CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT FROM PAST TO
CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT. RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT. FROM PAST TO FUTURE Tetiana Kilochytska State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine IAEA Consultant Meeting on large amount of waste management after the accident October 1 -3, 2012 Vienna, Austria 16 May 2006 JC 2 nd Review Meeting, Presentation of Ukraine 1
The 26 th of April, 1986 (2)
”Chernobyl” Radioactive Waste – Destroyed Unit + waste from decontamination activity
Total Decontamination after Chernobyl Accident – Decision-maiking process n n n . . . Decontamination of the industrial site, residential areas and roads; Arrangement of facilities of decontamination, special treatment of trucks and personnel involved in the accident mitigation; Collection and removal of radioactive waste (RAW); Construction of temporary RAW storage sites; Construction of RAW disposal sites. . . ;
Total Waste generated after Chernobyl Accident n n n n Fragments of reactor core and portions/fragments of reactor structures thrown out by the explosion; The upper soil layer removal from the large in size area; Wood (“The Red Forest”); Fragments of civil engineering structures, debris generated as a result of demolishing the buildings in villages located around Ch. NPP; Contaminated equipment; Fragments of metal structures, concrete and various debris; Miscellaneous.
Total Decontamination after Chernobyl Accident – Decision-maiking process n Because of the lack of the infrastructure for treatment of the large amount of “emergency RAW” decisions on its localization in unorganized trenches so-called “temporary RAW localization facilities”. n Such localization facilities were set up nearby Ch. NPP and they lacked either the design documentation or the records on characteristics of the stored waste. It is the lack of records on the “RAW temporary localization sites” which nowadays poses many problems and consequently delays decisions on further waste treatment.
”Chernobyl” Radioactive Waste – Places of Localization
30 -km Exclusion Chernobyl Zone - 2600 km 2
Main places of waste location in Exclusion Zone DPRW “Pidlisny” PTLRW Ch. NPP Shelter DPRW III stage Ch. NPP Vector site DPRW Buryakivka
Major locations of RW from Chernobyl Accident Shelter Object; n Industrial site of Chernobyl NPP; n Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility ‘Buriakivka’; n Radioactive Waste Disposal Points ‘Pidlisnyi’, ‘Ch. NPP Stage III’; n Temporary RAW localization sites; n Facilities for decontamination n
Shelter Object (1) n Inside Shelter and at its site is located 400 000… 1 740 000 m 3 RW, total activity 4, 1 • 1017 Bq nlong lived 44 000 m 3 underground layer of the local zone around Shelter 15 000 m 3 RW (contaminated soil, concrete pieces and slabs, metal structures, debris) n
Shelter Object (2) Starting from April 26, about 5, 000 t of different materials were dropped onto Unit 4 for two weeks: n to provide fuel cooling – 2, 400 t of lead, n to prevent potential self-sustained chain reaction – 40 t of boron carbide, n to cease graphite burning – 800 t of dolomite, n to filtrate release of fission products – 1, 800 t of sand clay. Total for April and May 1986, about 15, 000 t of following materials were dropped: n lead pellets – 1, 500 t, n lead bars – 5, 220 t, n marble aggregates – 3, 532 t, n dolomite – 1, 167 t, n baron carbide – 42 t, n rubber resin – 489 t, n zeolite – 1, 890 t, n polymerizing liquid – 140 t and n tri-sodium phosphate – 1, 536 t.
