geological disposal in romania · pdf file• romania has adhered to the us government...

Alice IonescuTM on the training in and demonstration of waste disposal technologies in underground research facilities – an IAEA Network of Centres of Excellence, Vienna, 9 – 11 May 2007 1

National Agency for Radioactive Waste

Romania (ANDRAD)

Geological Disposal in RomaniaAlice Ionescu

TM on the training in and demonstration of waste disposal technologies in underground research facilities - an IAEA Network of Centres of Excellence

Vienna, 9 – 11 May 2007



Romania (ANDRAD)

Contents • ROMANIAN AGENCY FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE

(ANDRAD)

•• MANAGEMENT OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AND MANAGEMENT OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN ROMANIARADIOACTIVE WASTE IN ROMANIA

• TC ROM 3/005 - Development of a Geological Disposal Concept for Spent Nuclear Fuel in Romania

• TC INT 9/173 - Focusing on national needs



Romania (ANDRAD)

National Agency for Radioactive Waste (ANDRAD)

• Created in 2004, ANDRAD is the national competent authority for the coordination at national level of the process of managing in a safe manner of the used nuclear waste and radioactive waste, including disposal

• ANDRAD’s activities are funded through contributions by waste producers to a national waste management fund; the necessary level of contributions is still under discussion

• Coordinating ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Finance



Romania (ANDRAD)

Main responsibilities of ANDRAD• Development of the national strategy for management of the radioactive waste• Estimating funding requirements to deliver the national strategy for management of radioactive waste• Maintenance of the national radioactive inventory database• Development and operation of final repositories• Establishing the specific requirements for waste conditioning• Establishing working procedures for repositories operation• Management of the national research programme on issues concerning the long-term management of radioactive waste



Romania (ANDRAD)

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION• The overall purpose of the international co-operations aims to the improvement of the spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste safemanagement process, including the disposal, according to the best practices of EU.• ANDRAD launched several projects with different international organisations, which are now in various implementing stages:

– “Technical assistance for establishing a Romanian radioactive waste management organisation (ANDRAD)” (MAT03/RM/92) (2005-2006)– “Technical assistance for establishing a Romanian radioactive waste management organisation (ANDRAD)” (PHARE 2006 – 2007);– “Support to ANDRAD to extend and accelerate development of a new national L/ILW disposal facility” (ToR)– IAEA TC ROM 3/004 “Sustainability of National Nuclear Waste Management” (2005 – 2007)– AIEA TC ROM 3/005: Development of a Geological Disposal Concept for Spent Nuclear Fuel in Romania (2007 - 2009);– Cooperation with SCK·CEN on final disposal issues (2007).

• ITC Member since 2006



Romania (ANDRAD)

MANAGEMENT OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL MANAGEMENT OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN ROMANIAAND RADIOACTIVE WASTE IN ROMANIA



Romania (ANDRAD)

Important nuclear installations Important nuclear installations and institutions in Romaniaand institutions in Romania

• CANDU 600 NPP– unit 1 in operation since 1996– Unit 2 to be commissioned in

2007;– Units 3 and 4 to become

operational in 2013 - 2015.– Unit 5 under preservation

• Research reactors– TRIGA 14 MW - operational;– VVR-S – to be decommissioned

until 2023



Romania (ANDRAD)

Management of LILW

Panoramic view of the area around the repository showing the main part of the open pit mine. The repository entrance (reception platform, entrance to Gallery 50 and associated infrastructure) - in the centre

• Institutional LILW-SL are disposed in Baita BihorNational Repository (operational since 1986)– 5000 m3 of conditioned waste– Located in a disused uranium mine, in the BihorMountains (Western Carpatians Mt.)



Romania (ANDRAD)

Management of LILW (cont.)• Operational and

decommissioning LILW-SL from Cernavoda NPP (units 1 to 4, after at least 30 years of operation) will be disposed in the new repository, to be constructed until 2014, possibly at Saligny site

• the Romanian programme on the development of the L/ILW near surface disposal facility was reviewed in 2007 by the IAEA experts. Technical review mission covered both technical and scientific aspects connected to the candidate site characterisation works that have been performed up to date, inventory and waste forms for the radioactive wastes to be disposed, the disposal concept and the repository design, and the safety assessment studies;



Romania (ANDRAD)

Management of spent fuel



Romania (ANDRAD)

Strategy for spent fuel management



Romania (ANDRAD)

Storage of spent fuel

– Awaiting for return to the origin country:• HEU spent fuel S36 type and LEU spent fuel EK-10 from VVR-S reactor to the Russian Federation

