Overviewof options
for disposal ofradioactive
waste Gerhard Proehl

Disposal
Terminology

Disposal− Emplacement of waste in an appropriate facility
without the intention of retrieval
Disposal Facility− An engineered facility where waste is emplaced for
disposal (synonymous with repository).
Near Surface Disposal Facility− Located on the Earth’s surface.
− Or within a few tens of metres below the groundlevel
Geological Disposal Facility− A facility for radioactive waste disposal locatedunderground(usually several 100 m or more below the surface)− A stable geological formation is needed to provide
long term isolation of radionuclides from thebiosphere(IAEA Safety Glossary 2018 Edition)2

• To contain the waste

The SpecificAims of
Disposal ofRadioactive
Waste• To isolate the wastefrom the accessible
biosphere• To reduce likelihood of
inadvertent human
intrusion into the waste3Current
status ofdisposal ofRadioactive
Waste• Several designs for disposal facilities
have been developed• These design have different degrees
of containment and isolation
capability− The facilities were designed forthe type of radioactive wastethat they will receive.
• Various types of disposal facility havebeen constructed in many States andare in operation.

The Waste Classification Scheme
HLW
High level waste

ILWIntermediate level waste
VSLW
Very short-lived waste

LLW
Low level waste

VLLW
Very low level waste

EW
Exempted waste

Waste Classes &Relevant Disposal Options
VSLW

VLLW

LLW

Activity, half-life

ILW

HLW

Disposal Options for RAW
Nearsurface

GeologicalBorehole• For short-lived RAW, low-activity sources• Available in many countries• For all types of RAW and sources• Not yet available in most countries• For all types of Diused Radioactive Sources• A possible safe and secure solution without
waiting decades for geological disposal• Very relevant for countries with DSRS thatwill not have geological disposal• Not yet available
7

IAEA Specific Safety Guide 14 (SSG-14)

Geological Disposal Facilities for Radioactive Waste

BIOSPHERERiver
GEOSPHERE

Isolation
DISPOSAL

Transport
limitation
Seals

EXCAVATED DAMAGED ZONEWASTE PACKAGES

Confinement

MatrixOverpackWellDisposal Terminology
Containment• Methods or physical structures to prevent or control the release andthe dispersion of radioactive substances

Confinement• Prevention or control of releases of radioactive material to theenvironment in operation or in accidents

Isolation of radioactive waste in a disposal facility• Physical separation and retention of radioactive waste from people
and the environment− Short-lived waste: Several hundreds of years− Intermediate level waste and high-level waste: At least several thousand years− Isolation is an inherent feature of geological disposal.
(IAEA Safety Glossary 2018 Edition)

9The disposal system
The near field− Types of waste• Origin, nature, quantities and properties of waste• Radionuclide inventory− System engineering• Waste conditioning and packaging, disposal units• Engineered barriers, cover of the disposal facility, drainage features− Extent and properties of the zone disturbed by any excavation or construction work
The far field (the way from the facility to the biosphere)− Geology, hydrogeology, hydrology, geochemistry− tectonic and seismic conditions, erosion rates
The biosphere− Location of the disposal facility− Climate and atmosphere, water bodies− Biota, soils, topography and the geographical extent and− The local population and human activities (Para 4.37 SSG-23)
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Examples for planned or existing
disposal facilities

Near Surface Disposal:
A landfill for VLLW (LEI, Lithuania)
Buffer storage facility– Located in the Ignalina NPP(Lithuania) industrial site;– In operation.

Disposal modules– Located in the Ignalina NPP sanitary
protection zone (R=3 km);
– Under construction.

12

Near Surface Disposal:
A landfill for Very Low Level Waste (LEI, Lithuania)(cont.)
Waste packages:– Compactedwaste in bales– FIBC;FIBC (=Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container

13

Near Surface Disposal in France
A facility for very low-level waste (VLLW)

14

• Operation since 2003 in Aube (France)− Very Low Level Waste is disposed of in a
dedicated facility, the first of its kind in theworld.

