Radioactive Waste Management Status and Trends - Issue #4 February 2005 IAEA/WMDB/ST/4 Last Modified:2005-01-31 IAEA-WMDB-ST-4 Table of Contents Foreword .......................................................................................................................................9 1 Document Overview ...................................................................................................................10 2 National Systems for Radioactive Waste Management...........................................................13 2.1 The Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management ......................................................................................................13 2.2 Scorecard for National Systems for Radioactive Waste Management .............................................18 2.3 Ongoing Initiatives Between Member States ...................................................................................19 2.4 Topical Issue: Proposed European Council Directive (EURATOM) on the Implementation of National Systems ..............................................................................................................................19 2.5 Topical Issue – Update: Indicator of Sustainable Development for Radioactive Waste Management .....................................................................................................................................19 3 The Classification of Radioactive Waste ..................................................................................23 3.1 Exclusion, Exemption and Clearance ...............................................................................................24 3.2 Topical Issue: Radioactive Waste Classification within the IAEA’s Common Framework Initiative............................................................................................................................................26 4 Sources of Radioactive Waste....................................................................................................29 4.1 Uranium Mining and Mill (UMM) Wastes.......................................................................................29 4.1.1 Topical Issue – UMM Tailings Reclamation in the USA ..................................................... 30 4.2 Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) Waste.............................................................33 4.3 Very Low Level Radioactive Waste (VLLW)..................................................................................35 5 Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities .....................................................................................37 5.1 Reuse of Decommissioned Sites.......................................................................................................38 5.1.1 Policy Issues in Planning for Redevelopment....................................................................... 38 5.1.2 Social Factors........................................................................................................................ 40 5.1.3 Conclusions........................................................................................................................... 40 5.2 Recent Decommissioning Experiences.............................................................................................40 5.2.1 Rocky Flats Site, USA .......................................................................................................... 41 5.2.2 Fermi 1 NPP, USA (status as reported October 2003).......................................................... 42 5.2.3 Rancho Seco NPP, USA ....................................................................................................... 43 5.2.4 UK NPPs............................................................................................................................... 44 5.2.5 French NPPs ......................................................................................................................... 45 5.2.6 KKN Facility, Germany........................................................................................................ 46 5.3 Selected Organizational Developments............................................................................................47 5.3.1 Future Liabilities Management in the UK ............................................................................ 47 5.3.2 Revised Decommissioning Strategy in France ..................................................................... 47 5.4 Record Keeping for Decommissioning.............................................................................................49 6 Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste......................................................................55 6.1 Waste Minimization .........................................................................................................................55 6.2 Waste Characterization.....................................................................................................................59 6.2.1 Topical Issue: Innovative Technologies for Characterization of Underground Piping in Decommissioning Projects ............................................................................................... 62 6.3 Waste Processing..............................................................................................................................65 Page 2 of 191 Last Modified:2005-01-31 IAEA-WMDB-ST-4 6.3.1 Examples of Waste Processing ............................................................................................. 66 6.3.1.1 Membrane Technologies........................................................................................... 66 6.3.1.2 Ion Exchange Technologies...................................................................................... 68 6.3.1.3 Organic and Chemically Toxic Waste Processing.................................................... 72 6.3.2 Collection and Dissemination of Radwaste Processing Information by the IAEA............... 72 6.4 Waste Storage...................................................................................................................................74 6.4.1 Examples of Radioactive Waste Storage .............................................................................. 74 6.4.1.1 Examples of Combined Storage/Disposal Facilities................................................. 74 6.4.2 Topical Issue - Update: Long Term Storage......................................................................... 76 6.4.3 Collection and Dissemination of Radwaste Storage Information by the IAEA.................... 80 7 Radioactive Waste Disposal.......................................................................................................83 7.1 Emerging Issues................................................................................................................................83 7.1.1 Safeguards............................................................................................................................. 84 7.1.2 Long Term Monitoring ......................................................................................................... 86 7.2 Topical Issue: Multinational/Regional Concepts for Waste Management Facilities ........................87 7.3 Topical Issue: Impact of Innovative Nuclear Technologies on Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning.................................................................................................90 7.3.1 INPRO .................................................................................................................................. 91 7.3.2 Generation IV International Forum (GIF)............................................................................. 92 7.4 Topical Issue: Societal Issues Related to Geological Repositories...................................................93 7.5 Topical Issue: RD&D in Geological Disposal (Canada, Czech Republic, Finland and Japan) ........94 7.6 Topical Issue: Closure of a Surface Repository - La Manche ........................................................102 7.7 Topical Issue: Upgrading of Near Surface Disposal Facilities...........................................................105 7.8 Collection and Dissemination of Radwaste Disposal Information by the IAEA............................106 8 Examples of Existing Repositories ..........................................................................................112 8.1 The VLLW Repository in Morvilliers, France ...............................................................................112 8.2 The Drigg Low Level Waste Disposal Site (UK)...........................................................................114 8.3 The Clive Low Level and Mixed Waste Facility (Utah, USA).......................................................115 8.4 Richard Repository – Underground Caverns (Czech Republic).....................................................117 9 The Management of Spent/Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources .........................................121 9.1 Topical Issue: Return of Sources to Suppliers................................................................................122 9.1.1 Background......................................................................................................................... 122 9.1.2 Technical Aspects ...............................................................................................................122