THERAMIN From waste acceptance criteria to …...deep geological disposal • The German waste classification system is based on heat generating capacity of the waste: Non-heat-generating

NON-CONFIDENTIAL

THERAMINFrom waste acceptance criteria to

waste disposability

Benjamin FRASCA - Andra

13th June 2019

DRD/CM/19-0047

NON-CONFIDENTIAL

Content

1. Radioactive waste

2. Waste Classification and Disposal Routes

IAEA classification

Example of national classification

3. French radioactive waste disposal concepts

Surface disposal facilities

Deep geological disposal project: Cigéo

4. Disposability Criteria

General observations on disposability criteria

Generic disposability criteria for thermally treated waste

From WAC to disposability

1. Radioactive Waste

THERAMIN – Technical School

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Uses of radioactivity

Radioactivity was discovered by French physicist Henri

Becquerel in the late 19th century. Since then, its properties

have been put to use in many industrial, military and medical

applications.

Medicine

cancer diagnosis, tumour

treatment, equipment

sterilisation …

Research

chemsitry, biology…

Electricity

generation

(NPPs…)

Industry

food preservation,

inspection of welds …

Geology – Climatology - Archaeology

age of the Earth, analysis of ice core samples

protection of art objects, dating..

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What is radioactive waste?

Radioactive waste is substances generated by the use of the properties of radioactivity

that cannot be reused or reprocessed

The vast majority of this waste looks like conventional waste : tools, clothing, scrap

metal, plastic…

However, it has been made radioactive from exposure to radioactivity and thus emits

radiation that can be hazardous to people and the environment.

This waste is therefore managed in a specific manner.

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Sources of radioactive waste in France

Estimation of the share of radioactive waste existing in France at the

end of 2017 by economic sector and by volume

Médical

Industrie nonélectronucléaire

Défense

Recherche

Electronucléaire

1%

3%9%

28%59%

Medical

Non-nuclear power industry

Defence

Research

Nuclear power plants

Mines Enrichment

Fuel

fabrication

Reactors

Spent fuel

reprocessing

Recycling:

MOX

fuel

fabrication

ChemistryNatural uranium

Enriched uranium

Disposal

Uranium

Plutonium

Front end Use in reactors Back end

Ultimate waste after

reprocessing of spent fuel

Waste from tailings and fuel

fabrication

Waste produced during facility

operation and maintenance

Waste resulting from dismantling

operations

Sources of radioactive waste: Fuel Cycle

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Polluted sites and collect of radioactive

waste and objects

•

Bayard (watchmaking industry)

Radioactive lightning conductors Examples of uses of

radioactivity First half of the twentieth century

Hospital waste

2. Waste Classification and

Disposal Routes


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International Classification: IAEA

• Radioactive waste can be divided into different “classes”according to its radiological or other properties

• Different countries may have different classifications forsimilar wastes, depending on their policies and needs

• IAEA General Safety Guide (GSG-1) groups waste by half-life and radioactivity level: Based on long term safety implication, and thus, disposal route

of the waste IAEA classification does not include quantitative boundaries

between waste classes: the boundaries are left up tocountries

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International Classification: IAEA

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National Classification

• Many countries adopt classifications similar to IAEA, but include boundaries that match their policies and infrastructures

Boundaries between classes are normally based on the safety case for the disposal facilities

• National classes and boundaries are usually defined in primary legislation, regulations, national standards and/or guidance material

• Not all countries recognize all IAEA waste classes

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Example National Classification: BELGIUM

• Four-level hierarchical classification system

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Example National Classification: FRANCE

• Based on activity level and half-life

• Specific disposal routes for each class

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Example National Classification: GERMANY

• All radioactive wastes in Germany are destined for

deep geological disposal

• The German waste classification system is based on

heat generating capacity of the waste:

Non-heat-generating radioactive wastes are

radioactive waste with negligible heat generation (e.g.

LLW, ILW).

Heat-generating radioactive wastes are characterized

by high activity concentrations and therefore by high

decay heat (e.g. HLW).

3. French radioactive waste

disposal concepts


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1) The 'head in the sand policy'

• Ignore the problem,

• It's not urgent; we'll think about it later.

( places the burden on future generations)

2) Easy (and sloppy) fix to the problem

• Sea disposal

• Quick land burial in earthen trenches, etc.

3) 'Outlandish' ideas

• Launch waste into the Sun, etc.

• Burial in subduction zones, etc.

• Burial in marine areas with high

sedimentation rates, etc.

• …

4) Scientific and technological management

• Disposal method adapted to each type of

waste

What is to be done with radioactive waste?

