Survey of waste package designs for disposal of high-level waste/spent fuel in selected foreign countries
This report presents the results of a survey of the waste package strategies for seven western countries with active nuclear power programs that are pursuing disposal of spent nuclear fuel or high-level wastes in deep geologic rock formations. Information, current as of January 1989, is given on the leading waste package concepts for Belgium, Canada, France, Federal Republic of Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. All but two of the countries surveyed (France and the UK) have developed design concepts for their repositories, but none of the countries has developed its final waste repository or package concept. Waste package concepts are under study in all the countries surveyed, except the UK. Most of the countries have not yet developed a reference concept and are considering several concepts. Most of the information presented in this report is for the current reference or leading concepts. All canisters for the wastes are cylindrical, and are made of metal (stainless steel, mild steel, titanium, or copper). The canister concepts have relatively thin walls, except those for spent fuel in Sweden and Germany. Diagrams are presented for the reference or leading concepts for canisters for the countries surveyed. The expected lifetimes of the conceptual canisters in their respective disposal environment are typically 500 to 1,000 years, with Sweden's copper canister expected to last as long as one million years. Overpack containers that would contain the canisters are being considered in some of the countries. All of the countries surveyed, except one (Germany) are currently planning to utilize a buffer material (typically bentonite) surrounding the disposal package in the repository. Most of the countries surveyed plan to limit the maximum temperature in the buffer material to about 100{degree}C. 52 refs., 9 figs.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- DOE/RW
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5534611
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-6981; ON: DE90000857
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
BELGIUM
CANADA
CASKS
CLAYS
CONTAINERS
DESIGN
ENERGY SOURCES
EUROPE
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
FRANCE
FUELS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FUELS
PACKAGING
PLANNING
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTOR MATERIALS
SCANDINAVIA
SPENT FUELS
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
UNITED KINGDOM
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE-ROCK INTERACTIONS
WASTES
WESTERN EUROPE