Calculation of the time for establishing radiation equivalence of high-level wastes

The potential harm of long-lived radionuclides estimated as the product of the activity of a radionuclide and the dose coefficient is examined. The potential harm of actinides in high-level wastes is calculated taking account of the harm due to their decay products. At the same time, an analogous calculation is performed for the uranium isotopes ²³⁸U, ²³⁵U, and ²³⁴U consumed in the reactor. The value obtained, which depends on the time, can be regarded as the averted harm. The time for establishing radiation equivalence between the high-level wastes and the consumed uranium is determined as the time in which the potential harm from actinides becomes equal to the averted harm. It depends on the holding time of the spent fuel before radiochemical reprocessing. For a 5 yr holding period, it is 49000 yr.__________Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 98, No. 2, pp. 123–129, February, 2005.