2003:12 Analysis of Critical Issues in Biosphere Assessment Modelling

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2003:12 Analysis of Critical Issues in Biosphere Assessment Modelling 2003:12 M. J. EGAN, M. C. THORNE, R.H. LITTLE AND R.F. PASCO Analysis of Critical Issues in Biosphere Assessment Modelling and Site Investigation AUTHOR/ FÖRFATTARE: M. J. Egan, M. C. Thorne, R.H. Little and SSI rapport: 2003:12 R.F. Pasco 1) juli 2003 1) Quintessa Limited, Dalton House, Newtown Road, Henley-on-Thames, ISSN 0282-4434 Oxfordshire RG9 1HG, UK DEPARTMENT/ AVDELNING: Waste Management & Environmental Protection/ Avd. för avfall och miljö TITLE/ TITEL: Analysis of Critical Issues in Biosphere Assessment Modelling and Site Investigation / En analys av kritiska frågor för modellering av biosfären och platsun- dersökningar. SUMMARY: The aim of this document is to present a critical review of issues concer- ned with the treatment of the biosphere and geosphere-biosphere interface in long- term performance assessment studies for nuclear waste disposal in Sweden. The review covers three main areas of investigation: • a review of SKB’s plans for undertaking site investigations at candidate loca- tions for the development of a deep geological repository for spent fuel; • identification of critical uncertainties associated with SKB’s treatment of the geosphere-biosphere interface in recent performance assessments; and • a preliminary modelling investigation of the significance of features, events and processes in the near-surface environment in terms of their effect on the accumu- lation and redistribution of radionuclides at the geosphere-biosphere interface. Overall, SKB’s proposals for site investigations are considered to be comprehensive and, if they can be carried out to the specification presented, will constitute a bench- mark that other waste management organisations will have to work hard to emulate. The main concern is that expertise for undertaking the investigations and reporting the results could be stretched very thin. The authors have also identified weaknes- ses in the documentation concerning the collection of evidence for environmental change and on developing scenarios for future environmental change. A fundamental assumption adopted in the renewed assessment of the SFR 1 reposi- tory, which is not discussed or justified in any of the documentation that has been reviewed, is that radionuclides enter the water column of the coastal and lake mo- dels directly, without passing first through the bed sediments. The modelling study reported herein suggests that SKB’s models are robust to range of alternative concep- tual descriptions relating to the geosphere-biosphere interface. There are however situations, in which contaminated groundwater is released via sediment rather than directly to the water column, which may lead to significantly higher doses than indi- cated by the SKB models. It is recommended that alternative groundwater discharge and system evolution models should therefore be considered in future assessments. It is also recommended that care should be taken to ensure that releases from the geosphere to the biosphere are represented in a consistent manner, based on careful integration of processes at the interface. SAMMANFATTNING: Denna rapport redovisar en kritisk granskning av hur över- gången mellan urberget och de överliggande jordlagren och biosfären hanteras i säkerhetsanalyser för slutförvaring av kärnavfall i Sverige. Granskningen omfattar tre huvudområden: • en granskning av SKB:s planer för genomförande av platsundersökningar på kandidatplatser för lokalisering av ett slutförvar för använt kärnbränsle; • en identifiering av kritiska osäkerheter i SKB:s hantering av gränszonen mel- lan geosfär och biosfär i nyligen genomförda säkerhetsanalyser; och • en preliminär utvärdering av betydelsen av olika processer och egenskaper i den marknära miljön och deras påverkan på ackumulation och omfördel- ning av radionuklider. SKB:s planer för platsundersökningar bedöms, överlag, vara grundliga. Förutsatt att platsundersökningarna kan genomföras enligt specifikationerna kommer de att utgöra en milstolpe som andra kärnavfallsorganisationer måste arbeta hårt för att kunna efterlikna. Den viktigaste invändningen är att det finns risk att den expertis som krävs för undersökningarna och rapporteringen inte räcker till. Författarna har vidare identifierat brister i dokumentationen av hur man planerar att samla in data kring pågående förändringar i miljön och för framtagande av scenarier för framtida, t.ex. klimatrelaterade, förändringar i miljön. Ett grundläggande antagande i den senaste säkerhetsanalysen för SFR 1, som inte tillräckligt diskuterats eller rättfärdigats i de rapporter som granskats, är att radio- nuklider från slutförvaret introduceras direkt i sjöar och hav, utan att först passera med grundvattnet genom