Sept. 2005

NEWSLETTER
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENTThe FNCA 2005 Workshop on RWM
to be held in Japan
at the last week of September 2005

No.15
Issued by
Japan Atomic
Industrial Forum, Inc.

Tuesday, September 27
The 1st day of the Workshop• Country Report• Poster/Mini-Exhibition

The FNCA 2005 Workshop on Radioactive Waste
Management (RWM) is scheduled to be held at
Kagamino-cho, Okayama, Japan from September 27 to
October 1, 2005.
The workshop will be hosted by the Ministry of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT) of Japan, in cooperation with Japan Atomic
Industrial Forum, Inc. (JAIF)At the workshop, each representative from FNCA
countries will report on the recent progress status ofradioactive waste management in each country. As
each country report.
Following the country reports, roundtable discussions and sub-meetings focused on following issue will
be discussed.

Wednesday, September 28
The 2nd day of the Workshop• Sub-meetings :(1) Safety Assessment of Disposal Facility for Low
and Intermediate Level Waste (LILW)(2) Site Investigation and Siting Procedures of
Disposal Facility• Roundtable discussion (1)Update of the RWM Consolidated Report
Thursday, September 29
The 3rd day of the Workshop• Technical visit to NORM/TENORM related facility
Friday, September 30
The 4th day of the Workshop• Roundtable discussion (2)Interim Reporting of Decommissioning/Clearance
Task Group Activity• Roundtable discussion (3)Next year’s work plan
• Others• Safety Assessment of Disposal Facility for Low andIntermediate Level Waste (LILW)• Site Investigation and Siting Procedures of Disposal
Facility• Update of the RWM Consolidated Report• Interim Reporting of Decommissioning/Clearance
Task Group Activity

Saturday, October 1
The final day of the Workshop• Closing Session

Tentative Schedule of the RWM Workshop

Sunday, September 25
Arrival of overseas participants at Kansai Airport,
OhsakaResponsible JAIF’s Secretariat for the Workshop
Mr. Shinichi Fukuda
Project Manager,
Asia Cooperation Center (ACC),
Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc.
(JAIF)

Monday, September 26
Move to Kagamino-cho (Technical visit on the way to
Kagamino-cho)1

NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

nization with local communities ensuring of safety of the
public and workers, and that the site of the nuclear
power plant should be effectively used for constructionof the next nuclear power plant in harmonization withlocal community.
Table 1 shows present status of research reactors inJapan.
With regard to regulatory aspect, decommissioningof nuclear reactor facilities is covered by the nuclear
reactor regulations law (NRRL) named as the law for
regulation of nuclear source material, nuclear fuelmaterial and reactors. It requires that prior to starting
the decommissioning of a nuclear reactor facility, thelicensee should submit an application for decommissioning the facility with its detailed plan to the competent minister. This application must address thedecommissioning method, schedule and the means oftreatment of nuclear fuels and radioactive wastes.
In consideration of safe decommissioning of reactor
facilities, the Nuclear Safety Commission (NSC) issued
a safety guide “Basic Concepts for Assuring Safety inDismantling of Nuclear Facility”. This includes requirements and recommendation on actions to be taken
which are to ensure that the reactor remains inoperative, maintenance of the facilities during decommissioning, reduction of radiation exposure to the public andworkers, treatment of radioactive waste, demonstrationof completion, and safety evaluation. This safety guide
was first prepared for decommissioning the JPDR
(Japan Power Demonstration Reactor), and then it wasrevised for all nuclear reactor facilities.

Featured Article“Introduction of New Task Activityof FNCA RWM Project”
Decommissioning and Clearance
Discussion/Survey Meeting
Followings are shown in this newsletter.
• Japanese Status• Summary of the visit in the Philippines
Interim report of 2005 visits at Indonesia and thePhilippines will be introduced at the RWM Workshop for
further discussion among FNCA countries.

Decommissioning and Clearance
Status in Japan
Prof. Toshiso Kosako
Professor,
Nuclear Professional School,
Graduate School of Engineering,
The University of Tokyo

Dr. Takeshi Iimoto
Research Associate,
Department of Nuclear Engineeringand Management,
Graduate School of Engineering,
The University of Tokyo

Mr. Tsutomu Ishigami
Head,
Decommissioning Technology
Laboratory,
Department of Decommissioning andWaste Management,
Japan Atomic Eenergy Research
institute (JAERI)(2) Low Level Radioactive Waste Management
Low level radioactive waste are classified into four
categories in Japan, relatively high level beta/gamma
waste, low level waste (LLW), very low level waste(VLLW), and cleared material. Upper limits of thesewastes are provided by law with beta/gamma radioactivity concentration and alpha radioactive concentration.
According to the levels of waste, disposal of waste ismade in different way. VLLW is treated as near-surface
disposal without engineered barrier (concrete pit type;waste disposal facility in JAERI). LLW is treated asnear-surface disposal with engineered barrier (concrete
pit type; Rokkasho LLW Disposal Center). Relatively
high level beta/gamma waste is treated as sub-surface
disposal in depth of from 50 to 100 m.

