Other National and International Projects

In the frame of ICONDE Project, the Lithuanian Energy Institute organizes a summer course «Introduction to the nuclear energy, nuclear hazards and radioactive materials management» for PhD students and young scientists. The summer course will be held online from May 15 to 18, 2023. The purpose of the event is to provide knowledge about the nuclear energy: different types of nuclear reactors, nuclear hazards – nuclear accidents, management of nuclear materials and decommissioning of nuclear power plants. Summer courses are organized in the form of interactive lectures and analysis of practical examples. Simplified examples of performing analysis will be demonstrated, the trainees will be involved in the process of calculation. The Interactive lectures consist of 75% of the Course time. The remaining 25% will be covered by analysis of practical examples. The post-gradutate and PhD students who are interested in the field of nuclear energy safety and young researchers who are preparing to work in the field of nuclear energy are invited to apply. Applications are open until March 31, by sending an e-mail to . More information can be found HERE (PDF, 1.5 MB).

November 2023 - January 2024

Researchers of the Lithuanian Energy Institute Jūratė Čėsnienė, Inna Pitak, and Regina Kalpokaitė-Dičkuvienė have presented the results of the ICONDE project at the international conference «Strategies toward Green Deal Implementation Water & Raw Materials". The aim of the International conference on strategies for the implementation of the Green Course is to present the problem of climate change and ways to prevent it, such as innovative solutions (in technological, environmental, economic and social aspects) that can be implemented according to the strategies of the Green Course. The conference took place for the fourth time, and this time, it was organised as an online event. In the parallel session «Innovative materials for sustainable future», the scientists presented «Basalt boron fiber corrosion in alkaline medium».
Work continues on the investigation of the shielding properties of concrete containing oil shale ash and basalt fibres by performing both numerical modelling and laboratory experiments. To assess the environmental impact of the new concrete, project scientists are conducting a life cycle assessment of the material. Intensive work is also underway on the preparation of scientific publications.

August – October 2023

Project ICONDE is entering its final stage, and activities within WP5 entitled «Life cycle assessment» are initiated and conducted by researchers from Tartu University (Estonia) with the technical data contribution of all the other partners. Colleagues from Tartu, Alan Tkaczyk, Riho Motlep, Uku Andreas Reigo, and PhD student Cansu Özcan Kilcan visited Riga Technical University on the 6th of October. From the hosting university, Andrejs Krasnikovs, Olga Kononova, Artūrs Mačanovskis, Ukrainian scientist Irina Romanenko, PhD students Ilgar Jaffarli and Umesh Haribhai Vavaliya were present in person. The intensive day visit included activities such as a laboratory tour with a detailed description of fibre concrete ingredients and the mixing and fabrication process. Presentations of WP5 by Uku Andreas Reigo and Cansu Özcan Kilcan followed the laboratory tour. Presentations and discussions were about the current progress and obstacles related to ICONDE project WP5. 
Another important event was the Baltic Research Mid-term conference titled «Collaborative Experiences: Shaping the Research Future» held in Riga. The event was organised by The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia in cooperation with the Latvian Council of Science, Lithuania, and Estonia. The supported projects, including the ICONDE project, were presented during two days. Professor Dr.sc.ing. Andrejs Krasnikovs presented the ICONDE project and organised a laboratory visit for event participants.
Sabine Upnere from RTU participated in two scientific conferences. The international conference «Optimization and Analysis of Structures» took place for the fifth time in Tartu, from August 28 to 29. The conference aims to gather experts in Solid Mechanics, Fracture Mechanics, Material Science, Applied Mathematics, and the Theory of Optimization. Researcher Sabine Upnere participated in the conference with the presentation «Application of bridging law concept to basalt fiber concrete with OSA - numerical study of mechanical test results». During her presentation, Sabine introduced the conference participants to the ICONDE project and the obtained results in crack modelling. An interesting discussion occurred about the importance of short fibres in crack prevention with Professor Konstantin Lurie from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA. The second international conference was the «1st International Online Conference on Buildings» from October 24 to 26. Here, Sabine gives a talk on «Reduced order models for basalt fibre concrete supplemented with oil shale ash».
The results of the ICONDE project, related to the radiation shielding properties of oil shale ash and basalt-boron fibre concrete, are published in the scientific article «Assessing shielding material Performance: Benchmarking of Monte Carlo codes for oil shale and Basalt-Boron fiber concretes». The article was created with the cooperation of all project partners.

