short and hardly change the chemistry, if anything, it becomes more stable. They also don't produce gasses, much less radioactive ones. The only kernel of truth is that __if__ you throw out fuel instead of waste, then you get a heat problem over the long term and the container is irradiated by alpha particles. It won't melt, but it might corrode. But why would you throw away fuel?