RW inside Shelter Object (3) - fragments of building structures, reactor core - materials thrown inside during the accident - irradiated graphite - fuel containing materials - radioactive dust - liquid RW
RW inside Shelter Object (4) Fuel containing materials (app. 200 t)
Chernobyl NPP site at Ch. NPP site located near 500 000 m 3 of lowand medium level RW (soil, concrete and metal components, equipment) n Ch. NPP Cooling Pond major activity in bottom silt - 0, 2 • 1015 Bq n n In existing storages accumulated RW from operation of Units and accident liquidation - solid RW – 2500 m 3 - liquid RW – 19800 m 3
RW Near-surface Disposal Facility – “Buryakivka” n Trench-type (30 trenches) disposal facility located in the Exclusion Zone which accepts low- and medium-level RW for disposal n Operated since February 1987 until now n Design to dispose RW with dose rate 1 R/h, however, during the accidental time real RW dose rate was up to 5 R/h n Overall capacity is about 690 000 m 3 n Activity about 2. 45 • 1015 Bq n Currently the designed capacity has been practically exhausted (606 000 m 3)
Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility – “Buryakivka”
”Disposal Point N 1”: “Pidlisny” n n n In operation from XII 1986 to XI 1988 Concrete Modules contain 11 000 m 3 RW without containers Total activity according to different investigations is app. 2. 6 • 1015 Bq n It was planned to store RW with dose rate up to 50 R/h however, in reality dose rate was up to 250 R/h Practically all RW is long-lived waste n. There are numerous cracks in the concrete foundation and walls of the facility. n
”Disposal Point N 2”: “III stage of Ch. NPP” (1) n in operation from X 1986 to XII 1988 n. Used concrete building of unfinished RW storage of the 5 th and 6 th units (III ( stage of Ch. NPP) n. Without containers 13 400 m 3 RW n In containers 12 800 m 3 RW n low- and medium-active, including long-lived n RW in total activity 3, 43 • 1014 Bq Atmospheric and ground water easily penetrates inside the disposal point as it is not damp-proof
“Points of temporary localization of RW” – PTLRW (1) Located on the territory close to Ch. NPP (for RW after decontamination activity, created in 1986 -88 simple “facilities” trenches or clamps type covered with layer of soil on top
Points of temporary localization of RW – PTLRW (2) n n n n cover territory about 10 km 2 divided to nine “Points” with about 1000 trenches and clamps RW - contaminated soil, equipment, metal, concrete, construction materials, wood, debris, etc mainly RW was low activity however almost all contains long-lived radionuclide neither engineering barriers nor damp-proof neither design documents nor precise location maps more than a half of the PTLRW area was not investigated accumulated about 1, 3 • 106 m 3 RW with total activity near 1, 8 • 1015 Bq located at the territory characterized by high water table, about 100 trenches either permanently or periodically flooded and radionuclides easily penetrate into ground water
“Chernobyl Rad. Waste” - Summary n n n n 90% of all RW amount in Ukraine total amount estimated at 2. 8 million m 3 very different in they radionuclide composition and specific activity contain long-lived radionuclides mostly located in Exclusion Zone (Ch. NPP site, Shelter Object, “disposal points” and “points of temporary localization of RW” organized after accident in 1986 “stored”/”disposed” (excepting Disposal Facility “Burykivka) in conditions which do not comply with current radiation protection requirements required “re-disposal”
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (1) …demonstrated in the National Policy and Strategy: n National Ecological Program of Radioactive Waste Management (approved by Low of Ukraine № 516 -VI, 17 Sept 2008) n Radioactive Waste Management Strategy in Ukraine (approved by the Order of Government № 990, 19 August 2009)
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (2) - What to do with “Chernobyl RW” possibilities for disposal: n Near-surface disposal for low- and intermediate level short-lived RW n Geological disposal for long-lived RW, high-level RAW, fuel containing materials from Shelter Object Including long-term storage before Geological Repository will be ready
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (3) What to do with RW from Shelter Object? n Step-by-step implementation of National Strategy of Shelter Object Transformation into Ecologically Safe System: - ¨ stabilization of unstable structures and components ¨ New Safe Confinement construction ¨ RW removal, sorting, conditioning of long-lived RAW, high-level RAW, fuel containing materials for disposal in geological repository.
