Assessment of present and future radwaste generation in Saudi Arabia for the design of treatment and storage facilities
- King Abdulaziz Univ., Jeddah (Saudi Arabia)
- King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
Radwastes are produced in medical, industrial and educational institutions in Saudi Arabia. In medical centers many of the unsealed sources were low beta/gamma emitters of low radio-toxicity and less than about 4 months half-life. Significant radionuclides in this category were: {sup 99m}Tc, {sup 131}I, {sup 125}I, {sup 123}I, {sup 111}In, {sup 201}Tl, {sup 67}Ga and some of others. Longer lived sources such as {sup 57}Co, {sup 3}H, and {sup 14}C were also found in appreciable quantity. Delay and decay procedure followed by release to the sewerage or municipal landfill has been practiced for short-lived radwaste. Pretreatment and temporary storage were encouraged at large centers. Industrial sealed sources used primarily in radiography and well logging were mainly: {sup 60}Co, {sup 137}Cs, {sup 192}Ir, {sup 241}Am, {sup 241}Am-Be and {sup 252}Cf. It was agreed that radwastes whose half lives are above 138.4 days, the half life of {sup 210}Po, should be subject to conditioning treatment and permanent storage. It was anticipated that two main parameters affect the increase in radwaste in the future. The first is the increase of radionuclides use in hospitals in diagnosis and therapy in the country. The second is the increase in population which should be associated with increase in medical services in general. The annual long lived waste that need treatment, conditioning and storage as a function of time is expected to follow the relation: V= 10+0.48t{sup 2}, where V is the waste volume in m{sup 3} and t is the time in years after 1995. The expected long lived cumulative treated, conditioned, and liquid wastes in that year if not subject to volume reduction in m{sup 3} are expected to be: 500, 75, and 100 respectively. Comparisons were made with IAEA waste volume expectations for countries of similar conditions: the cumulative radwastes in m{sup 3} in 2020 are expected to be: 800, 125 and 175 respectively.
- OSTI ID:
- 469740
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-960804-Vol.1; CNN: Contract AT-13-21; TRN: 97:008555
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: SPECTRUM `96: international conference on nuclear and hazardous waste management, Seattle, WA (United States), 18-23 Aug 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the international topical meeting on nuclear and hazardous waste management (SPECTRUM `96): Volume 1; PB: 885 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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