It is envisaged that all spent nuclear fuel generated during the operation of the RBMK-1500 reactors at the Ignalina NPP will be stored in dry storage facilities for at least 50 years prior to its disposal into a deep geological repository. According to the Radioactive Waste Management Development Programme (approved in 2015) the construction of the repository is planned to be completed in...
Deep Isolation brings technical innovation and creative design to the nuclear waste disposal impasse. Deep Isolation offers a solution for safe, secure, and permanent deep geological disposal of nuclear waste while reducing the time and cost of licensing, packaging and transportation. Deep Isolation uses established directional drilling technology from the oil and gas industry to drill a...
The immobilization of 90Sr liquid waste simulated by 88Sr(NO3)2 solution with polyethylene terephthalate matrix mixed with a polystyrene additive had been carried out. These materials were selected due to its properties that is suitable for immobilization of radioactive waste. In addition, the usage of polyethylene terephthalate and polystyrene are able to reduce plastic waste. Zeolite was...
Challenges for safeguarding a geological repository of spent nuclear fuel pose many high-level opportunities. First, being a relative late-comer among the various types of nuclear facilities subject to safeguards, the geological repository is an ideal candidate for applying “safeguards by design” (SBD).
Second, a repository is unlike all other nuclear facilities such that containment and...
The paper describes the process of forming requirements for the disposal system for radioactive waste on the example of the thermal regime of deep radioactive waste disposal facility.
The work aims to assess a novel prepared composite of Poly Acrylic Acid/Charcoal/Montmorillonite (PAACM) as a backfill material for radioactive waste disposal facilities. Characterization of the prepared composite has been done using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Cs+ and...
Repository induced effects (RIE) play an important role in the assessment of long-term safety of a deep geological repository for Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste (SF/HLW). Three categories of RIE and the associated indicators are assessed in this study. The generation of heat from SF/HLW canisters causes build-up of pore water overpressure in the repository near-field, whereas gas generation...
The purpose of the paper is to share practical observations regarding knowledge management based on experience following the suspension of the proposed Yucca Mountain Project (YMP) in the United States. After its suspension in 2010, custody of YMP information systems was transferred to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management. Meanwhile, Sandia National Laboratories was...
Science and engineering provide the necessary answer to the ultimate question in radioactive waste management and disposal: How safe is the management approach and the repository system? The credibility of that answer is founded on underlying processes and systems that demonstrate the reliability of the information used to answer this singularly important question. This technobureaucratic...
Operations that extend from the process of uranium ore mining to the step of reprocessing are well known as nuclear fuel cycle (NFC). NFC consists of two ultimate parts the first part is called "frond end" while the other is named "back end". The back end of the NFC involves managing the spent fuel after irradiation. IAEA executes safeguards system on sates under the non proliferation...
The main objective of the study is the theoretical estimation of long-lived actinide and fission product inventories by combining depletion calculations and non-destructive measurement techniques (measuring of gamma-ray emitting fission products). This is important on account of possible leakage from long-term disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Identification of the most radiotoxic actinides and...
Nowadays several countries are planning to store nuclear spent fuel in long-term geological repositories. The fuel will be preserved for thousands of years inserted in copper canisters with iron inserts. In Sweden, after the encapsulation of the fuel, canisters will be welded and transported to the geological repository for the deposition in tunnels. During transport, the Continuity of...
