Waste Package and Shipment Aspects in Relation to Transport and Disposal Requirements

Abstract

In the management of radioactive waste, different processes have to be considered such as conditioning, interim storage and final disposal together with transport as the linking process. Attention should be paid to all the relevant steps within these processes, in particular to derive appropriate waste package requirements for a safe waste management system as well as to obtain a consistent regulatory framework. Radioactive waste arising from research and development centres, nuclear power plant operation, decommissioning, the nuclear fuel cycle industry, and applications of radioisotopes in medicine, industry and research, has finally to be shipped to a final disposal site. Therefore waste packages are subject to both the regulatory requirements of transport and the requirements of disposal. Resulting consequences for waste package limitations will be discussed, in particular for low and intermediate level waste taking into account LSA/SCO regulations for transport and waste acceptance criteria for disposal in Germany. Some aspects of different package concepts, like the use of non-reusable or reusable packages, will be considered as well as the application of LSAISCO regulations and further development of LSA/SCO criteria.