SOLID RADIOACTIVE WASTE SYSTEM

To all appearance, a special storage pad should be established at the facility of planned disposal of Solid Radioactive Waste (SRW) where, along with SNF, high-active long-lived SRW would be stored (including rods of the control and protection system). In our opinion, the issue of establishing such a pad (repository or special storage area) should be considered within the rehabilitation activities of the Andreeva Bay CMB. 

Solid radioactive wastes are produced from many systems and purification circuits of the reactor station, see Figure 20.7. Many contaminated items can be decontaminated by proper treatment, saving both money and waste storage space. Low level waste can also sometimes be "declassified" and disposed of as normal, inactive, waste or scrap. Combustible solids may be reduced in volume through incineration. Several techniques are used for fixation of wastes in such a way that they can be safely stored with a minimum of surveillance. These techniques all have in common an enclosure of the activity in an insoluble material (normally concrete or bitumen) and in blocks of sizes and activities small enough to be handled with a fork lift. 

The solid waste treatment and storage system provides treatment, encapsulation and storage for the solid radioactive waste produced during, plant normal operation and maintenance. 

A reduction in solid radioactive wastes and radioactive effluents, effected by the use of leak-tight equipment and systems and by an increase in service life of the main replaceable equipment, such as steam generator pipe systems. 

Protection of the safety-related systems against external impacts is provided by a protective enclosure. The protective enclosure is a water and gas-proof structure built as a part of the ship hull it includes protective shells for the plant and the storage of liquid and solid radioactive waste, and additionally limits the leakage of radioactive substances into other parts of the floating power unit and into the environment, in case of an accident. 

During the operational lifecycle of the APIOOO, solid radioactive wastes will be generated. Further details on the sources of solid radioactive wastes and the solid radwaste treatment system are provided in Section 3.5 of the Environment Report (Reference 14.4) and Integrated Waste Strategy (IWS) report (Reference 14.7). The solid waste streams comprise ... 

Solid Radioactive Wastes - the Environment Report, section 3.4 of the Environment Report (reference 15.6) summarises the sources of solid radioactive waste, the solid radwaste system (WSS), and a BAT assessment for the chosen design options. 

The solid radwaste system is described in detail in Section 11.4 of Reference 15.14 and summarised in the Enviromnent Report. The system categorises solid radioactive waste as high-level waste (HLW), intermediate-level waste (ILW), or low-level waste (LEW) (see Enviromnent Report, Figures 3.4-1 3.4-2). The solid radwaste system comprises a radwaste building for handling and sorting LLW and an LEW buffer store area. 

Solid radioactive waste results from the operation and maintenance of the nuclear power plant and its associated processing systems for gaseous and liquid radioactive waste. The nature of such waste varies considerably from plant to plant, as do the associated levels of activity. Sohd radioactive waste may consist of spent ion exchange resins (both bead and powder) cartridge filters and pre-coat filter cake particulate filters from ventilation systems charcoal beds tools contaminated metal scrap core components debris from fuel assemblies or in-reactor components and contaminated rags, clothing, paper and plastic. 

According to the vendor, the Ultimate Solution can only operate economically in large treatment systems. The vendor supplied cost estimates for treating municipal solid waste, industrial hazardous waste, radioactive waste, and hospital solid waste at various treatment rates and... 

The plasma energy recycle and conversion (PERC) process is an indirectly heated ex situ thermal recycling and conversion technology. According to the vendor, it treats hazardous waste, mixed radioactive waste, medical waste, municipal solid waste, radioactive waste, environmental restoration wastes, and incinerator ash in gaseous, hquid, slurry, or solid form. The technology uses an induction-coupled plasma (ICP) torch as its heat source coupled to a reaction chamber system to destroy hazardous materials. 

Presently, thermodynamic data bases for environmental chemistry are far from being complete. We believe that many built-in data bases of geochemical codes that include an impressive number of data for aqueous species and solid phases for most elements may easily produce incorrect results if used without criticism. Indeed, one of the main lessons learnt during our update exercise is that completeness and reliability of the data are mutually exclusive. On the other hand, reducing the data base to a small number of best thermodynamic data severely limits its field of applicability. Thus, in order to model specific systems of fundamental relevance for radioactive waste disposal we were forced to make compromises and had to include estimated constants. 

Nuclear Waste. NRC defines high level radioactive waste to include (/) irradiated (spent) reactor fuel (2) liquid waste resulting from the operation of the first cycle solvent extraction system, and the concentrated wastes from subsequent extraction cycles, in a facility for reprocessing irradiated reactor fuel and (3) solids into which such liquid wastes have been converted. Approximately 23,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel has been stored at commercial nuclear reactors as of 1991. This amount is expected to double by the year 2001. 

All the NPPs have their own systems for managing the solid and liquid radioactive waste generated at the site. The very low level waste (VLLW) and the low and intermediate level short lived radioactive waste (L IL SL) waste is eonditioned in accordance with the waste acceptance criteria for the landfill type and the SFR repository respectively. Standard techniques are used processing liquid and solid waste. Cement and bitumen are used as matrix for conditioning. 

From the above table it follows that major works in different areas are to be performed in Gremikha including -management of SNF of Nuclear Submarines (NSs) with Liquid-Metal Coolant (LMC) reactors and WER -management of Solid and Liquid Radioactive Waste (SRW and LRW) -removal of SNF and Spent Removable Units (SRUs) to Mayak for reprocessing -rehabilitation of buildings, constructions, terrestrial and aquatic systems. 

Zirconia is an important refractory ceramic. It also forms the basis of solid electrolytes in systems such as Zr02-Y203. Both zirconia and hafnia figure prominently in refractory ceramics proposed for the containment of uranium and plutonium radioactive waste. The monoclinic form of Zr02, baddeleyite, is a widespread accessory mineral. Zirconia undergoes transitions from monoclinic to tetragonal to cubic, with thermochemical parameters listed in Table 5. 

Waste Management. The facility s radioactive waste management systems shall include equipment necessary to collect, store, sample, and treat gaseous, liquid, or solid radioactive material and prepare them for reuse or disposal. 

A liquid scintillation instrument does not only produce counts, but also radioactive waste. If we consider that an average instrument counts 20.000 samples per year using 200 liters of liquid scintillator, it produces more than this as waste. If the instrument uses 10 ml scintillator with 1 ml active sample and processes 20.000 experiments per year, it creates 220 liters of liquid and about 1.500 liters of solid waste from disposable plastic vials. Now the radioactive waste is usually destroyed by combustion, while earlier a considerable part of such aqueous - organic waste was poured into the regular sewage system. 

Leakages and drains are collected in a liquid waste system that is designed to permit maximum reuse of water in a simple process most of the collected water is chemically pure and may be reused as processed demineralized water after treatment in filters and ion exchangers. Excess water and "unclean water is discharged, if its "quality is acceptable, i.e., with low radioactivity, and low content of other unacceptable products otherwise, it is passed through an evaporator. Then the cleaned water can be reused or discharged the evaporator residues are conveyed to the solid waste system. 

The radioactive waste management system of the QP300 consists of gaseous waste treatment system, liquid waste treatment system, solid waste treatment and storage system and radioactive waste solidification system. 

The radioactive waste treatment systems provides all equipment necessary to coUect, process, monitor, and dispose of radioactive gaseous, liquid, and solid wastes that are produced during reactor operation. 

The CANDU 3 incorporates comprehensive systems for the management, technical and storage of solid, liquid, and gaseous radioactive wastes. 

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