On average, each person in France

generates 2 kg of radioactive waste each year.

What should be done with it?

What is to be done with radioactive waste?

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Managing radioactive waste

• France has opted for a long-term solution: Dispose of waste in geological repositories

•

Contain radioactivity in repositories and monitor

these repositories while radioactivity decreases to a

safe level

Geological media are a long-term solution for

keeping waste away people and the environment

and for delaying the migration of the radioactive

substances contained in waste.

Geological repositories: natural barriers

Package

Engineered barrier

Geological barrier

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Waste disposal concepts adapted to each type of waste must sequester

radioactive materials from the environment until their radioactivity has decayed to

an acceptable level. Repository safety is based on three components :

The packages

containing the wasteThe repository structures containing

the conditioned packages

The geology of the sites making

up a permanent natural barrier

The multi-barrier design

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The various disposal solutions

The disposal concepts implemented by Andra are commensurated with the

hazardousness of the waste contained and the changes in this

hazardousness over time.

In France, different disposal solutions are currently in operation or are

under development for all types of radioactive waste generated:

surface disposal (in operation)

near-surface disposal (under

consideration)

deep geological disposal

(500 m below ground, under

consideration)

VLLW repository:

Cires


Cires waste repository

The first repository for very-low-level radioactive waste, the second repository located

in north-central France (Morvilliers).

Capacity: 650 000 m3

Commissioned: 1st October 2003

Planned operating life: 30 years

Surface area: 45 ha

Volume in storage (end 2013): 250 000 m3

Cires waste repository

• VLLW

VLL waste results primarily from the dismantling of nuclear

facilities or conventional industries that use radioactive

materials (scrap metal, plastic, rubble, earth, etc.)

VLL waste is conditioned in metal drums or super sacks,

primarily to facilitate its handling.

It is emplaced in cells excavated in the clay soil at a

shallow depth at the VLLW repository at Morvilliers

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Management of the Cires waste repository

Excavation of the disposal cells

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Repository cells being filled

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Capping with soil

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Laying of the impermeable membrane

LILW repository facility:

The CSA case


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LILW repository: the CSA

The largest radioactive waste repository is located at Soulaines-Dhuys. It

has been designed to dispose 1 million m3 of LIL/SL waste, generated

mainly from the maintenance (clothing, tools, gloves…) or operation

(treatment of liquid and gaseous effluents) of nuclear facilities.

Commissioned :13th January 1992

Planned operating life: 60 years

Monitoring period: 300 years

Capacity : 1 million m3

(~280 000 m3 emplaced by late 2013)

Surface: 95 ha (total)

Initial investment: € 221 million

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CSA waste repository

• The LILW waste is conditioned in a metal or concrete

container and then encapsulated mainly in concrete.

• There is a specific type of package for the volume,

radioactivity and nature of the waste: casks or drums

made of metal or concrete.

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CSA waste repository: design

Role of the repository structures :

oProtect the physical integrity of waste packages and structures

oShield waste from external hazards/prevent the spread of

radioactivity

o Inspect and monitor (environment, site and structures)

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CSA waste repository: design

Concrete being poured over

short-lived packages

Disposal cells

Gravels being poured over long-

lived packages


HLW & ILW-LL

The Cigeo project

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High-level and intermediate-level long-lived

waste

HLW

ILW-LL

1- Waste from spent fuel treatment (ILW-LL and HLW)

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High-level and intermediate-level long-lived

waste

2- Technology waste, research activities and legacy waste (ILW-LL)

Cigeo Forecast volumes

≈ 72, 000 m3 for ILW-LL (of which 60% produced)

≈ 10, 000 m3 for HLW (of which 30% produced)

NB - To consider the eventual evolutions of industrial strategies and energetic

policies, spent fuel and some LLW-LL are also taken into consideration in the

‘Adaptability' studies of Cigeo's facilities

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A bit of history: the Bataille Act of 30th

December 1991

France's first law on radioactive waste management

A 15-year research program

Study of three options (technical and scientific approach)

- Partitioning and transmutation of long-lived radionuclides

- Geological disposal, reversible or non-reversible

- Long-term storage

Governance

Responsibilities, Control bodies, Support to the territories

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A bit of history: a progressive and

converging approach

Successive acquisition of knowledge/design/safety iterations: 1998, 2001,

2005, 2009, 2015 each one being suited to the corresponding development

phase of the project

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Forecast schedule

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Cigeo project

2 surface facilities:

Nuclear: Receiving,

inspecting, and

preparing packages

Non Nuclear: Shafts

for construction work

Underground facility in

clay (500m depth)