Recent Status of
Decommissioning Research Reactors in Japan(1) Decommissioning
In consideration of future decommissioning of
nuclear facilities, the basic policy for decommissioning
nuclear facilities was established by the Atomic Energy
Commission (AEC), resulting in publication as a part of
the Long-Term Program for Development and Utilizationof Nuclear Energy (Long-Term Program). It states that
decommissioning of nuclear facilities should be conducted under the responsibility of their owners in harmo-2NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

In order to test VLLW disposal function, a waste disposal facility was constructed at a northern site in the
Tokai Research Establishment of JAERI. Figure 1
shows the facility. The disposal pit has external dimensions of approximately 16 m wide, 45 m long, and 3.5
m deep. The disposal pit is divided into six sections bywalls, and was equipped with a sliding roof to prevent
rain water permeation during the emplacement ofwaste into it. The wastes were contained in flexible containers, whose total radioactivity was about 228 MBq.
The flexible containers were transferred to the facility bytruck and were placed in the section by mobile cranes
during 1995 to 1996. Approximately 1,700 tons of VLL
concrete waste generated from dismantling JPDR wasused for the test. The disposal facility should be under
30-year control including surveillance, remedial work,
land use control, and so on.
Current Status of Policy on Clearance System inJapanIt must be useful to prepare the regulatory frame on
clearance levels and its monitoring and verification procedures for proper waste management in decommissioning; it makes possible to dispose and/or reuse thewaste arising from nuclear energy research andFigure 1 Waste Disposal Facility in JAERI

Table 1 Status of Research Reactors

ThermalOutputReactor

StatusReactor

ThermalOutputStatus

Kinki University

UTR-KIPKI(1961)

1W

In Operation

JAERI

JRR-1
(1957)

50 KW

Under
Decommissioning

Kyoto University

KUR(1964)5 MW

In Operation

JAERI

JRR-2
(1957)

10 MW

Under
Decommissioning

Tokyo University

YAYOI(1972)2 kW

In Operation

JAERI

JRR-3M(1990)20 MW

In Operation

Rikkyo University

Rikkyo Reactor(1961)

100 kW

Under
Decommissioning

JAERI

JRR-4
(1965)

3.5 MW

In Operation

Musashi Institute ofTechnology

Musashi Instituteof Technology
Reactor100 kW

Under
Decommissioning

JAERI

NSRR
(1975)

300 KW

In Operation

Toshiba
Corporation

TTR-1(1962)

100 kW

Under
Decommissioning

JAERI

JMTR
(1968)50 MW

In Operation

Hitachi.Ltd.

HTR(1961)

100 kW

Under
Decommissioning

JAERI

JRR-1
(1957)30 MW

In Operation

JNC

JOYO
(1978)

140 MW

In Operation

JAERI

Mutsu
(1974)

36 MW

Under
Decommissioning

JNC

FUGEN
(1979)

557 MW

Operation
Terminated

JAERI

JPDR
(1963)

90 MW

Decommissioning
Completed

JNC

MONJU

714 MW

Under
Construction

Under decommissioning: Including the facilities that storage only radioactive waste
Operation terminated: Fugen was shut down on March 2003.

3

NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

The following topics were discussed during the Task
Group Meeting on TENORM:a) International trend of treatment on NORM/TENORMb) Recent status of NORM/TENORM in both countriesc) Outline of NORM/TENORM guidelines/regulations in both countriesd) Guideline categories for NORM/TENORM inJapane) Action steps for NORM/TENORM issues

decommissioning nuclear facilities.
Recently IAEA reviewed clearance levels and proposed revised ones in the Safety Guide Report RS-G1.7 in 2004. Reflecting the report, NSC reviewed theclearance levels by using additional scenarios andupdated parameter values, and derived revised levels.
The resulted levels were not so much different from therevised IAEA values. Then the nuclear regulatory bodyhas determined to adopt the IAEA values taking
account of international harmonization.
The clearance system was enforced in registration in
March 2005, and ordinance for technical standard ofclearance level verification procedure is under discussion to be established near future.

The TENORM Task Group visited the Philippine
Phosphate Fertilizer Corporation in Isabel, Leyte in theCentral Visayas Region about 600 km away from
Manila last 16 & 17 Aug. 2005 and Cuyab-1 a natural
hot spring in Pansol , Laguna about 50 km away from
Manila last 19 Aug 2005.

Interim Report on TENORM and
Decommissioning / Clearance
Discussion and Survey Meetingin The Philippines

At the Philippine Phosphate Fertlizer Corporation, theTask Group were briefed on plant processes and toured
into the different facilities of the phosphate fertilizer plant
including the storage area of raw materials and warehouses of finished products. The results of a collaborative study made by the Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer
Corporation, local government unit (LGU), non-governmental organization (NGO) and the Philippine Nuclear
Research Institute on the phosphogypsum waste, a byproduct in the manufacture of phosphate fertilizer werealso presented. The objective of the study is to assess
the TENORM waste and provide data & recommendations for management of the TENORM waste.
Dose rate at the surface of the raw materials and finished products were measured using a CsI scintillation
survey meter. The results of the measurements were
within the variation of the dose rate due to global average of natural background radiation. The Task Group
concluded that there is no serious problem with respect
to radiological protection. However, the Task Groupstressed the importance of measurement of activity
concentration of the imported raw materials. The Task
Group additionally recommended to be aware of theincreasing activity of scale attached in the pipeline of
the slag and exposure due to inhalation of airborne particles of raw materials.

