Application of Waste Package Specifications for Low Heat Generating Waste: Transport and Disposal
This page describes how Low Heat Generating Waste (LHGW) is transported from interim storage facilities to a GDF.
Waste packages will need to be transported from the storage site to a GDF. In the UK, the transport of radioactive material through the public domain has to follow UK legislation, which is based on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Transport Regulations.
The IAEA Transport Regulations define a range of transport package types. The types vary according to the performance the transport package needs to provide, for example, radiation shielding and containment of radioactive contents. The demands on transport package performance are determined by the intended package contents. NWS has determined that all LHGW packages can be transported as Type IP-2 transport packages for less-hazardous waste, or Type B transport packages for more hazardous waste.
Above, a Type IP-2 transport package
Above, a Type B transport package
The IAEA Transport Regulations impose strict requirements on the Type IP-2 transport package contents. Shielded waste packages that satisfy the Waste Package Specifications will meet these requirements. Therefore, shielded waste packages qualify as Type IP-2 transport packages and are thus transport packages in their own right.
The unshielded waste packages will be transported in a reusable transport container to meet the radiation shielding and containment requirements. The transport container and the waste package within it will qualify as a Type B transport package.
Robust shielded waste packages could qualify as either Type IP-2 or Type B transport packages. The chosen option will depend on the nature of the waste in the package and the performance of the waste container.
The current illustrative design for the GDF assumes that Type B transport packages will be transported underground at a GDF. They will be placed in an inlet cell, a shielded facility, where the lid of the transport package will be removed. Remote handling machinery will then be used to lift the waste package out of the transport container and place it in the disposal vault. Type IP-2 transport packages will be placed in disposal vaults using manual machinery such as a reach stacker.
See previous: Application of Waste Package Specifications for Low Heat Generating Waste: Containment