bottensedimenten. Den modelleringsstudie som redovisas The conclusions and i denna rapport visar att SKB:s modeller är relativt okänsliga för olika konceptu- viewpoints presented ella beskrivningar av gränszonen mellan geosfär och biosfär. Det finns dock vissa in the report are situationer, när förorenat grundvatten tillåts strömma igenom bottensedimenten those of the author istället för att introduceras direkt i ytvattnet, som kan leda till betydligt högre ra- an do not necessarily diologiska doser än de som förutsägs av SKB:s modeller. Författarna rekommende- coincide with those rar därför att genomströmning av grundvatten i sediment bör beaktas i de modeller of the SSI. som används för att beskriva förvarssystemets utveckling i framtida säkerhetsana- lyser. Vidare rekommenderas att större insatser bör göras för att tillse att utläckage Författarna svarar av radionuklider från geosfären till biosfären beskrivs på ett konsistent sätt, utifrån själva för innehållet en noggrann analys av hur olika processer samverkar i denna gränszon. i rapporten. Förord Statens strålskyddsinstitut driver oberoende forskning och modellutveckling som ett led i förberedelserna för kommande granskningar av kärnkraftindustrins (SKB) program för slutförvaring av använt kärnbränsle och kärnavfall. Syftet är att ha tillgång till hög vetenskaplig kompetens och egna modeller inom centrala områden för granskning och bedömning av strålskydd och miljöpåverkan. I samband med att SKB påbörjat platsundersökningar för slutförvaring av använt kärnbränsle har bl.a. frågor om hur radionuklider ackumuleras och sprids i den marknära miljön aktualiserats. Denna rapport redovisar en konsultgranskning av SKB:s program för karakterisering av hur radionuklider omsätts i biosfären och i övergången till det djupare berget. Granskningen omfattar dels SKB:s planer för platsundersökningar, dels SKB:s redovisning i samband med den senaste säkerhetsanalysen för slutförvaret SFR 1 vid Forsmark. Konsulterna har även fått i uppdrag att genomföra en modelleringsstudie för att belysa betydelsen av vissa exponeringsvägar och ackumulering av radionuklider i sjö- och havssediment. Arbetet har utförts av fyra olika experter på konsultbolaget Quintessa Limited i England, på uppdrag av Björn Dverstorp, avdelningen för avfall och miljö. Författarna svarar själva för innehållet i denna rapport. Foreword The Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI) is in the process of developing and upgrading the modelling tools it uses to carry out independent radiological safety assessments of solid radioactive waste disposal. These models are used to simulate radionuclide behaviour in the biosphere and at the geosphere-biosphere interface, as well as to evaluate potential radiological impacts on humans and the environment. SSI’s objectives in reviewing its capabilities is to ensure that it is properly prepared to undertake reviews of site investigations and forthcoming licence applications for the encapsulation and final disposal of spent fuel. The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB) has submitted a series of safety assessments, as well as descriptions of its research programme, for regulatory review. From SSI’s perspective, the outcome of these regulatory reviews highlighted the need to enhance understanding of important processes in the near-surface environment and their influence on the fate of radionuclide releases from a geological repository, as well as their importance in determining radiological impacts. In the light of this, Quintessa was commissioned by SSI in 2002 to: • review SKB’s plans for undertaking site investigations at candidate locations for the development of a deep geological repository for spent fuel, with particular attention to characterisation of the biosphere and geosphere- biosphere interface; • identify critical uncertainties associated with SKB’s treatment of the geosphere-biosphere interface in recent performance assessments; and • carry out a modelling study to assess the significance of features, events and processes in the near-surface environment in terms of their effect on the accumulation and redistribution of radionuclides at the geosphere-biosphere interface. The outcome of this work was originally delivered to SSI in the form of three separate Quintessa documents. These technical notes have been collected together here in a single SSI report. The authors alone are responsible for the contents of the report, and the conclusions do not necessarily reflect the formal position of SSI. i Summary The aim of this document is to present a critical review of issues concerned with the treatment of the biosphere and geosphere-biosphere interface in long-term performance assessment studies for nuclear waste disposal in Sweden. The review covers three main areas of investigation: • a review of SKB’s plans for
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