Ms. Editha A. Marcelo
FNCA RWM Project Leader,
Senior Science Research Specialist,
Radiation Protection Services,
Philippine Nuclear Research Institute(PNRI)The TENORM and Decommissioning/Clearance
Discussion and Survey Meeting in the Philippines washeld at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute last
15-19 August 2005. Dr. Alumanda M. dela Rosa, PNRI
Director welcomed the Task Group and expressed herappreciation for the Task Group visit. The Task Groupwas led by Prof. Toshiso Kosako and consists of Dr.
Takeshi Iimoto, Mr. Tsutomu Ishigami, Dr. Hidenori
Yonehara and Mr. Shinichi Fukuda.
TENORM
The objectives of the TENORM Task Group Meetingis to have a deeper understanding on the actual local
situation on TENORM issues and to share experiencesand exchange of information.
Professor Toshiso Kosako started the meeting bysummarizing the previous TENORM Task Group Visits
in Australia (2003), Malaysia (2003), Vietnam (2003),
China (2004), Thailand (2004) and Indonesia (2005).

The Task Group also visited Cuyab -1, a natural hot
4NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

spring due to volcanic activity of Mt. Makiling , a dormant volcano. The Task Group’s interest was to monitor
the hot spring for possible presence of radon but theoperator of the hot spring explained that pipes were
drilled into the spring far away from their place, so thatthe hot water can be channeled to their place.
Monitoring was done in the hot water outlet before
going to the pool. The hot water outlet is enclosed in a
concrete cubicle about 2m x 3m x 3m with a small
open window about 0.5m x 0.5m.

preparation for this activity, IAEA assistance on radiological characterization of PRR-1 was requested. A
one-week workshop (19-23 Sept 2005) will be conducted by IAEA experts for local technical personnel who
will be involved in the future decommissioning activities.
After the radiological characterization, a decommissioning plan will be prepared.
The physical protection and security upgrade of theRadioactive Waste Management Facility was funded
under the US-DOE Radiological Threat Reduction(RTR) program. The construction of the new trench andinstallation of security alarm system were completed.

Decommissioning/Clearance
The topics that were discussed during theDecommissioning/Clearance discussion and survey
meeting were the following:a) Recent status of Decommissioning /Clearance inboth countriesb) Outline of regulations on Decommissioning/Clearance in both countriesc) Ways of cooperation on Decommissioning/Clearance within the FNCA framework to provide
adequate radiation protection

Conclusions
In the final meeting, the Task Group and the PNRI
agreed on the following:a) It is important to balance cost and safety considerations in the management of NORM/TENORM.
b) Guidelines of NORM/TENORM should be harmonized based on international guidelines/standards
in order to avoid trade confusion among FNCA
countries.
c) Exchange of information and experiences is themost effective means in addressing the issuesd) Manpower development through training programs in FNCA countries with advance technologies/capabilitiese) Practical cooperation in strengthening measurement technology/methods through intercomparison program among FNCA countries

The Task Group visited Philippine Research Reactor
PRR-1 and the Radioactive Waste Management
Facility.
The PRR-I is an open pool type reactor and started
operation in 1963 at 1 MW . The fuel and biologicalshielding were designed for 3 MW maximum operating
power. The reactor was operated for about 20 years
without any incidents and modifications . In March 1984,
PRR-1 was converted to a TRIGA-type reactor and wasrestarted and tested at 3 MW in 1988. A few weeks
after the TRIGA reactor was tested. The reactor pool lining developed a leak thus the regular operation of thereactor was suspended . The PNRI engineers attempted to repair the cause of the leak by relining half of thereactor pool in 1992. But the deterioration of the reactor
was far more extensive than was originally estimated .
The reactor is still shutdown. In 1999, the 50 spent fuelelements were shipped back to U.S.A. under the U.S
program to recover all spent enriched uranium fuel of
U.S. origin, thus the only remaining fuel elements are
the TRIGA core.
The Reactor Operations Group has been tasked toprepare a decommissioning plan for PRR-1. As a

Figure 1 Members from PNRI, PHILPHOS and Japanese Expert Team5

NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENTNews from each FNCA country
Radioactive Waste Repository andStore for Australia
Mr. Lubi Dimitrovski
FNCA RWM Project Leader ofAustralia,
Waste Operations & Technology
Development,
Nuclear Technology,
Australian Nuclear Science &Technology Organisation (ANSTO)In May 2003, a site near Woomera in South Australia
was selected for a national low-level waste repository.
However in July 2004 the Australian Government, following a federal court challenge by South Australia,
announced its intentions to drop its plans for the establishment of the national waste repository. This decision
resulted from the failure, after 12 years of thoroughbipartisan co-operation, to locate and licence a single
national facility.
In a counter measure the Commonwealth government, owner of the majority of the existing low-level
waste (about 3,700 m3), said that it would immediately
look for a new site on commonwealth land and in duecourse co-locate the low-level waste and the intermediate level waste.
In July 2005, following assessment of potential sites
on Commonwealth land, both onshore and offshore, theAustralian Government announced that three possible
locations for the new Commonwealth Radioactive
Waste Management Facility (CRWMF) would be considered. The three locations selected are all on
Department of Defence sites in the Northern Territory:• Fishers Ridge located 40km south-east of theRoyal Australian Airforce Base near Tindal (nearKatherine);• Mt Everard located approximately 42 km northwest of Alice Springs; and• Harts Range located approximately 200 km northeast of Alice Springs
The proposed locations are shown in Figure 1 andfollowed extensive consultation with the Department of
Defence.

