Spanish Management Issues in Radioactive and Nuclear Waste
Materials
Dr. Amparo González EsparteroSenior Researcher
Head of CIEMAT Quality Management CYTED- Energy Area Technical Secretary of Spanish Alliance for
Energy Research and Innovation (ALINNE)
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Nuclear Energy in Spain
BWR (1971) PWR (1983, 1985)
PWR (1988)
PWR (1987)
BWR (1984)
PWR (1981, 1983)
8 Nuclear Units in operation in 6 sites (7.728 MWe)which produce 57.648 GWh (2011)corresponding to 19,6% Spanish electricity14th place in the world
Decommissioned Dismantled
In operationDismantling or shutdownFuel Fabrication and Surface repository
Repository for LMRW
Nuclear fuel fabrication
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Waste Management in Spain
WASTE CLASSIFICATION
CRITERIA: Form, treatment, type of radiation, half life, heat generation, etc.SPAIN: RR and NN Wastes are classified following the IAEA criteria and the EC criteriaadopted in 1994 and 1999, respectively:
• Low and Medium Radioactive Wastes (LMRW): low specific activity, no heat generation,only contains beta-gamma emitters t1/2 < 30y. They can be treated and definitively stored inEl Cabril.
• High Active Wastes (HAW): Contains alpha emitters t1/2 > 30y and/or beta-gammaemitters in a very high specific concentration. They require specific facilities for their finaldisposal.
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Waste Management in Spain: Reference Scenario
LMRW176.300 m3
SF/HAW12.800 m3
LMRW
72% NPP and RR Facilities Dismantling
4% Others20% NPP Operation
1% Nuclear FuelFabrication
3% RadioactiveFacilities Operation
79% Spent Fuel
SF/HAW20% MRW
(NPP Dismantling)1% Glasses
10000 m3 SF (6.674 tU)
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Waste Management in Spain:
ENRESA is the public company in charge of the safemanagement (treatment&conditioning), storage and disposal ofthe nuclear and radioactive wastes produced in Spain.
It was set up in 1984 by the Spanish Parliament.
ENRESA is also responsible for the dismantling of nuclearpower plants when their service lifetime has come to an endand for the environmental restoration of disused uranium minesand facilities.
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Waste Management in Spain: The General Radioactive Waste Plan (GRWP) is the document that contains
the strategies and activities to be implemented and performed in Spain inrelation to radioactive wastes and the dismantling of facilities and theireconomic-financial study. It is approved by the Cabinet and is periodicallyupdated.
Since ENRESA was set up there have been six General Radioactive WastePlans.
The 6th General Radioactive Waste Plan wasapproved by the Cabinet on June 23rd 2006 for 5years (now it is extended).
It includes the start-up of a Centralised TemporaryStorage facility (ATC) for the spent fuel and high levelwastes generated in the dismantling of the nuclearpower plants that reach the end of their servicelifetimes.
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Dismantling and environmental restoration Environmental restoration of uranium mines
– Uranium mines in Spain: Salamanca, Badajoz and Jaen. Thismining activity began in 1948 and stopped in 2000.
– Since 1990’s, ENRESA has been progressively undertakingenvironmental restoration tasks, consisting basically of: Backfilling the works, sealing openings, stabilizing the terrain,
embankments and slopes and recovering the topography andregenerating its plant life.
Andújar Uranium Mine in Jaén
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Dismantling and environmental restoration
– First phase: prior to dismantling the spentfuel was transferred to France forreprocessing.
– Second phase: all the facilities, buildingsand structures external to the reactor weredismantled and the reactor was confinedfor a period of 30 years. Works finished in2003.
Vandellós I NPP, locatedin Tarragona. Started itscommercial operation in1972 and was definitivelyshut down by MinisterialOrder in 1990, after 17years of operation.
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Dismantling and environmental restoration José Cabrera NPP, located in Guadalajara started operation in 1968.
After 38 years of operation, a Ministerial Order led to its definitiveshutdown on April 30th 2006.
– First phase: Activities prior to dismantling included the management of thespent fuel (removal from the plant pool and transfer to the temporarystorage installation) and the conditioning of the operating wastes.
– Second phase: By Ministerial Order, the Government has approved onFebruary 11th, the transfer of the title of responsible operator to ENRESAfor dismantling this nuclear power plant.
