To build confidence that a disposal facility is safe and that its environmental impacts will be acceptable, an appropriate safety assessment methodology has to be applied. Quintessa employees were involved in the development and documentation of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s ISAM methodology for near-surface disposal facilities. Quintessa has used this experience when undertaking safety and performance assessments for facilities in the UK and overseas, often in support of major regulatory submissions.
We employ a systematic approach to the assessment at an appropriate level of detail depending upon the facility’s status and the objectives of the assessment. Software tools regularly employed include AMBER, QPAC and GoldSim, amongst others. For example, AMBER has been used in the evaluation of LLW disposal options (including surface and near-surface disposal) in Canada and GoldSim has been used in assessments of coastal erosion and gas pathways for the UK’s low-level waste repository. In addition, Quintessa employees have provided training on safety assessment courses for various national and international clients such as the International Atomic Energy Agency.