– Alternative to EK-10 spent fuel type is development and implementation of the technology for intermediate storage– Awaiting for development and implementing the dry storage technology for LEU spent fuel TRIGA type – TRIGA SF fragments, currently stored at the hot cells at SCN Pitesti

• VVR’s and TRIGA SF are currently stored in the reactor pools • The fuel originally used for SSR: HEU type (93% enrichment);• Full conversion of the core to use LEU (20 % enrichment): accomplished (May 2006) with support from IAEA TC project

ROM/4/024, “Full Conversion of TRIGA 14-MW”;• ACPR fuel: LEU type (20 % enrichment);• Spent fuel is stored in the spent fuel storage pool;• Romania has adhered to the US Government policy with respect to

the return to the country of origin of HEU type fuel, burnt in American RR abroad. According to the agreement signed by Romania, until 2006 all the HEU type fuel will be replaced in the reactor by LEU type fuel, and by 2009, it will be returned to USA. A first shipment to USA of HEU SNF was made in 1999.



Romania (ANDRAD)

Storage of spent fuel (cont.)• CANDU SF

– Main storage bay located in the reactor building (approx. 5,000 fuel bundles are stored annually)

– The Intermediate Nuclear Spent Fuel Storage Facility is based on the MACSTOR system; it assures the storage of 300,000 spent fuel bundles (commissioned in 2003)



Romania (ANDRAD)

Current status of the geological disposal program

• Support desk studies (started in 1992) for site selection– based on

• general geological criteria (surface, thickness, homogeneity and depth)• existing geological and geophysical studies on the surface, mining research works in hydrotechnical work areas, geological and geophysical research works (drillings and

mining works) and/or drillings in the adjacent areas• The hydrogeological situation is poorly known in green schists and granite formations.

– Identified potential host rock formations and sites• salt (4), tuff (1), green schists (5), granite (3)

• Conceptual repository design– Standard concept for a deep geological repository

• Safety assessment studies for generic repositories in rock salt and granite– R&D national programs– NATO sponsored cooperations

• IAEA Technical Cooperation TC ROM 3/005 started in 2007, to set up the bases of a coherent geological disposal program



Romania (ANDRAD)

Site selection for deep geological disposal in Romania(scale 1:25 000)



Romania (ANDRAD)

TC ROM 3/005Development of a Geological Disposal Concept for Spent Nuclear Fuel in Romania

• Objective– to develop a comprehensive approach for the long-term management of Romanian spent nuclear fuel that is socially acceptable, technically sound, environmentally responsible and economically feasible

• Outcomes– 1: Preliminary definition of fundamental issues to be dealt with for site selection and characterization, Understanding of costs/benefits of proposed approaches in this field

– 2: In depth analysis of key questions and issues by extension to disposal components and identification of a realistic framework for assessing R&D aspects for spent fuel management

– 3: Integration of research findings in different frameworks after organization of a seminar with experts involved in previous activities and Romanian parties/institutional stakeholders, under the supervision of IAEA. Focus and prioritization of collaborations and R&D activities

– 4: Support to ANDRAD from the Ministry of Economy and Trade on the implementation of the proposed recommendations in the frame of the National Strategy on Medium and Long Term Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste.



Romania (ANDRAD)

TC ROM 3/005Development of a Geological Disposal Concept for Spent Nuclear Fuel in Romania (cont.)

• Inputs– 6 expert missions– 1 meeting with a broad participation (Romanian representatives from Agency, regulatory body, research organizations,

Universities), for reviewing of the running work, highlightening of the waste management approaches, identifying of weak or missing points.

– Scientific visits, addressing technical and societal aspects of deep geological disposal – Fellowships:

• training in rock testing,• safety assessment

– Procurement of some rock testing devices (a permeameter, a coring machine, a rock sample verification apparatus and Hoekcells for triaxial test)



Romania (ANDRAD)

TC INT 9/173Romania’s participation in URL training activities

(2006 – 2007)• 2006

– 1 fellowship at SCK·CEN• “Modelling radionuclide and organic matter migration in Boom Clay:

process identification and parameterization using data from URL-HADES”

• Recipient organization(s): ANDRAD• Benefits:

– Increasing modelling skills, by linking to the experimental work– A better understanding of the modelling work for the hydrogeologicalmodel of the Saligny site

• 2007– Training on “Radioactive Waste Disposal Technologies in

Underground Research Facilities – Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)”

• Recipient organization(s): Nuclear Agency and IFIN-HH



Romania (ANDRAD)

TC INT 9/173 - Focusing on national needs

• Increasing knowledge in:– Siting of a geological repository, particularly in countries with small nuclear grids

– Repository design– FEPs conceptualization and modelling:

• Radionuclide transport and migration• Temperature effects in geological repositories

geological disposal in romania · pdf file• romania has adhered to the us government...

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