I Stage: Stabilization (was finished in 2008 including roof reparation works)
II Stage: New Safe Confinement (“ARCH”) construction and preparation for dismantling of “old” Shelter Object and start RW and fuel-containing materials removal (commissioning – 2015) III Stage: removal RW from Shelter. Plans should by coordinated with plans of development of disposal repository or long-term storage for high-level waste
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (4) - What to do with RAW from Chernobyl NPP industrial site? n To develop infrastructure for RW management To treat and remove into the near-surface disposal To organize temporary storage for high-level and long-lived RW until geological repository or long-term storage will be ready To develop and implement the project of Decommissioning of Cooling Pond n n n
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (5) - Chernobyl NPP site - Facilities for RW treatment n Liquid RW Treatment Plant Industrial Complex for Solid RW Management – n ICSRM: ¨ Lot 0 Temporary storage facility for long-lived RAW, high-level RAW wastes (30 years) – ¨ Lot 1 Retrieval facility of solid RW from existing solid RW storage facility ¨ Lot 2 Solid RW reprocessing facility n n Complex on manufacturing of steel drums and reinforced concrete containers for RAW storage/disposal Engineered Near-surface Disposal Facility
Technological complex for Ch. NPP RW management n Liquid RW Treatment Plant – LRTP Industrial Complex for Solid RW Management – ICSRM: n LRTP Lot 1, 2 Lot 3 n n Lot 1 retrieval facility of solid RW from existing solid RW storage facility Lot 2 solid RW reprocessing facility Lot 3 engineered nearsurface disposal facility for low and intermediate level, short-lived conditioned RW (located on Vector Site)
Complex on manufacturing of steel drums and reinforced concrete containers for RAW storage/disposal Lot 0: Temporary storage facility for LLW and HLW
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (6) - What to do with RW from “Disposal Point “Pidlisny””? n radiation monitoring comprehensive study of structural stability safety assessment development and implementation of the stabilization measures institutional control until disposal in geological repository/long-term storage will be possible development and implementation of project for RW removal, treatment disposal in geological repository/storage in longterm storage facility n n n
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (7) - What to do with RW from “Disposal Point “III stage of Ch. NPP” and “Points” of temporary localization of RW? n radiation monitoring Investigations of all “points” for the inventory clarification Safety assessment of the impact on the environment as the basis for making decision of their localization, conservation or excavation (re-disposal) Localization and conservation measures by reinforcement of barriers Retrieval RW from the “points” that mostly influence environment due to flooding and barriers fault Conditioning and preparation for near-surface disposal or geological disposal/long-term storage n n n
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (8) - What to do with RW from Near-surface Disposal Facility –“Buryakivka” ? n closure of disposal trenches safety re-assessment reconstruction (additional trenches) possible use for disposal of very low level short lived RW n n n
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (8) - Where do we plan to organize disposal of Rad. Waste from Chernobyl Accident? “Vector Site” in Exclusion Zone is considered optimal for development of the National Centre for RW conditioning, disposal of low- and medium level short-lived RW and temporary storages of long-lived and high-level RW n investigations proved that there are territories suitable for repositories location n 90% of all RW in Ukraine is located in the Exclusion Zone (reducing transport problems) n no social problems (no population permanently living in the Exclusion Zone) n activity on RW infrastructure development is currently concentrated in the Exclusion Zone at the “Vector site”
The “Vector Site”
The “Vector Site” – today (1) Disposal Facility N 1: Near-surface disposal facility for RW from Exclusion Zone site type SRW-1 (for 9800 m 3 RW in containers) n Disposal Facility N 2: Near-surface disposal facility for RW from Exclusion Zone module type SRW-2 (for 9420 m 3 bulk RW ) (the both facilities are not ready for operation) n Disposal Facility N 3: Engineered near-surface disposal facility for low and intermediate level, short-lived conditioned RW from Ch. NPP (RW volume 55 000 m 3 ) (Licensed for operation but Ch. NPP does not produce conditioned RW for disposal) n Technological Complex for RW processing (not ready for operation) n
The “Vector Site” – today (1) n n Centralized Storage Facilities for long-term storage of sealed ionizing sources (design is under development) Complex of Storage Facilities for long-term storage of: n. High-level RW n. Vitrified high-level RW (from Russian Federation after reprocessing of Ukrainian spent fuel n. Long-lived waste (design is under development) How about the Geological disposal facility? – “site selection” investigations
Options Considered for Chernobyl Rad. Waste management (9) Do we need to improve national legislation for effective magagement/disposal of Rad. Waste from Chernobyl Accident? “YES!!!”. Solutions needed: - n n Improvement of RW classification (category of very low level waste should be implemented) Improvement of Safety assessment methodology in compliance with the common international practice, appropriate scenarios should be set Dose limits set by Ukrainian regulations for long term radiation safety are too conservative. It is needed to apply for Exclusion zone special dose limits to give practical possibility for RW disposal on the Vector site Long term status of the disposal site territory located in Exclusion zone shall be officially defined
Conclusions n n n RW from Chernobyl accident – 90% from all amount of RW in Ukraine A lot of preoperational work with “Chernobyl waste” should be done before the disposal Existing situations: not many options for disposals and one place to dispose the RW from Chernobyl accident. Improvement of RW classification is needed Improvement of national safety requirements is needed taking into account peculiarity of “Chernobyl waste” and disposal such RW in the Exclusion Zone (safety analysis of long-term safety, dose limits) Development of facilities on the Vector site and siting of “Geological Repository”
Thank you for your attention!
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