Monitoring of Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) Packages using Magnetic Sensors

The project focuses on an alternative method to monitor Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) packages (which are securely stored in nuclear-licensed sites) until they can be safely disposed of in a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF). The timescales associated with developing a GDF storage could be up to many decades. Over these timescales, a fraction of ILW packages will undergo expansion due to the corrosion of reactive metal within the waste. Hence, it is crucial to monitor the rate of expansion to determine the stability of the waste packages during the period of interim storage, to ensure they meet the acceptance criteria of the GDF.

This alternative monitoring method is to use a stress sensitive magnetic sensor which utilises the Giant Magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect.