Andra Everything you need to know about radioactive waste management

Transcription

1 Andra Everything you need to know about management

2 Contents Pages 4/5 Radioactivity and Pages 6/7 Andra, its role, its activities and its financing Pages 8/9 The classification of and the disposal concepts Pages 10/11 The route of Pages 12/13 The Andra sites Pages 14/15 Lexicon Key milestones in the management of in France The underground research laboratory in the Meuse / Haute-Marne (Eastern France)

3 Radioactivity and Examples of natural radioactivity (Expressed in becquerel, see page 14) Quantity of products in France per year and per inhabitant Radioactive 1 kilo of artichokes: 300 Bq 1 litre of mineral water: 5 Bq kg of industrial Radioactivity Natural phenomenon, radioactivity is the ability of certain unstable atoms to change spontaneously into another atom whilst emitting radiation. Radioactive atoms are found naturally in the human body, food (milk, potatoes, fish, etc.) and the environment (soil, rain water, sea water, stars, etc.). In France, three quarters of electricity production is generated by nuclear power plants. The properties of radioactivity are also used in large numbers of applications: in chemistry, in biology (study of cells), in geology, in archaeology (dating), agriculture and in medicine (diagnosis and treatment of cancers). It also has many uses in industry, for food preservation (ionisation), the inspection of welds in metallurgy, the sterilisation of medical equipment or the detection of fire. All these activities produce, some of which are radioactive. Radioactive is radioactive material that cannot be reused or reprocessed and which must be specifically managed. It may be, for example, originating from the reprocessing of nuclear power plant spent fuel, concrete, plastic, scrap metal or debris from the dismantling of nuclear installations or objects contaminated by their maintenance and operation, such as gloves, filters, resins, etc. Radioactive presents a risk since it contains irradiating materials which means a potentially danger for health. Radioactivity, and therefore the noxiousness of decrease with time, unlike, for example, chemical such as lead or mercury, whose toxicity is perennial. To protect man and the environment from these dangers for as long as they persist, France has, like other countries, made the choice of disposal in industrial installations appropriate to each type of. Today, there are two operating facilities which manage 90 % of the already produced and a facility in post-closure phase under active monitoring. 1 kilo of potatoes: 150 Bq Key figures The 2009 issue of the National inventory identifies approximately m 3 of already-produced ; by 2020, the forecast is estimated at m kg of domestic 2 kg of Origin of in France per sector and by volume (Source: National inventory of recoverable materials and 2009) 17 % Research (including CEA the French Atomic Energy Commission) 17 % Defence 3 % Non nuclear industry 1 % Medical 62 % Electronuclear industry 4 Controlling packages at the very-low-level disposal facility 5

4 Andra The french national radioactive management Agency Andra is an industrial and commercial public body established by the December 30 th 1991 Waste Act. Its role was completed by the June 28 th 2006 Planning Act concerning the sustainable management of radioactive materials and. Andra, which is independent of producers, is supervised by the Ministries for energy, the environment and research. Its role Andra is responsible for the sustainable management of all French. In France, as in many other countries, priority has been given to disposal. Andra puts its expertise and its know-how, as a public body under State supervision, to design, operate and monitor disposal facilities by protecting man and the environment from the impact of such, over the long term. Key figures (2009) 443 employees 6 sites, including: 1 head office at Châtenay-Malabry, near Paris 3 disposal facilities: 2 in the Aube district (Eastern France), 1 in the Manche district (near the La Hague Areva site) 1 technological exhibition facility in the Meuse/Haute-Marne (Eastern France) 1 underground research laboratory in the Meuse/Haute-Marne 2 projects of disposal facilities Its activities Its mission can be split into several activities: l operating the two existing surface disposal facilities, located in the Aube district, for, on one hand, low- and intermediate-level short-lived radioactive and, on the other hand, very-low-level ; monitoring the CSM disposal facility, located in the Manche district, which is the first French surface disposal facility of low- and intermediate-level and today in post-closure phase. l studying and designing solutions for the sustainable management of for which there is not yet any specific disposal facilities: > shallow disposal of low-level long-lived, such as radium-bearing and graphite (FA-VL project), > reversible deep geological disposal of high-level and intermediate-level long-lived (Cigeo, geological repository project). l collecting and taking-over from the small-scale nuclear producers (hospitals, research laboratories, universities, etc.) and radioactive objects owned by private individuals (former luminous clock pieces, objects containing radium for medical use, natural laboratory salts, certain minerals, etc.) upon request by the owner or the public Authorities. Andra can also proceed to the clean up and remediation of former sites contaminated by radioactivity, such as, for example, the laboratories built for Marie Curie. l informing the public particularly by publishing the National inventory of recoverable materials and, every three years, contributing to the spread of scientific and technical culture, by means of documents, exhibitions, visits of its installations, etc. and disseminating its know-how abroad. Its financing Andra is financed through: l contracts with producers (EDF, Areva, CEA, hospitals, research centres, etc.) for the disposal of their ; l the so-called research tax collected by the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) from radioactivity producers, for research and studies into the storage and disposal of high-level and intermediate-level long-lived ; l a subsidy accorded by the State, for its public service missions (National inventory, collection of certain radioactive objects held from private individuals, clean up and remediation of orphan or defaulting owner sites polluted by radioactivity. Disposal in brief In France, as in many other countries, disposal is the long-term solution adopted for the industrial management of. The disposal facilities are designed to confine radioactivity as long as required for its decay. Disposal safety depends on several combined factors, depending on the nature of the : l the package containing the ; l the disposal cell (or structure) in which packages are emplaced; l the site geology which provides a lasting, natural barrier. 6 The head office at Châtenay-Malabry, near Paris 7