May – July 2023

The Summer Course «Introduction to nuclear energy, nuclear hazards, and radioactive materials management» was organized at the Lithuanian Energy Institute, Laboratory of Nuclear Installation Safety, together with the Kaunas University of Technology, Department of Energy from the 15th of May to the 18th of May 2023 in the online form. In total, there were 12 master’s and PhD students from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Norway, and Ukraine participated in the course. The participants evaluated the course and the benefits received very positively.
Sabine Upnere from RTU attended the 4th International Conference and Summer School «Numerical Computations: Theory and Algorithms» in Pizzo Calabro, Italy from the 14th to the 20th of June. She presented a method of numerical modeling of crack propagation developed within the ICONDE project. The methodology, which combines experimental data, finite element modeling, and a surrogate modeling approach, allows fast and accurate prediction of crack propagation and related parameters in basalt fiber concrete. The method can also be used for concrete with oil shale ash.
The 5th World Congress of Latvian Scientists «Research Latvia» was held from 27th to 29th June 2023 in Riga. The Congress is one of the widest-reaching events in Latvian science, gathering Latvian science ecosystem stakeholders from all over the world. ICONDE coordinator prof. A. Krasnikovs participated in the Green Transition section with the poster «New «Baltic green» fiber concrete as a solution for radiation protection and hazardous waste management».
The results of the ICONDE project related to the numerical modeling of cracks are published in the scientific article «Bridging Law Application to Fracture of Fiber Concrete Containing Oil Shale Ash» (https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13071868). The article was written in collaboration between researchers from the Norwegian Arctic University and RTU.

February - April 2023

In cooperation with project partners from the Arctic University of Norway and the University of Tartu, the RTU team of scientists continued intensive work on the production of concrete samples and performed various tests to verify the properties of the new type of concrete. The research aims to determine the influence of oil shale ash and basalt fibers on the material's mechanical properties. In addition, RTU researchers worked on numerical modeling of bending tests using both finite element and discrete element methods. Colleagues from the University of Tartu and the Lithuanian Energy Institute studied the shielding properties of concrete containing oil shale ash and basalt fibers, which are critical for materials planned to be used for hazardous waste storage, as well as changes in chemical and mineralogical properties. Work is also underway on the preparation of scientific publications. In general, it can be concluded that the second year of the ICONDE project has been completed successfully.
 

August - October 2022

RTU researchers have prepared a publication for the Open Access journal - Applied Sciences «Experimental Study and Modelling on the Structural Response of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams». The paper is being accepted for publication and will be published in late October.

From September 12 to 14, the workshop «Management of Radioactive/nuclear and hazardous waste» was held at the Lithuanian Energy Institute, Kaunas, on radioactive/nuclear waste management and other ICONDE project topics. The workshop was organized as a hybrid event - online and in person. The three - day workshop featured many presentations, including invited representatives from industry and government institutions. Among other things, it was also possible to visit the Ignalina nuclear power plant.

The results obtained in the ICONDE project were also presented at the annual Scientific Conference of RTU on October 13. PhD student Karunamoorthy Rengasamy Kannathasan and project coordinator Dr Andrejs Krasņikovs gave two presentations: «Experimental Investigation of short steel fibers in various temperature gradient» and «Investigation of SFRC with different temperature concentration and its pull-out tests». The presentation on the modeling results «Modelling Continuous Materials Using the Discrete Element Method» was given by I. Vaicis.

May - July 2022

In this quarter, project members have participated in several events to inform the public about the ICONDE project, and the scientific results obtained in it. 
On June 9, the project team held a public workshop to promote the ideas of the ICONDE project. The title of the seminar was «Development of concrete mixtures for management of hazardous waste, including radioactive waste». The event took place in the Tallinn office of the University of Tartu in the very center of Tallinn. Each partner institution gave a presentation to present their work in the ICONDE project.

Project researchers Siiri Salupere from Tartu University, Estonia and Iveta Novakova from UiT, Norway, attended NORM X conference with the presentation «ICONDE – innovation in concrete design for hazardous waste management applications». The conference was held on May 9-13 in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Volodymyr Gulik from Tartu University attended the 10th Euratom Conference on Reactor Safety & 10th Euratom Conference Radioactive Waste Management (FISA 2022 & EURADWASTE '22) in Lyon, France from May 30 to June 3 where he presented a poster presentation «Concrete composite material reinforced by modified basalt fiber for nuclear energy and nuclear waste management applications». Sabīne Upnere from Riga Technical University participated in the 25th International Composite of Structures Conference (ICCS25), where she presented a poster presentation «Fracture of fibre reinforced concrete. Identification of crack face bridging law, softening approach». The conference was organized by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Porto (Portugal), and it took place from July 19 to 22.

February - April 2022

In the fourth quarter of the project, the development of numerical models for the study of the mechanical properties of concrete was started. Numerical modeling will allow to evaluate the effect of the amount of oil shale ash and added fibers on the development of cracks in concrete without performing laboratory experiments. In parallel, work has begun on numerical modeling of shielding properties. The production of concrete samples without fibers using different amounts of oil shale ash has been completed in the RTU laboratory.
The project partners have prepared and submitted a joint report to the international scientific conference NORM X 2022, which will take place from 9 to 13 May in the Netherlands. RTU professor Andrejs Krasņikovs will participate in the first international online conference «Nuclear Energy for Latvia» with a report «ICONDE - new concrete for nuclear waste and radioactive waste management». The conference will take place on May 18, 2022.
The achieved goals of ICONDE in the first year are the result of intensive cooperation between the project partners – Riga Technical University, Arctic University of Norway, Lithuanian Energy Institute and University of Tartu.