Figure 1 Potential Locations for CRWMF

The new CRWMF will comprise of co-located facilities for low and intermediate level radioactive waste. To
determine the suitability of the proposed sites, field
assessments and community consultation will be undertaken. The technical assessment of the land will involve
evaluation of physical, biological and socioeconomic
environments.
The assessment of the physical environment willconsider geology, hydrology, geomorphology, meteorology and potential for mineral deposits at the three sites.
The biological environment will be assessed for thepresence of endangered or significant species.
Assessment of the socioeconomic environment will
include examination of existing infrastructure and potential incompatibilities between constructing the facility
and existing or potential future land uses and population
growth. The technical assessment will also involve a
combination of desktop studies and on the groundinvestigations.
It is expected that the field investigations and community consultation will take one year. The anticipated6NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

timeframe, assuming that all regulatory approvals are
given, it will take six years before the CRWMF is readyto accept radioactive waste.
Once the preferred site is chosen the proposal mustgo through two regulatory processes including:• Environmental assessment under theEnvironment Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999.
• An environmental impact statement (EIS). If the
EIS is successful then licences to site, constructand operate the facility will need to be obtained
from the regulator before construction and operation of the facility may commence.
The timeframe of activities is shown in Figure 2.

waste, a final site is chosen and all regulatory approvals
have been given for siting the facility.
The volume of radioactive waste to be transported to
the CRWMF is about 3,700 m3 of low-level waste andabout 400 m3 of intermediate level waste. Each year afurther 40 m3 of low-level and 2 m3 of intermediate level
waste will be produced for packaging and transport to
the CRWMF.
The decommissioning of the HIFAR research reactor
at ANSTO will also generate up to 2,500 m3 and 150 m3
of low and intermediate level radioactive wastes respectively. The exact amount generated will depend on thedecommissioning option chosen.
The majority of the radioactive wastes to be transported to the CRWMF will be from ANSTO’s operationsin Sydney Australia. The final waste form packages andwaste acceptance criteria for the low-level wastes will
form the basis of an operating licence approved by theregulator pending a final decision on a repository or apurpose-built above ground storage facility option.
Transport options for the low-level waste will include
road, sea and rail.
Options for transporting wastes arising from thereprocessing of ANSTO’s spent fuel upon it arrival bysea from France or the United Kingdom will also beassessed.
The reprocessed waste returning from France, forexample, will be casks weighing approximately in 112
tonne. The capability of Australian ports to handle thesecasks will need to be examined before deciding on a
final transport route.
Figure 3 shows a typical large cask that will containthe reprocessed vitrified intermediate level waste from
France.

Figure 2 Timeframe for CRWMF

For the low-level and short-lived intermediate level
wastes the three locations will be investigated for theirsuitability to host a near-surface repository at a depth ofat least 5 metres. Near surface repositories operate inover 30 countries including Australia. In the event thatnone of the locations prove suitable for a repository, thelow-level waste will be stored in purpose-built storage
buildings.
The intermediate level waste will be stored in a purpose-built storage building at the facility pending decisions in the long term on its eventual disposal.
The design of the facility will not be finalised until it isdecided whether to dispose of or store the low-level

Figure 3 TN24 family storage cask (112 tonne) for storage vitrified ILW
returning to Australia following reprocessing of ANSTO's spent
fuel in France

7

NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

the environment. This requirement is further implemented
by Government Regulation No. 63 of 2000 on Radiation
Safety, Government Regulation No. 64 of 2000 on
Licensing, and some Technical Regulations. Government
Regulation No. 63 of 2000 stipulates that the aim of theregulation is to ensure the safety, security, peace andhealth of the workers and the people and to protect theenvironment, while Government Regulation No. 64 of
2000 stipulates that a physical protection system should
be in place for those facilities that utilize nuclear materials.
Developments in civil nuclear program in Indonesia, as inmany countries in the world, have resulted in there being
an increasing number of radioactive sources both in use
and in storage. Unless thoroughly controlled and protected at national and facility levels, these materials may bevulnerable to theft or sabotage. Three years ago there
were around 838 radioactive sources of various kinds
temporarily stored as radioactive waste at users’ sites,
and now most of them has been transported to BATAN.
With regard to waste management, the Act on Nuclear
Energy stipulates the following:“Radioactive waste is defined as any radioactive material and any material as well as equipment that has been
contaminated by radioactive material or becomes radioactive due to the operation of a nuclear installation and cannot further be used.”
Further,• Radioactive waste management shall be conductedto mitigate radiation hazards to the workers, the public and the environment (Article 22 (1)).
• Radioactive waste management shall be accomplished by the Executive Body (BATAN), which may
designate a state or private company or co-operative to conduct commercial waste management
activities (Article 23).
• Users generating low and intermediate level
radioactive waste shall be obliged to collect, segregate, or treat and temporarily store the waste before
its transfer to the Executive Body (BATAN) (Article
24 (1)).
• The provisions on radioactive waste management,
including waste transport and disposal, shall be further implemented by Government Regulation.
Article 25 prohibits the use of any part of Indonesian
territory by any foreign country as a radioactive waste
repository. Government Regulation No. 26 of 2002 on
Safe Transport of Radioactive Materials and Government

National Legal Instruments for the
Physical Protection of Radioactive
Sources in Indonesia.
Dr. Asmedi Suripto
FNCA RWM Project Leader ofIndonesia,
Director, Center for Development ofRadioactive Waste Management,
National Nuclear Energy Agency(BATAN)Dr. Djarot S. Wisnubroto
Head for Radioactive Waste
Treatment Division,
Radioactive Waste Management
Development Center - BATAN

