Transcript International Standards, Guidance and Instruments

General Conference – Senior Regulators’
Meeting
How does the disposal
option, as opposed to long
term storage, improve both
safety and security – IAEA
perspective
Pil Soo Hahn
Khammar Mrabit
Director,
Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety
NSRW
&
IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency
Director,
Office of Nuclear Security
NS-NS
Safety Fundamentals (SF-1)
• Objective: Protect people and the environment from
harmful effects of ionizing radiations
• Principle 7: Protection of present and future generations –
people and the environment, present and future, must be
protected against radiation risks
• Radioactive waste must be managed in such a way as to
avoid imposing undue burden on future generations
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Definitions: IAEA glossary
• Storage: The holding of radioactive sources, spent fuel or
radioactive waste in a containment, with the intention of
retrieval…storage is by definition an interim measure
• Disposal: Emplacement of waste in an appropriate facility
without the intention of retrieval.
 Disposal of RW relies on the concept of containment and isolation. Isolation
means design to keep the waste away from the accessible biosphere
• The Agency safety standards strongly advise States to
develop a radioactive waste and spent fuel management
strategy including disposal especially if Member States wish
to gain public acceptance of and confidence in the safe use of
nuclear energy
IAEA
Main reasons for storage
• Radioactive decay: reduce the level of radiation and
heat generation
May need for longer periods than initially intended
due to increased fuel burn up
• Wait and See (Interim step): wait to allow a decision to
be made
- Whether SF is declared as waste or not
- Leave the possibility for other management options
(e.g. shared facilities)
- Take advantage of potential optimization processes
(e.g. P&T)
• -
IAEA
Storage vs Disposal
• Storage : a management step
• Disposal : a management solution
• International Conference on the Safety of RWM (Cordoba,
March 2000) : Perpetual storage of RW is not a sustainable
practice and offers no solution for the future
IAEA
Safety implications (storage vs disposal)
• Storage facility :
- license is given for a definite period
- The demonstration of safety has to be compatible with the
planned duration of storage
- Relies on active measures, such as monitoring and
surveillance
- Vulnerable to inadvertent or deliberate human intrusion if not
kept under close surveillance
- Raises the issue, on long periods, of safety features
(components, barriers…) degradation prior to disposal :
reconditioning could be necessary prior to disposal
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Safety implications (storage vs disposal)
• Disposal facility :
- Safety is ensured by passive means, no action after closure
- Demonstration of safety takes into account degradation of
components and functions: no need of additional measures
- Safety case considers most probable scenarios that would
hamper the isolation function of the disposal facility
- One of the intrinsic difficulties of its safety demonstration
lies in the long time scale involved
- Public acceptance of NPP could be linked to the
implementation of disposal solutions - storage does not
solve the issue
IAEA
Planned International Workshop
• International Workshop on High Level Radioactive
Waste and Spent Fuel Management - Storage and
Disposal, Stockholm, Sweden Nov. 29 – Dec. 1
in collaboration with the Swedish Radiation Safety
Authority (SSM)
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IAEA
Thank you!
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