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
High Active Wastes Management
Temporary storage of Spent Fuel in Pools at NNPP sites
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Nuclear Power Plant
Spent Fuel
Tons of Uranium % Occupation Expected date of
saturation
José Cabrera 82 64 ----------
Santa Mª Garoña 311 79 ----------
Almaraz 1 465 61 2020
Almaraz 2 432 57 2022
Ascó 1 417 72 2013
Ascó 2 408 70 2014
Cofrentes 551 75 Under evaluation
Vandellós 2 360 54 2021
Trillo 344 84 2003(*)
High Active Wastes Management
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Trillo NPP Temporary Storage
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
DPT Casks for SF Temporary Storage These casks have been developed by ENRESA along with other Spanish and
US companies, providing an easy to handle and maintain design for the drystorage of irradiated fuel.
DPT casks concept was approved by the Directorate General for Energy Policyand Mines of the Ministry of Economy (18th June 2001).• Maximum weight of 118 tons when loaded, a height of 5 m and a diameter of 2.4 m. The walls are
of steel-lead-steel-neutron shielding.• They are capable of withstanding drops from 9 m, fires of 800ºC, immersion up to 200 m, hurricane
force winds, earthquakes, etc.• This type of casks may be constructed as needed, this allowing the investments to be made
gradually over time.
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Centralised Temporary Storage facility
The Centralised Temporary Storage facility isan installation designed to house the SF/HAWproduced in Spain at a single location.
SF/HAW12.800 m3
20% MRW (NPP Dismantling)
1% Glasses
79% SF
• Ensure control and isolation of SF/HAW• House the materials for 60 years• System of modular spaces• Allows the recovery of the SF/HAW for the following step of their
management
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Centralised Temporary Storage facility Advantages of the CTS:
– Minimisation of the number of nuclear facilities.
– Optimisation of the human and economic resources required for the security andradiological safety of the SF by centralising this material at one single location.
– Solution to the need to manage SF that has existed since the start-up of the firstnuclear power plant (1968).
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Centralised Temporary Storage facility
30th December 2011, the Spanish Cabinet approved the CTS construction in Villar de Cañas (Cuenca)
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
High Active Wastes Management: Transportation
At present high level wastes are not transported in Spain,
From the Spanish Centralised Temporary Storage facility forthcoming operation, it isnecessary to draw up a Transport Plan for the SF/HAW to be taken from the nuclearpower plants to the new SCT facility.
The European Agreement on the Road Transport of Hazardous Goods (ADR), theInternational Transport of Hazardous Goods by Rail (RID) as well as the safety guide ofthe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Suitable casks will be use for transport minimising or entirely removing the risksassociated.
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Low and Medium Radioactive Wastes
Most of the radioactive wastesgenerated in Spain are low andmedium level type.
They are produced at hospitals,research centers, industries (1.400Radioactive Facilities) and nuclearpower plants
Spain has solved the issue ofmanaging these wastes through ElCabril centralised disposal facility inCórdoba.
The facility has two platforms for thedisposal of LMRW and another withspecific structures for very low levelwastes.
El Cabril surface repository
LMRW176.300 m3
SF/HAW12.800 m3
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Low and Medium Radioactive Wastes
DISPOSAL DESIGN IS BASED ON ENGINEERING BARRIERS FORM BY:
El Cabril facility project was launched in 1986. Construction begun in January 1990 and Operation in October 1992
Conditioning waste incementitious materials
Concrete containers and vaults
Final cap that minimize the infiltration water
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Low and Medium Radioactive Wastes
LMRW are conditioned in 220L drums. Technological wastes are disposed in homologated plastic bags of 25L and conditioned
inside drums.
Homogeneous Heterogeneous
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Low and Medium Radioactive WastesIn addition, the facility has the resources required for the treatment and conditioning of wastes requiring such processes.
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Low and Medium Radioactive Wastes Final cap that minimize the infiltration water The disposal system is based fundamentally on
the incorporation of natural and engineeredbarriers safely isolating the materials disposedof for the time necessary for them to beconverted into harmless substances.
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Low and Medium Radioactive Wastes
Pilot cap test– Two experiments– Different zones representing top and slopes– Two different solutions for low permeability layer and for drainage layer
LONG TERM SAFETY ASSESSMENT 300 YEARS IMPLIES:
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Low and Medium Radioactive Wastes
Inventory of radionuclides disposed: Waste characterisation laboratory Development of radiochemical methods Scale factors for each waste type and stream
Unconditioned Waste
COUNTS 0 PSET(L) 3600
emitters
Key nuclides
Activity high energy emitters
and emittersCritical nuclides
Scale factors
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Low and Medium Radioactive WastesConditioned Waste
60Co y 137Cs
Actividad fuertes
and emitters activity
COUNTS 0 PSET(L) 3600
emitters
Key nuclides
Radioactive and Nuclear Waste Management in Spain. Workshop, 15-18 Lisbon
Radioactive and nuclear waste management in Spain
THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION