SAFE Barriers - a Systems Approach For Engineered Barriers

Radioactive waste will sit inside a clay barrier for thousands of years, and engineers need to know exactly how that clay will behave under extreme heat, pressure, and chemical attack. The problem is that current models treat the clay barrier as a uniform block, but real clay develops cracks, channels, and weak spots—especially where it meets rock, cement, or the waste container itself. These interfaces can become pathways for radioactive material to escape. This project will embed tiny wireless sensors—some smaller than a grain of rice—directly into the clay to track temperature, pressure, acidity, and swelling in real time. By combining these readings with geophysical scans, the team will build a 3D picture of how the barrier degrades unevenly. If successful, the research will give regulators and waste managers a predictive tool to assess long-term safety of geological disposal facilities. It could also improve the design of engineered barriers for other hazardous materials, such as carbon capture storage sites or deep geothermal systems. The work is applied—its primary purpose is to solve a specific engineering challenge for nuclear waste containment.