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IAEA - DISPONET Workshop" Waste Acceptance Criteria For Disposal of Very Low,

Low, and Intermediate Level Waste " Peine / Salzgitter, Germany, September 28 - 30, 2010

WASTE ACCEPTANCE REQUIREMENTSFOR THE KONRAD REPOSITORY

Peter W. Brennecke

Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS)

Salzgitter, Germany

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Contents

Introduction

The KONRAD Repository

Site-Specific Safety Assessments

KONRAD Waste Acceptance Requirements

KONRAD Requirements as of December 1995

Additional Requirements Imposed by the Licensing Authority

Conclusions and further Steps

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Radioactive Waste Disposal in Germany

Basic principle of radioactive waste disposal in the

Federal Republic of Germany:

Disposal of all types of solid or solidified radioactive

waste (short-lived, long-lived) in deep geological

formations.

Exclusion of liquid and gaseous radioactive waste from

disposal.

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The Konrad Repository

- History Abandoned iron ore mine

- Location near Salzgitter, Federal State of

Lower Saxony, Northern Germany

- Host rock Coral Oolite

- Emplacement depth 800 m to 1,300 m

- Type of waste Radioactive waste with negligible

heat generation (i.e., LLW and ILW)

- Volume of waste packages Planned: up to 650,000 m³

Licensed: 303,000 m³ at max.

- Total alpha emitter activity 1.5 · 1017 Bq

- Total beta/gamma emitter activity 5.0 · 1018 Bq

- Licensing procedure August 31, 1982 to May 22, 2002

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Geological Cross Section of the Konrad Site

iron ore deposit

(Upper Jurassic, Malm)

12 to 18 m thick

thick mudstone layers

(Lower Cretaceous)

200 to 400 m thick

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Perspective of Shaft Area Konrad 1

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Perspective of Shaft Area Konrad 2

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Konrad Disposal and Ventilation Scheme

old mining areas,

not for disposal

excavation for radioactive waste

sewage

shaft

Konrad 1

shaft

Konrad 2

disposal of

radioactive waste

emplacement

area (controlled

area)

Main features

• separation in space of

waste package and debris

transports

• parallel ventilation of

deposition and drifting

areas

fresh air

return air (conventional)

return air (contaminated)

debris transport path

transport path for

radioactive waste

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The required safety of a repository constructed in a

geological formation must be demonstrated by a site-

specific safety assessment which includes the respective

geological situation, the technical concept of the

repository including its scheduled mode of operation, and

the waste packages intended to be disposed of.

In the post - closure phase, the radionuclides which might

reach the biosphere via the water path as a result of

transport processes not completely excludable must not

lead to individual dose rates which exceed the limiting

values specified in section 47 of the Radiation Protection

Ordinance (0.3 mSv/a concept).

Safety Criteria for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste

in a Mine (January 1983)

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Konrad Site - Specific Safety Assessment

Normal operation

Assumed incidents

Thermal impact upon the host rock

Criticality safety

Long - term radiological effects

Pollution of the near - surface groundwater

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Annual Individual Dose Rate Limits

(for normal operation)

Radiation Protection Ordinance Euratom Basic

Safety Standards

BfS dose levels for planning

(Konrad Repository)

Occupationally exposed persons (category A) § 55

20 mSv/a

effective dose

in addition further organ doses are to be considered

20 mSv/a 5 mSv/a

0.5 mSv/a

mean value from direct radiation

effective dose due to inhalation

Population / environment § 46

1.0 mSv/a by direct radiation

1.0 mSv/a (effective dose)

by direct radiation

20 % of the limits of the former RPO

Population / environment § 47

0.3 mSv/a

1.8 mSv/a

0.9 mSv/a

by release via air and water path:

effective dose, gonads, uterus, red bone marrow

bone surface, skin

other organs and tissues

and release via air

and water path

20 % of the limits of the former RPO

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Annual Individual Dose Rates

(in case of incident)

Radiation Protection Ordinance BfS dose levels for planning

Occupationally exposed persons (category A)

– Limits of the RPO as for environment

Population / environment § 49

50 mSv

300 mSv

500 mSv

150 mSv

effective dose, gonads, uterus, red bone marrow

bone surface, skin

extremities (incl. skin)

thyroid, other organs and tissues

Limits of the RPO

deduction of

• release rate limits

• waste acceptance requirements

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Relevant Radiation Exposures Calculated for Periods

of Time up to 106 a

§ 47 StrlSchV (RPO) 0,3 mSv/a

Dose

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Additional Evidence Supporting the Long-Term Safety

Assessment

Age of the Konrad groundwater at least 107 years, and possibly as

long as 1.5 · 108 years, corresponding to the age of the geological

formation.

