agence nationale pour la gestion des dÉchets radioactifs © andra national approach and experience...

AGENCE NATIONALE POUR LA GESTION DES DÉCHETS RADIOACTIFS© Andra

National approach and experience on disposal of ILW

France

Vienna, 9 September 2013

AGENCE NATIONALE POUR LA GESTION DES DÉCHETS RADIOACTIFS© Andra2 DP/12-0162 © Andra

National Waste and Radioactive Material Inventory (Andra 2012)

Total volumes of wastes in 2010 (m3)

Foreseen total volumes of wastes in 2020 and 2030 (m3)

The French waste classification takes into account both activity level and half life.

High level

Intermediate level and long lived

Low level and long lived

Intermediate/low level and short lived

Very low level

N/A

AGENCE NATIONALE POUR LA GESTION DES DÉCHETS RADIOACTIFS© Andra3 © Andra

Today French low and intermediate level-short lived waste are being disposed of at the industrial scale in near surface “Centre de stockage de l’Aube” (CSA)

•Opened in: 1992•Capacity: 1,000,000 m3

•Average annual volume: 12,000 m3

The 2006 waste act provides for disposal projects for: Low level-long lived

waste Intermediate level-

long lived waste and High level waste

4 AGENCE NATIONALE POUR LA GESTION DES DÉCHETS RADIOACTIFS© Andra

Intermediate level and long-lived wasteCigéo Project

AGENCE NATIONALE POUR LA GESTION DES DÉCHETS RADIOACTIFS© Andra© Andra

IL-LLW and HLW are planned to be co-disposed in the deep geological repository project (Cigéo)

The 1991 Waste Act

Creation of « Andra » as a public independant body

3 research areas for High Level Long-lived Waste: P/T; long term storage; geologic disposal

1996: Licence application for 3 URLs (clay; granite)

1998: Government decision to licence the Meuse/Haute-Marne URL

2001: Intermediate Clay report, first NEA peer review…

2005: Feasibility /safety assessment of safe geological disposal in Meuse/Haute-Marne clay layer, reviewed 2005-2006

The 2006 Programme Act: Reduce/avoid the burden on future generations

Reduce volume and harmfulness of wastes

Reference option for final waste that can no longer be treated: geological repository with respect to reversibility (100 y at least)

Continue research on P/T (CEA) and interim storage (Andra) on a complementary basis.

2009: Safety, reversibility and design options, reviewed 2010

2010-2012: Launch of the design phase

2013: Public debate

2015: Licence application

Around 2016: Law defining reversibility conditions

2025: Operation5


Cigéo Inventory end 2010

Primary waste packages

Relating volume (m3)

Volume already

produced (m3)Ratio

HLW 58 487* 10 059 2 700 27%

ILW 175 188 70 200 40 000 57%

Cigéo Waste Inventory

• By law only end waste can be disposed of (no recyclable material)

• Cigeo is designed for the waste generated by existing nuclear facilities, under operation (50 years for PWR) or licensed

• Reserves to manage the industrial uncertainties

Vitrified HLW Clads, ends Solidified effluents

Maintenance waste

Activated waste and

ITER

IL-LLW (MAVL)

* dont verres issus du traitement des CU MOX aujourd’hui entreposés


Cigéo Project requirements

The results of 20 years of R&D since 1991 have made it possible to issue detailed project technical requirements.

Postclosure Safety

Protect humans and the environment from radioactivity and toxicity of waste

Oppose groundwater flow

Limit the release of radionuclides and immobilize them whithin repository

Delay and mitigate the migration of radionuclides

Preservation of the favorable properties of host clay

Nuclear safety and security in operation

Contain radioactive substances, protect people against exposure to ionizing radiation, control of nuclear criticality, remove the thermal power, vent gases

Failures and internal and external hazards risk management

Waste emplacement and retrievability

Receive, prepare and emplace waste packages

Close the repository

Allow retrieval of the waste packages

Control, monitor, observe

Sustainable development, corporate and social responsibility

Project governance7


Cigéo Project

HLW Repository Cells

ILW Repository Cells U/G Facility

Vent and Service Shafts

Surface Facilities

Waste Transfer

Ramp

Waste Transfer ILW

Emplacement

HLW Emplacement

8


Before emplacement, ILW will be grouped into precast concrete rectangular robust containers:

IL-LLW Disposal Packages

9

Mechanical assembly cover-body

Prototype Manufacturing


ILW Disposal Cells

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

Concrete Lining

10

ILW Disposal Package

Thick concrete lining to limit long term deformations;

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

Emplacement/retrieval processes and equipments are beeing developed and prototyped:

Pre Stacking Technique

Trolley Stacker Technique


Opening of the cell Retrieving the waste packge Transfer to surface

Reversibility issues

The reversibility conditions shall be set forth by a new Act.The reversibility of the repository should be granted, as a precaution, for at least 100 years (2006 Act).Reversibility shall not jeopardize safety.

