Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T16:31:16.988Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Safety Assessment of Bore-Hole Repositories for Sealed Radiation Sources Disposal

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2011

M.I. Ojovan
Affiliation:
Scientific and Industrial Association “Radon”, The 7-th Rostovsky Lane, 2/14 Moscow, 119121, Russia, Oj@tsinet.ru
A.V. Guskov
Affiliation:
Scientific and Industrial Association “Radon”, The 7-th Rostovsky Lane, 2/14 Moscow, 119121, Russia
L.B. Prozorov
Affiliation:
Scientific and Industrial Association “Radon”, The 7-th Rostovsky Lane, 2/14 Moscow, 119121, Russia
A.E. Arustamov
Affiliation:
Scientific and Industrial Association “Radon”, The 7-th Rostovsky Lane, 2/14 Moscow, 119121, Russia
P.P. Poluektov
Affiliation:
Scientific and Industrial Association “Radon”, The 7-th Rostovsky Lane, 2/14 Moscow, 119121, Russia
B.B. Serebryakov
Affiliation:
Scientific and Industrial Association “Radon”, The 7-th Rostovsky Lane, 2/14 Moscow, 119121, Russia
Get access

Abstract

Bore-hole repositories (BHR) are considered to be promising for disposal of HLW and spent sealed radiation sources (SRS). A safety assessment of BHR disposal of SRS was performed using geologic environmental analysis, available parameters for BHR and SRS design and radionuclide inventory. The probabilistic calculations take into account some data uncertainties and variability. The results showed that there is practically no release of short-lived radionuclides into the environment for about 1000 years. This is completely due to the very low corrosion rate of the lead matrix in which the SRS are encapsulated. Various models were applied for more detailed numeric simulation of the repository temperature, radiation fields, and transport of released radionuclides in the geosphere. Ultra-conservative scenarios were chosen for these models. The worst case comprises both breaching of all engineered barriers and flooding of the disposal site plus eventual failure of an imperfect SRS immobilization matrix with some sources partly exposed by the breached matrix. For this extreme case, the maximum dose was found to be not higher than 55 – 75 µSv/y.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2000

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1 Sobolev, I.A., Timofeev, E.M., Ojovan, M.I., Arustamov, A.E., Kachalov, M.B., Shiryaev, V.V., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc., Vol.506, 1998, p.10031008.Google Scholar
2 Arustamov, A.E., Ojovan, M.I, Kochalov, M.B., Mat Res. Soc. Proc., v 556 (1999) pp. 961966.Napier B.A., Peloquin R.A., Strenge D.L., Ramsdell J.V. GENII - The Hanford Environmental Radiation Dosimetry Software System. V.1: Conceptual Representation. Pasific Northwest Laboratory. Washington, 1988.Google Scholar
3 Arustamov, A.E., Ojovan, M.I., Kachalov, M.B., Sobolev, I.A., Shiryaev, V.V. Metal Matrices for the Immobilization of Highly-Radioactive Spent Sealed Sources. – WM '98 Proceedings, Tucson, Arizona, March 1-5, 1998.Google Scholar
4 Derivation of Default Acceptance Criteria for Disposal of Radioactive Waste to Near Surface Facilities: Development and Implementation of an Approach. IAEA TECDOC, Vienna, 1998.Google Scholar
5 Savage, D. The Scientific and Regulatory Basis for Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste. John Wiley&Son. Chichester, New York, Brisbane, Toronto, Singapore, 1995.Google Scholar
6 Van Genuchen, M. Th. A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturate soil.- Soil. SCI. Am. J., 1980, v. 44, pp. 892898.Google Scholar