The Indonesian Government has established Act No.
10 of 1997 on Nuclear Energy, to anticipate the development of nuclear technology. This Act completely separates
the promotional and regulatory functions, and establishes
the regulatory body for the control of all applications of
nuclear energy. In consequence, the regulatory authority,
BAPETEN, or Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency ofIndonesia was then established by Presidential Decree in
May 1998 and is now in full operation, while the Nuclear
Energy Agency (BATAN) has been already establishedseveral decades ago.
Utilization of nuclear energy, as stipulated in Act
No. 10/1997, is defined as “any activity related to nuclear
energy utilization that includes research, development,
mining, fabrication, manufacturing, production, transportation, storage, transfer, export, import, decommissioning
and radioactive waste management to enhance people’s
welfare”. The authority and responsibilities of regulatory
body, for example, stipulates, “The control of the utilizationof all nuclear energy should be implemented through regulation, licensing, and inspection”, and aimed:• Assure the welfare, security and peace of the people;• Assure the safety and the health of workers andpublic and environmental protection;• Prevent any diversion from the purpose of thenuclear material utilization
The Act stipulates that any activity related to the application of nuclear energy is required to be conducted in amanner which observes safety, security and peace, andwhich protects the health of workers and the public and
8NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Regulation No. 27 of 2002 on Radioactive Waste
Management were issued to administer the requirements
contained in these articles. Article 27 of Government
Regulation No. 27 of 2000 stipulates that storage facilities
for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and thefinal repository facilities for high level radioactive waste
should be equipped with a physical protection system.
Further, BAPETEN Rule and Procedure No. 03/KaBAPETEN/V-99 on Safety of Waste Management (which
is now under revision) stipulates that users can temporarily store the radioactive waste at their premises, provided
the waste is placed in containers and stored, preferably ina bunker, locked in a room with the radiation symbol (trefoil); this storage must be located far from the working
area and surrounded with a fence.
These are all national legal instruments with regard to
the physical protection of radioactive sources in Indonesia.

in their community in November 2005.
To be in the final round, one third of the residents ina candidate city have to vote and more than half of thevoters must be in support of the construction.
Key incentives to be offered to the low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste site include 300 billion
won in financial support and relocation of the Korea
Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) headquarters fromSeoul to the site.

Launching of a Commercial
Vitrification Program in Korea
The idea of using vitrification technology to process
low-and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILW)
was considered by NETEC in the early 1990s. An
option study has demonstrated the cost-effectivenessof the solution applied to the waste produced by the
Korean Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). In 1997,
NETEC conducted an investigation of high temperature technologies available on the market to process
the LILW produced by NPPs. Finally, NETEC has
selected the cold crucible melter (CCM) concept as themost promising vitrification technology for conditioning
concentrates, ion exchange resins, and combustible
solids.
Figure 1 shows all R&D activities what NETEC has
been performed up to now. In 1994 and 1995, a feasibility study was performed to assess melter technologies, to examine how innovative high temperaturetechnologies could be implemented to achieve a large
volume reduction, and to evaluate and compare thesetechnologies from a technical and economic viewpoint.
Technical and economic assessments concluded thatthe best candidate was the cold crucible process for all
combustible waste. A joint NETEC-SGN-MOBIS program was launched in 1997 to develop the industrial
application of the CCM for the vitrification of waste produced in the Korean NPPs. The first step of the program, completed in 1998, was dedicated to orientation
tests to optimize the processing of the Korean waste in
the CCM and to design the off-gas treatment system.
The second step of the joint collaboration, completed in
October 1999, was devoted to the design and construction of an industrial pilot plant at NETEC. This pilot facility has been in operation since October 1999. All necessary R&D activities were completed by August, 2002.
Thereafter, a commercial vitrification program has

Current Status of Korean Low- andIntermediate-Level Radioactive
Waste Repository Project
Dr. Jong-Hyun Ha
Project Leader of Korea in FNCA-RWM,
Deputy General Manager, R&D Office,Nuclear Environment Technology
Institute (NETEC)
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd.
(KHNP)

Since the new plan for a radioactive waste management facility was notified on 17 December 2004 justafter the meeting of the Atomic Energy Committee,
which is basically to separate the site for the low- andintermediate-level radioactive waste and the spent fuelinterim storage instead of constructing both in one site,a new policy of the low- and intermediate-level
radioactive waste management has been publicly
announced on 16 June 2005 for its candidate site
selection based on the Special Act (local support forthe site subscriber).
Under the new procedures, the applicants of 3 cities
and 1 country submitted the bids an 31 August, that is,
Kunsan, Pohang, Kyongju, and Youngduck since thegovernment promised many incentives with a specialact.
Residents will them vote on whether to house a lowand intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal site
9

NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

cial vitrification facility. All designs of the vitrification
facility were completed by April of 2005. And the procurement and construction will be completed by
January of 2007. NETEC plans to begin its commercial
operation in 2007 after obtaining its operational license
through the hot and cold tests. Therefore, the implementation of the versatile CCM technology in an industrial facility will soon be a reality and utilities will benefit
from the important advantages associated with the vitrification of the waste produced in NPPs. Figure 2 shows
the bird’s eye view of Ulchin vitrification facility.
It is expected that the commercial vitrification facility
has a sufficient capacity to vitrify all LILW generated
from 4 PWR units of 1,000 MWe each. Therefore, thefacility would contribute to remarkable waste volume
reduction effect. Accordingly, it is expected that the vitrification technology will not only enhance the safety of
the waste disposal repository, but also greatly contribute to the further promotion of Korea's nuclear
power generation program.

