Contact

Porträt Prof. Dr. Brendler, Vinzenz; FWOA

Prof. Dr. Vinzenz Brendler

Head of Department
Thermo­dynamics of Actinides
v.brendler@hzdr.de
Phone: +49 351 260 2430

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Actinide thermodynamics department

Research

The department of “Thermodynamics of Actinides” is hosting a significant part of the analytical backbone of the institutes, e.g. mass spectrometry, atomic emission spectrometry, elemental analyses, powder diffraction, vibrational and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. This allows us to work on several steps in the thermodynamics value chain.

From a chemical point of view, the focus is set on heavy metal contaminants, namely long-lived radionuclides. The derivation of parameters describing hydrolysis, aqueous complexation, surface reactions or solubilities are combined with structural investigations to validate the species set forming reactions, enabling mechanistic models. Such parameters are fed into respective databases after verification. Gaps still remaining can be closed by applying different estimation methods, from mineral analogies to Linear Free Energy Relationships.

Combined with field data (mineralogical composition, porosity, pH, redox potential, ionic strength, temperature, or CO2 partial pressure), geochemical speciation patterns and radionuclide retardation can then be computed for complex systems on different scales. To name just a few, we worked on cementitious barriers with organic additives, with real-world crystalline samples or with Chornobyl soils. There, also, geostatistics helps to map the heterogeneities observed, and sensitivity / uncertainty analysis not only increases confidence in computational results but supports also the identification of critical parameters and submodels.

Quite recently, these approaches were complemented by machine learning methods, eventually leading to digital twins for nuclear waste repositories. Eventually, this shall bridge the distance between atomistic investigations and the large-scale prognostics required e.g. in performance assessment covering distances of several km over up to one million years.

The actual major research topics of our department can be summarized as follows:


Latest publication

EURAD state-of-the-art report: development and improvement of numerical methods and tools for modeling coupled processes in the field of nuclear waste disposal

Claret, F.; Prasianakis, N. I.; Baksay, A.; Lukin, D.; Pepin, G.; Ahusborde, E.; Amaziane, B.; Bátor, G.; Becker, D.; Bednár, A.; Béreš, M.; Bérešová, S.; Böthi, Z.; Brendler, V.; Brenner, K.; Březina, J.; Chave, F.; Churakov, S. V.; Hokr, M.; Horák, D.; Jacques, D.; Jankovský, F.; Kazymyrenko, C.; Koudelka, T.; Kovács, T.; Krejčí, T.; Kruis, J.; Laloy, E.; Landa, J.; Ligurský, T.; Lipping, T.; López-Vázquez, C.; Masson, R.; Meeussen, J. C. L.; Mollaali, M.; Mon, A.; Montenegro, L.; Pisani, B.; Poonoosamy, J.; Pospiech, S. I.; Saâdi, Z.; Samper, J.; Samper-Pilar, A.-C.; Scaringi, G.; Sysala, S.; Yoshioka, K.; Yang, Y.; Zuna, M.; Kolditz, O.

Abstract

The Strategic Research Agenda (SRA; https://www.ejp-eurad.eu/publications/eurad-sra) of the European Joint Programme on Radioactive Waste Management (EURAD; https://www.ejp-eurad.eu/) describes the scientific and technical domains and sub-domains and knowledge management needs of common interest between EURAD participant organizations. Theme number 7 is entitled “Performance assessment, safety case development and safety analyses.” A list of research and development priorities and activities of common interest to be addressed within EURAD for theme 7 have been established. Amongst others, the Understanding and modelling of multi-physical Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical coupled processes (THMC) occurring in radioactive waste disposal is a major and permanent issue to support optimization of design and safety case abstraction. To tackle this challenge a research work package entitled “DONUT: Development and improvement of numerical methods and tools for modelling coupled processes” has been conducted within the EURAD join programming initiative. The purpose of this work package is to improve/develop methods or numerical tools in order to go a step further in development of (i) relevant, performant and cutting-edge numerical methods that can easily be implemented in existing or new tools, in order to carry out high-performance computing to facilitate the study of highly coupled processes in large systems, (ii) numerical scale transition schemes for coupled processes, (iii) innovative numerical methods to carry out uncertainty and sensitivity analyses. In this paper the work carried out within the DONUT work package is put in perspective regarding the existing concept and literature on the field. It does not pretend to be exhaustive but rather to put emphasis on particular issues tackled during the project.

Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-40923


More publications


Team


Head

NameBld./Office+49 351 260Email
Prof. Dr. Vinzenz Brendler801/P2502430
v.brendler@hzdr.de

Employees

NameBld./Office+49 351 260Email
Dr. Frank Bok801/P2023551
f.bok@hzdr.de
Rodrigo Castro Biondor.castro-biondoAthzdr.de
Viktor Dück801/P3063241
v.dueckAthzdr.de
Alexandra Duckstein801/P1532774
a.ducksteinAthzdr.de
Dr. Stephan Hilpmann801/P3062860
s.hilpmannAthzdr.de
Dr. Jerome Kretzschmar801/P2073136
j.kretzschmarAthzdr.de
Dr. Elmar Plischkee.plischkeAthzdr.de
Dr. Solveig Pospiech801/P2052438
s.pospiechAthzdr.de
Dr. Anke Richter801/P2022426
anke.richterAthzdr.de
Dr. Katja Schmeide801/P2082436
2513
k.schmeideAthzdr.de
Salim Shams Aldin Azzam801/P3482386
s.shamsAthzdr.de
Claudia Sieber801/P2542251
c.sieberAthzdr.de
Susanne Zechel801/P3523328
s.zechelAthzdr.de

Analytics

Head

NameBld./Office+49 351 260Email
Dr. Harald Foerstendorf801/P2513664
2504
h.foerstendorfAthzdr.de

Employees

NameBld./Office+49 351 260Email
Sabrina Beutner801/P2032429
2528
s.beutnerAthzdr.de
Tim Gitzel801/P3162025
t.gitzelAthzdr.de
Dominik Goldbach801/P2033198
d.goldbachAthzdr.de
Karsten Heim801/P2012434
2504
k.heimAthzdr.de
Sylvia Schöne801/P2033198
2526
s.schoene@hzdr.de, s.guertlerAthzdr.de