The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Thermochemical Database Project

Abstract

Abstract The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Thermochemical Database Project aims at making available a comprehensive, internally consistent and quality assured chemical thermodynamic database of selected chemical elements. This database should meet the specialized modeling requirements for safety assessments of radioactive waste disposal systems. This paper describes the evolution of the project from its inception in 1984 to the present organization as a semi-autonomous project under the aegis of the OECD NEA. The scientific principles behind the project organization have not been altered and the effort has resulted in the publication of five major reviews on the chemical thermodynamics of inorganic species and compounds of U, Np, Pu, Am and Tc. Currently, a second series of reviews is being prepared updating the existing, CODATA compatible, database and extending it to include selected data on inorganic species of compounds of Ni, Se and Zr as well as organic complexes with citrate, oxalate, EDTA and iso-saccharinic acid with U, Np, Pu, Am, Tc, Ni, Se, Zr and some other competing cations.