BEGIN:VCALENDAR
PRODID:-//Columba Systems Ltd//NONSGML CPNG/SpringViewer/ICal Output/3.3-
 M3//EN
VERSION:2.0
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20190211T122249Z
DTSTART:20190522T120000Z
DTEND:20190522T130000Z
SUMMARY:The Mineralogy of Nuclear Meltdowns
UID:{http://www.columbasystems.com/customers/uom/gpp/eventid/}uuh-jrq89yk
 2-3a0mer
DESCRIPTION:In April 1986\, Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plan
 t underwent a catastrophic failure. This nuclear incident resulted in 31
  direct deaths and caused a radioactive plume to spread across much of E
 urope and the former USSR. During the meltdown of the reactor core\, tem
 peratures reached >1600°C from the uncontrolled decay heat of the fissio
 n products\, causing the nuclear fuel and zirconium cladding to melt tog
 ether. More than 100 tons of molten reactor core magma moved through the
  sub-reactor rooms\, incorporating structural building materials such as
  steel\, concrete and sand. The minerals that formed\, known as lava-lik
 e fuel containing materials (LFCM)\, are highly crystalline\, radioactiv
 e\, glass-like slags.\n25 years later\, in 2011\, an earthquake off the 
 eastern coast of Japan resulted in a loss of coolant accident at the Fuk
 ushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. After the partial meltdown of Reacto
 r Units 1 to 3\, at temperatures in excess of 2000°C\, UO2 fuel pellets 
 reacted with zircaloy fuel cladding. Since it has not yet been possible 
 to retrieve any of the materials from within the reactor buildings\, due
  to the extreme levels of radioactivity\, the precise mineralogical deta
 ils of the melted core are not known. However\, it is thought that a min
 eral phase with a composition of U1-xZrxO2 was formed\, containing a var
 iety of fission products and minor actinides\, and it is possible that g
 lassy lava-like minerals are also present. \nThe removal of these materi
 als from the reactors and the sub-reactor buildings is vital to the reme
 diation of the sites. This is a critical step on the pathway to allowing
  re-habitation of the local areas\, which can only be completed once a t
 horough understanding of the composition and microstructure of the lavas
  has been accomplished. This talk describes the research being performed
  at the University of Sheffield\, with our collaborators in the UK\, Ukr
 aine and Japan\, to understand these fascinating nuclear meltdown minera
 ls.\n
STATUS:TENTATIVE
TRANSP:TRANSPARENT
CLASS:PUBLIC
LOCATION:G.03\, Williamson Building\, Manchester
END:VEVENT
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