Shafts

HLW zone

ILW-LL zone

ramps

Underground footprint of

the repository: about 15

km2

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Cigeo project: surface installations

Digging area (200 Ha)

(non nuclear)

Reception Area (100 Ha)

(nuclear)

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Ramp Funicular

Cigeo project: waste packages transfer

Upper station with HLW transfer

cask

Lower station with HLW transfer

cask

Funicular proposed by POMA

Length: 4.2 km

Slope: 12%

Payload: 130 t

Total rolling weight: 175 t

Pulley effort required: 750 kW

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Cigeo project: HLW cells

HLW disposal cells (Dossier 2009)

Length: ~100 m

Diameter: 0,7 m

Nb containers: 7-20

Storage-disposal complementarity:

management of the radioactive decay

of HLW (approx. 60 years)

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Cigeo project: HLW cells

HLW packages

• Slightly different types of waste package: 'standard' overpacks,

• An overpack contains just one primary package

dia. 590 with runners

The runners are

locked in place by

non-alloy steel

hoops

Runners

equidistant at

60°

Non-alloy

steel lid Handling

groove

Continuous,

Leaktight weld seam

Primary package

The body of the disposal

package is made of non-

alloy steel

Two objectives:

1) Long-term safety = corrosion:

water in contact with the glass if

T°< 50°C

2) Facilitated retrievability

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Cigeo project: ILW-LL cells

ILW disposal cells are horizontal tunnels located at the median of the host clay

layer:

• Thick concrete lining to limit long term deformations

• Length: ~500 m

• No. of containers: ~2000

• Ventilation of ILW repository cells as long as they are not closed

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Cigeo project: ILW-LL waste packages

ILW-LL waste packages

Various waste different types of primary packages several primary packages in a

waste package

• Less handling operations,

• Standardisation that makes stack and retrievability easierWHY ?

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Reversibility & retrievability issues

Waste

Package(s) in

storage

Waste

Package(s) in

disposal cell

WPackage(s)

in sealed

disposal cell

WPackage(s)

in sealed

disposal zone

WPackage(s)

in closed

repository

Distant future

evolution

Waste Package

emplacement

Disposal cell

backfilling and/or

sealing

Access gallery

backfilling and/or

sealing

Repository

closure

Waste Package

slow degradation

• To implement the principle of reversibility, a TOOLBOX is needed

• The toolbox will contain governance and technical measures

4. Disposability Criteria


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Disposability Criteria

• Disposability criteria identify the characteristics required for a waste

product in order to ensure that the waste cannot have a significant

detrimental impact on :

the handling of the waste in a disposal facility

the operational safety

the long-term safety provided by a disposal facility

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• Origin of criteria is strongly linked to status of national

disposal programmes and policy

Some criteria apply to long-lived LILW disposal; others apply to

short-lived LILW disposal

Some criteria consider deep geological disposal; some near-

surface or surface disposal

The importance of certain criteria may vary depending on the

depth of disposal and the safety functions applicable to the

waste form in different disposal contexts.

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• Some national criteria refer to generic plans for disposal

Particularly in the cases of geological disposal in countries that

have not yet identified a proposed site or host rock in which to

construct a repository.

In such cases, the criteria are often preliminary / provisional,

and will be developed further as plans for the disposal facility

progress.

• Some national criteria are site-specific

Reflect formal WAC associated with an existing disposal

facility (or one that is in the advanced stages of planning).

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French example of WAC for ILW-LL

• The French geological disposal dedicated to ILW-LL and HLW

(Cigéo) is under development.

Preliminary WAC (in 2017)

• Cigéo Preliminary WAC are declined as: Declarative: characteristics, quantified or not, that has to be declared by

the producers

Qualitative: criteria are expressed in terms of objectives (no value limit)

Quantitative: value limit which must be respected

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• The primary packages delivered by the producers will be introduced

into specific standardised storage packaging to provide

mechanical and thermal protection (in case of fire), to allow gas

release

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• Physical dimension:

Primary packages must be congruent to standard specified

designs (specific sizes)

- This ensures that packages can be handled with the tools available in the

facility and be introduced into standard storage containers and potentially be

stacked

The specified dimensions and weights are derived from the

waste primary package characteristics already produced

- Future primary packages will be produced in line with these specifications

The maximum weight and volume are respectively about

- 11 t and 5 m3 for primary packages

- 17 t and 10 m3 for storage packages

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• Activity content:

The activity of 144 radionuclides must be declared

- declaration thresholds have been defined for each of them

There is no explicit activity limit. However, the radioactive content

is limited indirectly by other criteria such as dose rate, heat

output and material release in case of package drop

Impacts operational and after closure safety

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• Surface contamination:

Non-fixed contamination on the primary packages external

surface must be less than:- 0.4 Bq/cm2 for alpha emitters

- 4 Bq/cm2 for beta and gamma emitters

No limit is defined for fixed contamination

Impacts operational safety

• Criticality:

Some criteria will be defined in order to avoid criticality risk

(fissile material mass limits, isotopic spectrum, moderator type

…)

Impacts operational and after closure safety

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• Radiological gas generation:

A maximum release of radioactive gas (3H, 14C, 129I, 36Cl, 85Kr)

per package will be precisely defined


• Hydrogen release:

A maximum release of hydrogen gas per package will be

precisely defined. The limit will be several tenth of liter by year

per package- Currently, the value of 40L per storage package per year is retained

This criteria is derived from the explosion risk study


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• Chemical content:

Chemical content in general must be declared, in particular:

- Pyrophoric or other reactive materials. Producers must demonstrated that

such materials/substances are no longer reactive

- Corrosive substances (not submitted to a limit) in order to check

containment demonstration

- Toxic substances and complexing compounds (not submitted to a limit) to

confirm after closure safety

Some substances are prohibited, e.g.:

- self-explosive substances

- very inflammable substances

- substances and mixtures the more reactive in contact with water

(exothermic reaction) and emitting flammable gases

- free liquids both organic and aqueous

- infectious substances.

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• Containment:

The containment of solid radioactive material inside the primary

package is required upon receipt of it on the storage facility. This must

be demonstrated and justified by the producer

Otherwise, the storage package shall be confining to solid radioactive

material all the operation period of the facility (more than a hundred

years)

If necessity, a reinforced storage container could be used if the

primary package doesn't complied the containment criteria


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• And also:

General characteristics (declarative & qualitative)

- Such as handling interface, package identification…

Mechanical criteria (limits & declarative)

- Such as drop resistance, volume of void…

Thermal output (limits)

Dose rate (limits)

Fire performance (limits)

Radionuclide release model (declarative)

….

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WAC for thermally treated waste

• Available data on current waste acceptance criteria were

collected from Theramin partner countries

Some generic disposability criteria were developed based

on examination of these data

• The objective of these generic disposability criteria is to

propose a common set of disposability criteria that can be

used to evaluate any products from any form of thermal

treatment for disposal at any type of facility

• Generic disposability criteria are defined here as: “Factors

affecting the disposability of conditioned waste produced from

application of some form of thermal treatment”

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Generic disposability criteria

• 20 Generic disposability criteria identified for thermally

treated waste

Dimensions / mass of packages

Provisions for transport, handling and emplacement

Package integrity and required lifetime

Activity content

Radionuclide inventory

Dose rate limits

Surface contamination

Nuclear criticality

Thermal output

Gas generation

Chemical content

Chemical durability

Voids

Waste package stacking

Impact performance

Fire performance

ID / labelling

QA / QC requirements

Data management

Secondary waste

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Generic disposability criteria for

thermally treated waste

• Dimensions / mass of packages:

The dimensions and mass of containers used to package

thermally treatment waste (and other aspects of the container

design) should be compatible with the thermal processing route

being employed.

The dimensions and mass of containers used to package

thermally treated waste (and other aspects of the container

design) should be compatible with relevant safety functions for

storage and disposal, and with all applicable constraints on

waste classification, handling, transport and disposal, taking

account of the processed waste characteristics.

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• Provisions for handling, transport and emplacement

No additional criteria on provisions for handling, transport and

emplacement for thermally treated waste – apply existing criteria

for the disposal context in question.

The characteristics of thermally treated waste should be

considered as part of demonstrating compliance with existing

requirements on transport, handling and emplacement.

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• Package integrity and required lifetime

Apply existing criteria for the disposal context in question.

Any additional criteria on package integrity defined for thermally

treated waste should be linked to safety functions applied to such

waste.

The characteristics of thermally treated waste should be

considered as part of demonstrating compliance with existing

requirements.



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• Activity content

No additional criteria on activity content for thermally treated

waste – apply existing criteria for the disposal context in

question.

Demonstrating compliance with existing criteria should take

account of the potential for activity to become concentrated in a

smaller volume during thermal treatment. Associated implications

for waste classification and waste package handling should be

considered.



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• Radionuclide inventory

No additional criteria on declaration of the radionuclide inventory

for thermally treated waste – apply existing criteria for the

disposal context in question.

The choice of thermal processing route and waste form

morphology / formulation should be tailored to the radionuclide

inventory (and other characteristics) of the waste, particularly if

thermal treatment is driven by the need to produce a durable,

long-lived waste form.