Indication of groundwater movements in the range of less than

1 cm per 103 years (stagnant groundwater).

Increase of the Konrad groundwater salinity with depth.

Indication of a diffusion-dominated vertical transport of

substances.

Consideration of transport of substances with groundwater

flow as conservative assumption (300,000 years);

bandwidth of groundwater flow times due to model calculations:

330,000 years up to 38.8 million years.

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Konrad Waste Acceptance Requirements

Konrad Waste Acceptance Requirements as of December 1995

were prepared and examined within the Konrad repository

licensing procedure,

form part of the Konrad license issued on May 22, 2002,

define the safety - related envelope or framework for all

types of short - lived and long - lived radioactive waste with

negligible heat generation (i.e., LLW and ILW) intended for

disposal in the Konrad repository,

provide guidance to radioactive waste conditioning and

are successfully applied by the waste generators and

conditioners, and

are presently revised.

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Survey on the Structure of the Konrad Waste

Acceptance Requirements (1)

1. Introduction

2. General basic requirements on radioactive waste to be disposed of

3. General requirements on waste packages- Local dose rate- Surface contamination- Depressurized delivery

4. Requirements on waste forms- Basic requirements- Waste form groups- Exhausting of activity limiting values- Filling of waste packages

5. Requirements on waste containers/packagings- Basic requirements- Waste container classes- Incident resistant packagings- Inner containers

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Survey on the Structure of the Konrad Waste

Acceptance Requirements (2)

6. Activity limitations

- Permissible activities for individual radionuclides per waste

package

- Total activities

- Declaration of radionuclides

7. Mass limitations of non-radioactive harmful substances

- Permissible masses

- Threshold values

- Waste assignments

8. Delivery of waste packages

- Compliance with transport regulations

- Permits

- Marking of waste packages

- Requirements on shipping units

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Cylindrical Cast Iron Container Type II

D = 1,060 mm

H = 1,500 mm

V = 1.3 m³

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Sheet Steel Container Type I

L = 1,600 mm

W = 1,700 mm

H = 1,450 mm

V = 3.9 m³

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Concrete Container Type IV

L = 3,000 mm

W = 1,700 mm

H = 1,450 mm

V = 7.4 m³

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Maximum Activities Of Relevant Radionuclides And

Radionuclide Groups

Radionuclide / Radionuclide Groups Activity in Bq

H – 3 6,0 E 17

C – 14 4,0 E 14

I – 129 7,0 E 11

Ra – 226 4,0 E 12

Th – 232 5,0 E 11

U – 235 2,0 E 11

U – 236 1,0 E 12

U – 238 1,9 E 12

Pu – 239 2,0 E 15

Pu – 241 2,0 E 17

Total Alpha-Emitters 1,5 E 17

Total Beta-/Gamma-Emitters 5,0 E 18

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Additional Requirements: Nuclear Law

Fifteen additional waste - related requirements imposed bythe licensing authority:

Four requirements with respect to criticality safety which addresspermissible activities / activity distributions of fissile material in thewaste form.

Eight requirements with respect to quality assurance / qualitycontrol which address, inter alia, criticality safety aspects andprocedures concerning radioactive waste to be repatriated fromconditioning in foreign countries.

Three more general requirements.

Revision of the Konrad waste acceptance requirements andrelated quality assurance / quality control measures.

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Additional Requirements: Water Law

Konrad license, Appendix 4: Water Law Permit.

Allowable masses of 94 groundwater - relevant elements

and organic compounds (non - radioactive waste package

constituents).

Two additional requirements imposed by the licensing

authority:

Control of the chemical composition of the waste packages to be

disposed of in the Konrad repository, registration and balancing

the masses of the harmful non - radioactive substances,

estimation of such masses in legacy waste.

Annual reporting to the competent authority dealing with water

law.