5 The classification of and the disposal concepts In France, there are 5 categories of, classified according to their disposal route, which depends, in particular, on 2 criteria: their level of radioactivity and their half-life. VLL / Very-low-level Its level of radioactivity is very close to natural radioactivity. Mainly from the dismantling of the nuclear power installations, they are generally in the form of industrial (scrap metal, plastic), inert (concrete, debris, earth) or special (ash, sludge, etc.). They are disposed of at the CSTFA surface disposal facility, located in the Aube district, which was commissioned in On arrival at the facility, plastics and metal is compacted. Liquid (contaminated water, sludge) are solidified and made chemically inert. Waste is then placed in drums or big bags. Once treated, these packages are identified and stacked in disposal vaults excavated in a clay layer, at a maximum depth of 7 metres. When the maximum disposal height is reached, the vault is capped with a clay layer compacted in order to restore its original watertight property. LIL-SL / Low- and intermediate-level short-lived This is mainly associated with maintenance activities (clothing, tools, filters, etc.) and the operation of nuclear installations. Containing mainly short-lived radioactive atoms, this has been disposed of since 1992 at the CSFMA surface disposal facility, located in the Aube district which took over from the CSM facility located in the Manche district and which was in operation from 1969 to Before disposal, is compacted or solidified, then mixed with concrete before being placed in a concrete or metal container. A LIL-SL package is made up of 15 to 20% of and 80 to 85% of embedding matrix. It is disposed of at surface in reinforced concrete cells (25 metres square by 8 metres high). These cells are then sealed with a slab of concrete, the tightness of which is provided a layer of impermeable plastic. Finally, a final several-metres-thick clay cap shall be placed over the vaults for long-term protection. LL-LL / Low-level long-lived Such concerns mainly two types of radium-bearing and graphite. > Radium-bearing comes from the treatment of the various minerals used, for example in the automotive industry or fine metallurgy. It is currently stored on the sites of the CEA and industrial producers. > Graphite contains, as it name indicates, graphite, a mineral which is a very pure form of carbon. It is produced during the dismantling of first generation nuclear reactors, now shut down. This is stored on the EDF, CEA and Areva sites. > Other types of also form part of this category: radioactive tips of lightning rods, fire detectors, luminous paints (used particularly in clock manufacturing) For all such, Andra is studying concepts of shallow disposal, between 15 and 200 metres and facility commissioning is planned for 2019 (the so-called FA-VL project). IL-LL / Intermediate-level long-lived Such is mainly produced by the electronuclear industry, more precisely from structures cladding the spent fuel (hulls and caps) or residues due to the operation of nuclear installations. HL / High-level They are an end-product from the reprocessing of the electronuclear industry spent fuel. For these two types of, Andra is studying a reversible deep geological disposal concept (the so-called Cigeo project), particularly through the LSMHM underground research laboratory located at the border of the Meuse and Haute-Marne districts. Whilst commissioning of this disposal facility is planned for 2025, such is stored on its production or conditioning site (The La Hague Areva site, the Marcoule CEA site and the Cadarache CEA site). Radioactivity level in % Waste volume in % Key figures (Source: National inventory 2009) 0, < 0,03 < 0,009 20,1 Low- and intermediate-level 68,8 short-lived (LIL-SL) 7,2 Very-low-level (VLL) Low-level long-lived (LL-LL) Distribution of the volume and level of radioactivity by type of produced in France. 4,98 3,6 Intermediate-level long-lived (IL-LL) 94,98 0,2 High-level (HL) 68 Package disposal at the low- and intermediate-level short-lived disposal facility 9

