The study addresses the challenges of determining the durability of waste canisters in crystalline host rock by comparing and evaluating different international concepts for canister design and discussing their applicability to the requirements in Germany. Further focus lies on the evaluation of predominant corrosion mechanisms while also considering the geochemical environment of crystalline host rock in Germany that the canisters might be subjected to.

DECOVALEX is an international collaborative project aiming to develop models simulating coupled thermal–hydro–chemical–mechanical processes for use in performance and safety assessment of disposal systems for high-level radioactive waste. BASE actively contributes to Task F, which seeks to build confidence in performance assessment methodologies. This contribution describes recent BASE activities within Task F Salt of DECOVALEX-2023, including lessons learnt and possible future steps.