The Canister Laboratory

The Canister Laboratory is where we conduct research on the copper canister. The spent nuclear fuel will be emplaced in the copper canisters before disposal in the bedrock of the spent fuel repository. We explore materials science, detail the manufacturing process and how it will be industrialised into serial production.

We also develop the process of sealing the base and lid onto the copper tube to form the canister and explore how quality assurance of the final product can be performed before shipping it to the disposal site.

SKB collaborates closely with our Finnish counterpart, Posiva, when it comes to manufacturing canisters and sealing techniques. Sweden and Finland have similar geological conditions and both countries have decided on using the KBS-3 method. Mutual questions concern different manufacturing methods used by different suppliers and developing techniques for inspecting the components of the canisters and the welds.

The Canister Laboratory is situated in Oskarshamn port and was inaugurated in 1998.