Figure 1 Flow Diagram of R&D Activities

been launched in Korea. The commercial vitrification
facility with the cooperation of the Korean government,i.e., MOCIE (Ministry of Commerce, Industry andEnergy), is now being built within the radwaste building
at the Ulchin NPP site. The capacity of the CCM in thecommercial vitrification facility will be about 400 kW/300
kHz. It may be the world first commercial vitrification
facility to treat the LILW to be generated from commercial NPPs. In the meantime, the output of the R&D wasused to the basic and detailed designs of the commer-

Figure 2 Bird’s Eye View of Ulchin Vitrification Facility

10NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

monazite to recover rare earth elements.
Like many other countries, Malaysia also generates
another type of radioactive waste from various sectors
such as industry, medical, R&D etc. which is refered as
institutional waste. To date, the inventory of this waste
accumulated by Malaysian Institute for Nuclaer Technology Research (MINT) reaches 600 drums (120 m3)
of solid waste, 2,876 units of disused SRS, 2,400
drums of oil sludge and about 30 m3 of contaminatedsolvent. The storage capacity at MINT’s facility is
expected to run out by the year 2015 and hence MINT
is now embarking on a project to develop a national
repository for institutional waste.

Options of Repository Concept for
Disposal of Radioactive Waste
Dr. Syed Abdul Malik
Syed Zain
FNCA RWM Project Leader of malaysia,
Manager, Radioactive Waste
Management Centre,
Technical Services Division,
Malaysian Institute for Nuclear
Technology Research (MINT)The implementation D&D project of a rare earth processing plant in early this year marks the establishmentof Malaysian first radioactive waste repository. Even
though, there may be other “repositories” for disposal of
historical TENORM in the past, such as in the form ofland reclaimation, but those “repositories” did not get
through the proper licensing process and hence are notconsidered as proper institutionalised repositories.
This first repository is consisted of what is called theengineered cells. Basically, it is a trench type repository
excavated on a hillside. The repository mainly meant
for disposal of excavated TENORM (Thorium &Uranium) contaminated soils and construction materials of the plants. Under the plan, the repository comprises two engineered cells in the end. The first Cell ismeant for the disposal of contaminated plant materials
and soils. The transfer of waste to this Cell has completed (see picture) and the cover of the cell is almost
completed.

Table 1 Projected Waste Volume of Institutional Waste

Year

No. of 200L Drums

Volume (m3)

2005
2015
2025
2065

3460
3765
4695
9360

692
753
939
1872

Through the experience gained in establishing
TENORM repository, it provides a good understanding indeveloping the new repository for this type of waste.
Indeed many factors need to be considered in establishing a repository for institutional waste, since the natureand characterization of the waste is different from the
TENORM waste. However, due considerations are given
to the safety of repository and humans, societal impact,political, economic etc. which have some bearings indetermining the overall decision making process. Fromthe economic perspective, the near surface disposal is
the most economically feasible option for this country.
An IAEA’s expert who was assigned to MINT under
the technical cooperation for conceptual repository design
visited Malaysia last July. Based on the projected waste
till 2065 (Table 1), the expert recommended that Malaysia
builds a near surface vault type facility. Accordingly, therepository should comprise of 15 vaults, each having acapacity of 200 m3 and hence an overall volume of 3,000m3. Currently, MINT has come up with the work plan toestablish the repository which also include humanresource development through training of personnel invarious relevant areas, reviewing and updating waste
inventory and characteristics, developing waste acceptance criteria and collecting data for the preliminary safetyassessment of the site.

The next phase of the repository development is aplan for the second enginereed Cell. This Cell is for the
disposal of thorium waste and other contaminateditems which are currently stored (at the nearby facility)
in 200L drums and packages. The conceptual designof the Cell for this facility has been submitted to the regulatory authority (the Atomic Energy Licensing Board)and is currently being evaluated. Both types of waste(plant and thorium) are historical wastes resulting fromthe cessation of operation of the company processing
11NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

The drilling program will give strong emphasis on the
conduct of tests and observations in deep boreholes(several tens of meters, depending on the depth togroundwater) to develop an understanding of the lithologies, engineering geological and geotechnical characteristics, and ground water conditions of the site, among
others. The technical data that will be gained from thedrilling program will be used to develop in sufficientdetail, a comprehensive safety assessment and costestimation. Specifically, the hydro-geological conditions
will be analyzed thoroughly to determine the important
pathways of radionuclide transport to the human biosphere with respect to different scenarios considered in
the safety assessment. The engineering geological andgeotechnical data on the other hand will be used todetermine the depth and design parameters of therepository, its orientation and the buffer zone allowed by
the geological structure or conditions.
All phases of the project will be conducted under theoverall guidance of a quality assurance program. This
program will ensure that all siting activities will attain theright quality, complete documentation, and traceability of
all records. All information that will be generated fromthis stage will be added to the previous information
gathered during the early stage of the siting process
and will be utilized to confirm the technical acceptabilityof the preferred site for locating and constructing theenvisioned national radioactive waste repository.

Drilling Program for Siting a Low
Level Radioactive Waste
Repository in The Philippines
Ms. Maria Visitacion B.
Palattao
Senior Science Research Specialist,
Nuclear Regulations Licensing and
Safeguards Division,
Philippine Nuclear Research Institute(PNRI)The Interagency Committee on Radioactive Waste
Management is now in the process of selecting a preferred site for detailed subsurface characterization using
borehole logging techniques, core sampling and analysis. Figure 1 schematically shows the characteristics of
one of the candidate sites. The selection process will
make use of safety assessment studies to determine
which among the three (3) short listed candidate sites
will undergo detailed investigation. The scope of thestudy is assessment of post-closure radiological safety,
taking into account current developments in international standards and recommendations including the bestinternational practice as it may properly apply in the
country. At this stage only limited information is available on the characteristics of the sites under consideration. The results may also be used to guide further
investigations and research relevant to any site which
continue as candidate sites for disposal.

