Description

A day excursion for anyone who wants to learn more about nuclear safety. Just across the border, in Mol, an important study centre for European research is located in idyllic surroundings. A visit to the centre and a tour of prominent places in Mol will make it an interesting day for members and partners to experience.

Deep below the Nuclear Energy Study Centre (SCK-CEN) in Mol is a thick layer of clay: the Boom Clay. In the search for a solution for the safe disposal of highly radioactive waste, SCK-CEN built a laboratory 225 metres underground in the Boom clay layer. This was aptly named HADES, god of the underworld. Through the economic partnership ESV EURIDICE, SCK-CEN, together with ONDRAF/NIRAS, the national institution for radioactive waste and enriched fissile materials, is conducting research into the feasibility of disposing of high-level radioactive waste in the deep clay layers.

The visit begins with a presentation on SCK-CEN's activities, explaining how the management of fissile materials and the geological disposal of radioactive waste is regulated and how it relates to sustainability and the protection of people and the environment.

In the permanent exhibition, the second part of the programme, an overview of the research is given with film, drawings and models.

The third part of the visit is followed by a guided tour of HADES at a depth of 225 metres, the heart of the Boom Clay. A guide there explains the research. The research laboratory was built between 1980 and 2007 as a series of underground galleries. The longest gallery measures 180 metres. During that period, excavation techniques have greatly improved and the latest methods minimally disturb the clay layers. For more than 30 years, the laboratory has been studying how the clay reacts to the heat of highly radioactive waste and how it behaves as a host of radioactive waste in realistic disposal conditions. The clay layer has been shown to retain radioactive substances extremely well, protecting people and the environment.

Back above ground and after lunch, a one-hour walk along the sights of the picturesque town of Mol follows, with a visit to the Jakob Smits museum.

Speaker(s)

Scientific staff of EIG EURIDICE will provide presentation and guided tour

Location

ESV Euridice Gie, Boeretang 200, BE-2400 Mol (Be)

Organiser

Region South

Name and contact details for information

drs. ing. Cor van den Bosch, tel: 06 50638128

jocobowi@onsbrabantnet.nl