Quintessa is continuing its active participation in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s projects relating to the borehole disposal of disused sealed radioactive sources. Richard Little was an invited expert at the IAEA workshop on “Implementing the Borehole Disposal of Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources” held in Accra, Ghana from 10th to 14th June 2013.
The European Union is co-funding some of the work being carried out by the IAEA in this area and the aim of the workshop was to disseminate information to participants from Ghana, Malaysia, Philippines and Brazil on the borehole disposal concept (BDC) and its potential implementation in participants’ countries. Richard gave presentations on safety case and safety assessment development for the BDC, and on the BDC screening tool that Quintessa has developed. The tool allows the containment provided by the capsule and disposal container in the post-closure period to be evaluated and allows for rapid decision making by providing an early indication of the potential suitability of sites for the BDC based on hydro-chemical characteristics and their impact on long-term safety.