Based on an analysis of the various motivations for reversibility, Andra proposes an approach relying on:

Technical measures to enhance the retrievability of waste packages. Stepwise decision-making to control the disposal process.

11


Project requirement

s

Preliminary and basic design

Detailed design

Phase 1 construction/tests

Cigéo Phase 1 operation

URL Operation

Public debate

Preparation of license application

Instruction of license application

New Act on reversibility conditions

Cigéo project: Time schedule

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015-2018 2019-2024 2025 2030

12

13 AGENCE NATIONALE POUR LA GESTION DES DÉCHETS RADIOACTIFS© Andra

Low level and long-lived waste


Low level and long-lived waste

Graphite waste: 23,000t

36Cl is the main contributor to the long-term radiological impact of disposed graphite waste14C (5,530 y) is the main long-lived radionuclide in graphite waste3H (12,3 a) is the main short-lived radionuclide

Radium bearing waste: 50,000t

Other (bituminous waste; Th/U/Ra contaminated objects; Disused RSS…)


Examples of management options under study for graphite waste

Partial decontamination of graphite waste allows either

Co-disposal of decontaminated graphite with Ra-bearing waste in near surface repository;

Complete destruction (gasification) of graphite

Concentrated residues can be disposed of with intermediate level - long lived waste (deep geological repository).

Graphite waste

Treatment radionuclides

selective extraction

Extracted radionuclides

36Cl, 14C, 3H …

Cigeo(with ILW-LL)

Decontaminated graphite

Shallow repository

Project

Conditioning/ packaging

Immobilisation and

packaging

Gasification

Concentrated residues

packaging

Direct packaging after dismantling

Cigeo(with ILW-

LL)

Specific repositor

y

Sorting

Cigeo(with ILW-

LL)

Shallow repository project

Packaging

PilesSleeves and

others

Packaging


…

The acceptability of graphite waste in a shallow repository depends in particular on:

the inventory of 36Cl and 14C (on the inventory of 241Am, 239Pu, 241Pu and on 94Nb as well as),

on the leaching rate of 36Cl and on the fraction of organic 14C,

on site characteristics.


Shallow disposal concept

The shallow disposal consists of a repository implementation within a low permeability clay formation at a depth of about 15 meters provided the host formation is outcropping.

Once completed, the pits are covered with a layer of compacted clay excavated from the site and stored prior to its reuse.

The waste isolation capability is available as long as the geodynamic site evolution does not significantly modify the repository configuration (i.e. via erosion). With regard to its depth and the expected geological conditions, the stability of the repository is estimated to be about 50,000 to 100,000 years.


The repository is designed for long-lived waste containing:Radionuclides with a low mobility and a radioactive period such that sufficiently low activities have been reached by decay in less than 50,000 years. The preservation of physical, chemical and hydraulic conditions limiting radionuclide mobility should be insured. The foreseen radionuclides are the ones with a period lower or equal to that of Carbon-14 (5,700 years). It covers in particular Radium-226 (1,600 years);

Restricted activity of Plutonium and Americium;

Restricted activity of radionuclides that do not decay sufficiently within 50,000 to 100,000 years such as Thorium-232 and Uranium-238 and Uranium-235;

Restricted activity of long-lived, potentially highly mobile radionuclides.

Waste acceptance criteria will be adapted to site performance.

Design of disposal pits will be adapted to waste characteristics.

Waste packaging to be defined in relation with repository design.

Site characteristics are needed to advance the repository design

Shallow disposal concept


Next steps for LL-LLW

Geological survey was launched mid-2013 for the implementation of a shallow repository, along with dialogue with stakeholders.

Andra will issue a report in 2015 with proposals for an industrial strategy for the management of the different kinds of low level long lived wastes, particularly on the base of :

R&D results

Site investigations data

LL-LLW management scenarios conclusions

agence nationale pour la gestion des dÉchets radioactifs © andra national approach and experience...

Documents

toxicity of waste

final waste

high level waste slide

lived waste intermediate

agence nationale

cigo waste inventory

waste act creation of

high level longlived