Figure 1 Characteristics of One of the Candidate Site for Low Level Waste Repository

12NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Conditioning of the 4 Curies 226Ra
Spent Sealed Source in Thailand
Ms. Monta Punnachaiya
Senior Nuclear Chemist,
Radioactive Waste Management
Program (RWMP),
Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP)

Ra, an alpha emitter with a half life of 〜1600
years was the primary sealed radiation source used in
Thailand for more than 50 years in medical applications
as brachytherapy, applicators for external betatherapy
and teletherapy. The 4 curies 226Ra source was used asa radium therapy unit for cancer treatment (at that time
it was called Radium Bomb) at Pramongkutklao
Hospital, Bangkok since 1953. The hospital stopped its
operation because the sealed 60Co source was more
acceptable to be used instead of 226Ra and also 60Co
source was safer and easier to handle than those containing radium. The whole radium unit in Figure 1 wassent to OAP as radioactive waste on 10 August 1986.
The unfavorable radiological characteristics of 226Ra
required special conditioning techniques which result ina safe containment from both radiological and physicalsecurity points of view. Therefore, the strategy for safe
management of disused radium source was the optimization of conditioning technique which the possibility
to retrieve and recondition radium source should bemaintained.
The 4 curies 226Ra conditioning, was under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision andbudgetary supports, comprised of 6 operational steps :the surface dose rate and the actual dimension of radium unit measurements, the appropriate lead shielding
design with IAEA approval, the confirmation of radioactive contamination before conditioning (smear test andradon gas leakage test), the transfer of radium unit into
shielding, the confirmation of radioactive contaminationand dose rate measurement after conditioning, and thetransportation of 226Ra conditioning waste package to
OAP interim waste storage.
On 13 December 2003, the 4 curies 226Ra source
was taken out from OAP temporary storage for the surface dose rate and the actual dimension measurements behind the 12 inches thickness heavy concrete
block. The measured surface dose rate of the 226Ra unit
226

Figure 1

Figure 2

Ra (4 Ci) Teletherapy Source

Ra (4 Ci) Surface Dose Rate

were shown in Figure 2, which the maximum value was
70 R/hr.
Special lead container (Figure 3) was designed
according to its surface dose rate along the source unit
which the maximum permissible dose limit for surface
dose rate of waste package after conditioning at
2 mSv/hr was applied. The approved container had
total weight of 〜 2.4 ton. The operation of 226Ra 4
curies conditioning was on 2 April 2005. Radium unit
was transferred and loaded in designed Pb-shielding(Figure 4) within 2 minutes. The results of smear test
before and after conditioning including radon gas leakage test as shown in Figure 5, revealed that there was
no radioactive contamination. After conditioning, thesurface dose rate measured on the top, bottom were 6,
6 mR/hr and varied from 6 -- 50 mR/hr around Pb container. The 226Ra conditioning waste package wastransported to store safely in OAP interim waste storage No.1 (Figure 6). Total operational time including thetime consumed in radon gas leakage test was 〜 3.5
hr. The radiation dose received by operators, ranged
from 1 -- 69.84 μSv, where the forklift driver obtained
the highest dose. The 226Ra conditioning team in Figure
7, completed this operation safely within the radiationdose limit for occupational exposure of 200 μSv/day.

13

NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENTManagement of Low Level Radioactive Waste at Institute forTechnology of Radioactive
and Rare Elements (ITRRE), VAEC
Dr. Tran Kim Hung
Director,
Department of Planning,
Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission(VAEC)
Figure 3

Figure 4

Designed Pb Shielding and source226

Ra (4 Ci) Loading in Pb-Shield

Dr. Cao Dinh Thanh
Director,
Center for Radioactive Waste
Management,
Institute for Technology of Radioactive
and Rare Elements (ITRRE)

Figure 5

Figure 6

Radon Gas Leakage Test

Package Transportation

Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare
Elements (ITRRE) has task of treatment and management of all kind of radioactive wastes in the North ofViet Nam. Liquid wastes generated from different laboratories and hospitals have been collected and treatedat the treatment and temporary storage facility in
ITRRE. Solid wastes has been treated by cementation
technique after that kept in temporary storage facility.
Activities in research and development from laboratory to pilot scale have generated a rather large amountof radioactive wastes. Activities generating mostradioactive wastes includes:- Experimental treatment of uranium ores in benchscales - from several to few dozen tons of ore eachtime, for studying the possibilities of uranium recovery
from different sources of domestic uranium deposits.
The largest amount are waste ores after being
processed for recovery of uranium (milling wastes) containing many radioactive elements such as radium;
unrecovered uranium, etc. These are low level radioactive wastes but due to technological treatments theradio-nuclides in the ores become more mobile than
before and can diffuse into the environment more easily.
- Solid wastes of monazite concentrate after processing for rare-earths recovery in a pilot plant of monazite processing. The waste includes undissolved monazite concentrates and precipitates of thorium, radium
and lead separated during the rare earth separation.
This waste has a rather high activity, so it need to havesuitable conditioning and careful management.