6 The route of a Producers Andra Conservation of sites memory and transmission to future generations after 300 years Storage on the production site of low-level long-lived, high-level and intermediate-level long-lived until a specific disposal facility is made available Conditionning, in packages, for very-low-level and low- and intermediate-level short-lived * Transport > For originating from the small-scale- nuclear activities (hospitals, research laboratories, etc.) Andra is responsible for the transport. Radiological inspection of packages, their contents and their compliance with Andra requirements notably through the barcode The very-low-level disposal facility (CSTFA) Closure of disposal facilities Taking over of lowand intermediate-level short-lived or very-low-level in specific disposal facilities, located in the Aube district Possible treatments (compaction, incineration, solidification for example) Disposal of packages, which remain the property of their producers Production of radioactive Sorting of very-low-level and low- and intermediate-level short-lived e > For from the small-scale nuclear producers, Andra assumes responsibility for sorting, conditioning, treatment and transport of In-depth inspection of packages sampled at random during delivery. Reference listing of the packages Monitoring of the disposal facilities Environmental monitoring is carried out during operation and post- closure phases 610 Use of the properties of radioactivity (Electronuclear industry, medicine, research, hospitals, industry, etc.) Decay of radioactivity in situ for with a very short half-life < 100 days, (certain hospital ) which is then managed like conventional * These data are recorded with a barcode identifiication number, meaning a real identity card for the packages, which provides for the traceability of and knowing its exact location in the disposal facility. To ensure the quality of the conditioning and respect for these rules, controls are carried out regularly at producers plants. Summary table of management Waste management Waste type On the production site decay of all veryshort-lived, whatever their level of radioactivity Manche district CSM surface disposal facility under monitoring low- and intermediate-level short-lived Aube district CSA surface disposal facilities Under study Disposal facilities CSTFA CSFMA shallow disposal deep geological disposal very-low-level radioactive Very-short-life = half-life < to 100 days Short-life = half-life 31 years Long-life = half-life > 31 years low- and intermediatelevel shortlived radioactive low-level long-lived radioactive intermediate-level long-lived and high-level 11

7 Andra sites The Aube district disposal facilities (CSA) The Meuse/Haute-Marne Centre l The Meuse/Haute-Marne underground research Laboratory (LSMHM) l The Technological Exhibition Facility l The very-low-level disposal facility (CSTFA) The Manche district disposal facility (CSM) With a 15-hectare footprint, the CSM disposal facility between 1969 and 1994, took over m 3 of low- and intermediate-level. It is currently in monitoring phase which will last several centuries. CSM: ZI de Digulleville - BP Beaumont-Hague cedex Phone: Keeping records and site memory Andra must keep the records of its disposal facilities for several centuries, so that future generations are aware of their existence and contents, understand their evolution and are able to react if necessary. The detailed records of the CSM disposal facility, preserved on permanent paper, a durable medium, are available to present and future generations both on site and in the French national archives. With a 45-hectare footprint and a capacity of m 3, this disposal facility managed very-low-level since Waste is disposed at surface in vaults excavated in a clay layer. l The low- and intermediate-level short-lived disposal facility (CSFMA) With a 95-hectare footprint, this facility for disposal of low- and intermediate-level short-lived radioactive has been commissioned in With a capacity of m 3 of packages, the CSFMA took over from the CMS disposal facility. It had the benefit of the 25 years of lessons learnt with this first French surface disposal facility. Waste packages are disposed of at surface in large concrete cells built on a sandstone formation overlying a clay layer. CSA: BP Soulaines-Dhuys Phone: Key figures of the Aube district disposal facilities (2009) > packages of disposed of in the CSTFA since 2003 namely m 3, which corresponds to 22% of the disposal capacity of the facility. > packages of disposed of in the CSFMA since 1992 namely m 3, which correspond to 23% of the disposal capacity of the facility. The underground research Laboratory was built in the framework of Andra research programme into the feasibility of reversible deep geological disposal of high-level and intermediate-level long-lived. Its underground drifts have been used to study a 160-million-year old clay layer. The 2006 Planning Act adopted this disposal concept as the reference solution for the long-term management of HL and IL-LL. Today, research is continuing into the design and siting of the disposal facility Cigeo which could be commissioned by 2025, if its licence is granted in LSMHM: Route départementale 960 BP Bure Phone: Key figures (2010) ± 900 m of experimental drifts at m. 80 laboratories involved in research activities 11 partnerships (BGS, BRGM, CEA, CNRS, INERIS, INRA, INRIA, Nancy-Université, Sandia National Laboratories, Technological University of Troyes). The purpose of the Technological Exhibition Facility is for the public to discover the project to implement a deep geological repository for HL and IL-LL by displaying mock-ups as well as various robots and industrial prototypes developed by Andra in order to test and to validate the technological concepts of that repository, such as a concrete disposal package, a handling robot, etc. New prototypes will gradually be added to the permanent display as soon as they will be completed. Technological Exhibition Facility: Chemin des trois finages Saudron Phone : > Andra sites are open to the public free of charge all year round Environment monitoring For each site, before commissioning, during operation then after, during the monitoring phase, Andra continuously controls the impact of its activities on the environment, through a large number of samples and analyses of the quality of water, air, soil, flora and fauna. The results of these analyses are published twice a year for each site. For example in 2009, more than radiological analyses were carried out within the installations and outside in the environment of the CSTFA and approximately were carried out within the installations and outside in the environment of the CSFMA. In the framework of the reversible deep geological disposal project for HL and IL-LL, the measurements and observations are input, since 2007, in the permanent environmental Observatory (OPE) including an observatory of biodiversity and a bank of samples (plants, insects, soils, etc.). This observatory is used: > to establish the initial state of the environment, taking natural variations into account, > to propose areas for any compensatory measures, > to ensure the follow up and monitoring, as from the construction of the disposal installations. Environment monitoring shall continue well beyond the closure of the disposal facility