Facility for

Very Low
Level WasteinFrance• Specifications− About 30,000 m3 are disposed per year
− Trenches 176 m x 25 m dug several metres
deep in a clay layer.
− After filling, the trenches are covered by acapping system composed of natural materials
and a geomembrane, ensuring water tightness.
• Operation− All operations are conducted under the amobile shelter.
− The mobile shelters can be moved from onetrench to the next on a rail-sliding system.
− Disposal cells are excavated directly in the clay
layer down to a depth of 8 m− Operation one-by-one disposal cell.

Near Surface Disposal
Disposal in the vaults between 0 and 30 m underground above thewater table

16

Near Surface Disposal

17

Near Surface Disposal Facility in El Cabril, Spain
Waste types• Very low-level waste• Low level waste• Intermediate level waste

Disposal in thevaults aboveground level18A planned near surface disposal for Cat A waste(Belgium)

Cat A waste− Short lived waste with low and intermediate level specificactivity− ~50.000 m³ (75% of total volume)− 0,5% of the total activity of all waste

19

A near surface disposal for Cat A waste (Belgium) (cont.)
Operating phase:
34 modules (20+14)

Post-closure phase
after placement of themulti-layer cover20

Near surface disposal for Cat A waste (Belgium)(cont.)

3 types of monoliths•Standardised waste drums•Non-standard (historical) waste drums•Bulk waste (larger pieces decommissioning)

Disposal facility•Vault type
•Fixed steel roof attached to modules•Inspection room
•Inspection gallery
21

Borehole Disposal for used radioactive sources

22

Borehole Disposal for disused radioactive sources23

Intermediate Depth Disposal for Intermediate LevelWaste
SFR facility was designed final disposal ofshort-lived radioactive waste with lowand intermediate-level specific activity
from power plants, hospitals, industrial
users and research facilities.

SFR was built between 1982 and 1988, ata depth of 50 to 100 m in a rocky
substructure under the Baltic sea floor,
1km off the coast from the Forsmark power
plant.
Waste is deposited in cavities excavatedinto the rock, in configurations that vary
according to the type of waste. Thisrepository has now been operating foralmost 20 years.
24Geological Disposal for high level waste

Sweden:Fuel placed in isolating copper canisters with a high-strength cast iron inserts

25

Multi-barrier system in for high level waste

Canisters are surrounded by bentonite clay
in individual deposit holes
at 500 m depth in granitic bedrock26

Geological disposal for high level waste in Finland

Developing the First Ever Facility
for the Safe Disposal of Spent Fuel

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/developing-the-first-ever-facility-for-the-safe-disposal-ofspent-fuel

The Onkalo disposal facility

27• The Onkalo disposal
facility for spent fuelbeing constructed inOlkiluoto, Finland• It consists of anengineered system oftunnels.

Geological Disposal• Onkalo is also used tocharacterize the host rockto support safety casedevelopment.
(Photo: Posiva Oy)

28

Geological Disposal in USA• The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant(WIPP) is authorised to storetransuranic radioactive waste for
10,000 years.
• The waste is from the research andproduction of United States nuclearweapons.

29• The Konrad Disposal
Facility is a former iron ore
mine near Braunschweig(Germany)• Scheduled to start in 2022
• Maximum capacity
303.000 m3

Geological Disposalof low and intermediatelevel waste30Summary• Learning from other Member States’ experiences and designsolutions− There are many ways of providing long-term safety− There is no single best disposal solution for near-surface or geologicaldisposal• Factors to be considered for designing an optimal solution− Disposal inventory− characteristics of the site and available resources to develop• Natural and technical barriers− Explore and evaluate the barriers− Use of this understanding in the safety assessment and the safety
case• Continuous iterative process between design and safety assessmentof disposal facility, considering it as a system
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Thank you!