Figure 7
Ra (4 Ci) Conditioning Team

226

14

NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT- Radioactive liquid wastes generated from research
activities of ITRRE are usually of very low level, andmostly are natural radio-nuclides. Such wastes are collected and treated according to a predefined procedure.
Most of these wastes were produced during theoperation of the Institute since 1980, mainly from activities of research, pilot production of uranium concentrate and monazite processing. Amount of 130 tons of
low level radioactive wastes have been kept in Phung
temporary storage facility. In 2004, our Government
has supported us to built a facility for treatment andtemporary storage of radioactive wastes.
In the year 2002, ITRRE had treated in the first step
the part of rather high level solid waste from monazite
processing with the total amount of about 5 tons.
Conditioning was conducted with cementation technique.
Radioactive liquid wastes generated from research
activities of ITRRE are usually of very low level, andmostly are natural radio-nuclides. such wastes are collected and processed according to a predefined procedure, which includes:- Collection of radioactive liquid wastes in laboratories and transportation to the treatment section.
- Precipitation of radio-nuclides in the solution, let the
precipitates settle down.
- Discard the solution into the sewerage system withsuitable dilution. To recover the precipitates and transport to place of storage.
At the same time, some experiments have been
conducted in the laboratory for treatment of radioactive
wastes in the field of adsorption of uranium and thoriumfrom waste water by zeolite NaA-CN93 made inViet Nam.
In the year 2004, amount of waste about of 80 tons
in temporary vault, which needed to be processed andmanaged for safety. These wastes almost are mill tailing from uranium processing and sludge from liquidwater treatment.

The experiments for treatment of radioactive waste
have been conducted in the laboratory for determination of suitable technological flow-sheet. Procedure
have been applied for treatment of rad-wastes iscementation technique.
The cement solidification for wastes have been
done according to the flow-sheet above. The total ofdrums is 272.
Dose rate of different drums has been determinedand presented below:
Table 1 Typical Dose Rate of Drums before and after Treatment

Samples

Dose rate before
treatment

Dose rate after
treatment
at distance of 1m( μSv/h)

S1
S2
S3

23.8
28.0
59.5

4.05
4.80
7.50

Management of treated radioactive solid waste:Drums were put in temporary radioactive waste
storage facility. Nowadays, in the temporary storage
there are 322 drums. The dose rate be determined
periodically.
The treatment and management of radioactive
wastes have been conducted safely at center ofradioactive waste management and environment,
ITRRE. Our temporary storage facility has responsibility for management of all kind of radioactive wastes in
the North of Viet Nam.

Figure 1 Temporary Radioactive Waste Storage Facility of ITRRE

15

NEWSLETTER RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

Introduction of the latest technical outcomesof FNCA RWM Project GroupThe
The FNCA
FNCA Framework
Framework
Role of the Meeting

FNCA Meeting

FNCA RWM-R003… ● Final decision

Ministerial Level Meeting

AUL,CPR, INS,

“Current Status of TENORM in FNCA Countries”(Activity Report of TENORM Task Group)

about importantmatters of the
FNCA… ● Review andadjustment for
Ministrial Level
Meeting

JPN, ROK, MAL,
PHI, THA, and VIE

Senior Officials Meeting

This report will become available to download from RWM
homepage in FNCA web-site soon.
Direction●Review and

Coordinationof the Projects
Current Status of TENORM in FNCA Countries(Activity Report of TENORM Task Group)

Reporting

Coordinators Meeting
One Coordinator in EachCountry

Review and
Coordination

Reporting

Reporting

Reporting
Panel on “Roleof Nuclear
Energy for
Sustainable
Developmentin Asia”

FNCA RWM-R003

Project Leaders
Research Reactor Utilization●●●

Tc-99m Generator (TCG)
Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA)
Research Reactor Technology (RRT)

Application for Agriculture
March 2005●●

Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Group
Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA)

Mutation Breeding (MB)Biofertilizer (BF)

Public Information
●

●

●

●

PET, Cyclotron and Radioisotopes
in Medicine (PET)

Nuclear Safety Culture (NSC)

Human Resources Development●

Radiation Oncology (RO)Radioactive Waste Management (RWM)

Nuclear Safety Culture

Application for Medical Care●

Public Information (PI)Radioactive Waste Management

Human Resources Development (HRD)

Industial Application●

Low-Energy Electron Accelerator (EB)Introduction of past Reports
FNCA RWM-R001 (2003)

FNCA RWM-R002 (2003)“Consolidated Report ofRadioactive Waste
Management”“Safe Management of Spent
Radiation Sources”

The Consolidated ReportonRadioactive Waste Managementin FNCA Countries

Record of Past RWM Workshops
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)

Safe Management of Spent Radiation Sources(Activity Report of SRSM Task Group)

March 2003

March 2003

Radioactive Waste Management Project Group
Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia

Radioactive Waste Management (RWM) Group
Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA)

1995 RWM Seminar
1996 RWM Seminar
1997 RWM Seminar
1998 RWM Workshop
1999 RWM Workshop
2000 RWM Workshop
2001 RWM Workshop
2002 RWM Workshop
2003 RWM Workshop
2004 RWM Workshop
2005 RWM Workshop

Japan (Tokyo)
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
China (Beijing)
Thailand (Bangkok)
The Philippines (Manila)
Australia (Sydney)
Viet Nam (Da Lat)
Korea (Daejeon)
Indonesia (Jakarta)
Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
Japan (Kagamino-cho, Okayama)

ASIA COOPERATION CENTER
JAPAN ATOMIC INDUSTRIAL FORUM, INC.
1-2-13 SHIBA-DAIMON, MINATO-KU, TOKYO 105-8605 JAPAN
PHONE : +81-3-5777-0753
FAX: +81-3-5777-0757

http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/
http://www.fnca.or.jp/english/

This Newsletter is issued by the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum, Inc. (JAIF) under thecontract of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

16