Quintessa

Non-encapsulated Waste

Quintessa has undertaken a study for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Radioactive Waste Management Directorate (NDA RWMD) to examine the post-closure safety implications of proposals for the direct packaging of Intermediate Level Waste (ILW) in standard containers without the use of any encapsulant material.

In a recent report (PCPA: Consideration of Non-encapsulated ILW in the Phased Geological Repository Concept) conceptual models for radionuclide release and transport in groundwater and gas were developed for non-encapsulated wastes with a range of backfill materials, together with a base case model of cement-encapsulated wastes for comparison purposes. Radionuclide releases in gas were examined qualitatively and semi-quantitatively, while releases in groundwater were examined quantitatively using simple models designed to help inform RWMD’s decisions regarding the acceptability of non-encapsulated wastes.

Image courtesy of NDA RWMD