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• Dose rate limits:

No additional criteria on dose rate limits for thermally treated


question.

Demonstrating compliance with existing criteria should take

account of the potential for activity to become concentrated in a

smaller volume during thermal treatment.



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• Surface contamination:

No additional criteria on surface contamination for thermally

treated waste – apply existing criteria for the disposal context in

question.

Ensuring compliance with existing criteria should account for

potential contamination mechanisms that are specific to the

thermal treatment route employed.



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• Nuclear criticality:

No additional criteria relating to criticality safety for thermally

treated waste – apply existing criteria for the disposal context in

question.

The potential impacts of fissile material concentration on

transport, operational and post-closure safety should be

considered.



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• Thermal output:

The thermal output of thermally treated waste should not have a

detrimental impact on performance of the engineered and natural

barriers that make up the disposal system, taking account of the

potential for activity to be concentrated during thermal treatment.

• Chemical content:

Apply existing criteria for the disposal context in question.

The choice of thermal treatment route and the design of the

associated disposal facility should ensure the chemical

compatibility of thermally treated waste with other disposal

system components.



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• Chemical durability:

Existing requirements on chemical durability for the applicable

disposal route should be applied to thermally treated waste. No

additional generic disposability criteria for thermally treated

waste are considered necessary, although requirements relating

to the containment provided by a waste form may be justified,

depending on the post-closure safety case.

If criteria relating to the durability of a thermally treated waste

form are deemed to be required for application in a particular

context, then it is recommended that these should be linked to a

required containment lifetime (as assumed in the relevant post-

closure safety case), rather than to a threshold dissolution rate.



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• Voids:

Void space within packages of thermally treated waste should be

minimised wherever practicable; this may influence aspects of

how thermal treatment is implemented.

• Waste package stacking & Gas generation & ID / labelling

& QA / QC requirements:

No additional criteria for thermally treated waste – apply existing

criteria for the disposal context in question.



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• Waste package impact performance:

No additional criteria on impact performance for thermally treated


question.

Consideration should be given to how an impact event could

affect the long-term durability of a waste form resulting from

thermal treatment / conditioning and the safety functions it

provides.



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• Data management:

Data management requirements for the relevant disposal route

should be applied to thermally treated waste. In addition, records

of the thermal treatment regime applied to the waste should be

kept.

• Secondary waste :

Secondary waste associated with thermal treatment should be

minimised to the extent that is practicable.



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From WAC to disposability

Generic WAC

Physicochemical

properties related to

WAC

Evaluation of how the

thermal treatment influences

the disposability of the waste

Characterisation of

thermally treated

samples

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From WAC to characterisation

Waste Acceptance Criteria Physicochemical properties Measurements

No free liquid or gas Homogeneity of the waste

Thermogravimetric analysis, X-Ray

Fluorescence mapping

Electronic microscopy

…

Permeability and/or diffusivity of the waste

sufficient to evacuate gas or other productsPermeability + diffusivity

X-Ray Fluorescence mapping


…

No or limited content of hazardous materials

(combustible, pyrophoric, reactive, etc.)

Homogeneity of the waste (not

untreated area) + identification of

chemical species in the waste


X-Ray Diffraction

ICP analysis after acid material dissolution

…

Immobilization of radionuclides Localization of RN in the waste

spectrometry, autoradiography,

Raman spectroscopy

…

Limited voids / limited porosity PorosityWAXS, BET (open porosity)

…

No hot spotsHomogeneity of the waste /

microstructure



…

• Characterisation tools for the measurement of identified

physicochemical properties based on Generic WAC (1/2)

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• Characterisation tools for the measurement of identified

physicochemical properties based on Generic WAC (2/2)

Waste Acceptance Criteria Physicochemical properties Measurements

Leaching behavior of the waste product Chemical durability

Leaching tests

ICP-AES, ICP-MS,

ion chromatography, UV-Vis

spectroscopy, spectrometry

…

Mechanical resistance of the waste product

(mechanical constraint in disposal, impacts, etc.)Mechanical behavior

Hardness, Young’s modulus, toughness

…

No metal with a redox lower than 0.84 V HSEHomogeneity of the waste /

microstructure



…

Thermal conductivity of the waste product

(especially for self-heating waste)

Thermal conductivity /

thermal behavior

Thermal conductivity measurement

…

From WAC to characterisation

NON-CONFIDENTIAL

Thank you for your attention

Documents

THERAMIN From waste acceptance criteria to …...deep geological disposal • The German waste classification system is based on heat generating capacity of the waste: Non-heat-generating