The PLEIADES Facility for Long-Term Experimental Investigations of Disposal Environments and Storage—Part of the UK National Nuclear User Facility

<br/><br/>As part of the UK Government’s commitment to managing its historical radioactive waste inventory, in addition to any future generated waste, disposal of higher activity waste in a geological disposal facility is considered the safest option. Understanding how radioactive waste and different waste forms respond to storage conditions over extended periods of time is key in developing a robust safety case for disposal in a GDF.<br/>To support this, the PLEIADES (Platform for Long-term Experimental Investigation of Alteration Disposal Environments and Storage) Facility is being established to allow the determination of radio-material corrosion and long-term degradation relevant to radioactive waste storage, disposal and decommissioning associated with legacy, new-build and future fuel cycles.<br/>The facility comprises a suite of laboratories capable of allowing research into radio-material alteration in realistic environments and over extended timescales. Here we will describe the facilities and present some of the research being performed in the facility.