ICONDE kick-off meeting in Narvik

The kick-off meeting of ICONDE project was held at UiT campus Narvik instead of RTU due to COVID 19 restrictions in Baltic countries. All project partners attended, namely:

• Sabine Upnere and Andrejs Krasnikovs    (RTU, Riga Technical University), 
• Volodymyr Gulik, Riho Motlep and Siiri Salupere    (UT, University of Tartu), 
• Iveta Novakova, Ashfaque Ahmed Jhatial and Eirik Gjerlow (UiT, Arctic University of Norway), 
• Mindaugas Vaišnoras, Inna Pitak and Algirdas Kaliatka (LEI, Lithuanian Energy Institute)

 The meeting lasted for two days and besides discussion about completed tasks, evaluation of the further plan and project progress was addressed in detail. Many emphases were given to live events that have to be rescheduled (due to COVID 19 pandemic situation). All partners recognized the increased need for good dissemination of results towards industry and other research institutes. The ICONDE project conducts research about concrete design for hazardous waste management applications. This includes the management of radioactive waste, which is connected mainly to the decommissioning of the Ignalina nuclear power plant, particularly gamma radiation and neutron shielding. Furthermore, the ICONDE project fully complies with nowadays needs:
•    EU strategy connected to hazardous (including radioactive and nuclear) waste management. 
•    The present geopolitical situation has strongly brought up the need to establish energy independence in Europe – the use of nuclear power in European countries is likely to increase in the future. The ICONDE project is devoted to the development of innovative and efficient materials for safe radioactive waste management, which guarantees modern radiation protection requirements.
•    UN´s sustainable development goals as circular material flow are addressed by adding oil shale ash, waste from energy production in Estonia, into the concrete where it is replacing partly cement. 
The first day of the event was closed by dinner, where partners from Baltic countries tasted «Boknafisk», a traditional dish from Northern Norway. The second day of the kick-off meeting started with a city tour and visit to the LKAB shipping facility guided by Jorn Eldby. Twelve participants from all four project partner institutes were satisfied with the event and agreed that this physical meeting would positively impact project progress. 
The next meeting of the project participants is scheduled for June 2022 in Tartu.

November 2021 - January 2022
In the third quarters of the ICONDE project, research into fiber and non-fiber ash concrete for the storage of hazardous waste was continued. The selection of fibers to be used in further research, the definition of their parameters, the basic problems of radioactive waste storage in relation to the mechanical properties of the cementing material have been performed. In order to be able to determine the effect of oil shale and various fibers on the properties of concrete, basic samples have been prepared for comparison using traditional concrete production recipes, as well as the first tests of mechanical properties have been performed. The aims and tasks of numerical experiments in fiber concrete have been formulated in the discussions.

August - October 2021
In the second quarter of the project, the study of the chemical and mineralogical properties of oil shale ash was completed, which is an essential precondition for further activities related to the modeling of composite materials, gamma and neutron shielding experiments. Information on existing sources of hazardous waste in the project partner countries has been collected. Such information makes it possible to identify more specifically the potential applications of the new type of concrete in the partner countries.

At the 62nd RTU International Scientific Conference, the wider scientific community was informed about the activities of the ICONDE project. The scientific section «Engineering, Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering» organized by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Transport and Aeronautics took place on October 14 in a hybrid form both on-site and remotely. Normunds Jēkabsons, the leading researcher of the project, participated in it with the report «ICONDE project, its description and achievements».

May - July 2021
Scientists in the Department of Theoretical Mechanics and Strength of Materials at the Institute of Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Transport and Aeronautics have started research into a new type of concrete for hazardous waste storage using oil shale ash as a raw material.

The use of basalt and newly developed basalt-boron fibers instead of traditional steel reinforcement is one of the research directions. Such specialized concrete with low gas and liquid permeability as well as radiation shielding properties due to boron additives can be used for cementation of hazardous waste - both for transportation and long-term storage (for example, in some containers or directly in bulk). The implementation of the project started on May 1, 2021.

In the first quarter of the project, researchers carried out chemical and mineralogical research of oil shale ash and determination of critical parameters and requirements for materials used in radioactive waste management.

August - October 2021

RTU researchers have prepared a publication for the Open Access journal - Applied Sciences «Experimental Study and Modelling on the Structural Response of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams». The paper is being accepted for publication and will be published in late October.

From September 12 to 14, the workshop «Management of Radioactive/nuclear and hazardous waste» was held at the Lithuanian Energy Institute, Kaunas, on radioactive/nuclear waste management and other ICONDE project topics. The workshop was organized as a hybrid event - online and in person. The three - day workshop featured many presentations, including invited representatives from industry and government institutions. Among other things, it was also possible to visit the Ignalina nuclear power plant.

The results obtained in the ICONDE project were also presented at the annual Scientific Conference of RTU on October 13. PhD student Karunamoorthy Rengasamy Kannathasan and project coordinator Dr Andrejs Krasņikovs gave two presentations: «Experimental Investigation of short steel fibers in various temperature gradient» and «Investigation of SFRC with different temperature concentration and its pull-out tests». The presentation on the modeling results «Modelling Continuous Materials Using the Discrete Element Method» was given by I. Vaicis.