8 Lexicon Activity: level of radioactivity. It is measured in Becquerel. Disposal cell or vault: structure in which packages are emplaced for disposal. Atom: the essential element of matter (air, water, the earth, living beings, etc.). Each atom is made up of a core (protons and neutrons) and electrons which orbit around it. Becquerel (Bq): unit of measure of the level of radioactivity, from the name of Henri Becquerel who discovered radioactivity at the end of the XIX th century. Package:, generally immobilised in a matrix (concrete or glass) and its envelope. Graphite : this is mainly made up of the sleeves around the fuel of the early nuclear reactors, now shut down. Radium-bearing : this consists mainly of earth contaminated by radium originating from the clean-up of polluted industrial sites and materials from the treatment of the ore containing uranium or thorium. Storage: a temporary solution for the management of, before disposal. Radioactivity: most atoms are stable, such as hydrogen and are not radioactive. Others are unstable, such as uranium and plutonium and transform spontaneously into other atoms (whether stable or not). By transforming, they release surplus energy in the form of radiation until they recover their stability: this is the phenomenon of radioactivity. Radioactive half-life (or period): the time after which a radioactive atom naturally loses half of its activity. Therefore, the activity of a radioactive product is divided by four after two half-lives, by eight after three half-lives and so on. After ten half-lives, activity is divided by approximately. We distinguish between categories according to the half-life of their main radioactive atoms: short half-life ( to 31 years) from those which have a longer half-life (> to 31 years). The limit of 31 years was determined by the radioactive half-life of the caesium 137 (30.05 years). It is generally considered that the first categoty does not represent a risk after 300 years. Henri Becquerel Radiation: radioactive atoms give off radiation at different levels of energy. There are three main types of radiation, which are more or less penetrating. Alpha radiation, whose range in air is a few centimetres and which is stopped by a simple sheet of paper. Beta radiation which penetrates several metres in air. It is stopped by a sheet of aluminium or glass. Gamma radiation, which is of the same type as X rays but with much more energy, is stopped by several centimetres of lead or several decimetres of concrete. Reversibility: according to the June 28 th 2006 Planning Act, the deep geological disposal of high-level and intermediate-level long-lived must reversible for at least 100 years. It would consist in leaving to future generations the choice of changing or redirecting the disposal process; for example, in retrieving the already emplaced packages, would another form of management be envisaged. A future law will specify the conditions of such reversibility. Sievert (Sv): unit of measure of the biological effects of exposure to radioactivity on man. According to the regulations, the annual dose due to the activities of the nuclear industry must be as limited as possible and may not exceed 1 msv for the population. By way of comparison, in France, every year, natural radioactivity means an average annual dose of 2,4 msv and artificial radioactivity (exposure of medical origin) means an average annual dose of 1,1 msv. A dose of 1 msv is: 17 months in the Paris region, 7 return flights between Paris and San Francisco, the annual average dose by medical X ray examination in France per inhabitant. Disposal: long-term solution for the industrial management of. Disposal safety depends on three factors, according to the types of : the package which contains, the disposal cell in which packages are emplaced and the site geology which provides a natural barrier. Key milestones in the management of in France 1969 Commissioning of the CSM surface disposal facility (Manche district). Last delivery occurred in 1994 and it is now in post-closure and active monitoring phase 1979 Creation of Andra within the CEA 1991 The December 30 th Waste Act, first act in France concerning radioactive management. It gaves Andra its status of industrial and commercial public body 1992 Commissioning of the CSFMA surface disposal facility (Aube district) for low- and intermediate-level shortlived 1999 Licensing of the installation and operation of the Meuse/Haute-Marne underground research Laboratory to study the feasibility of deep geological disposal for high-level nd intermediate-level long-lived 2001 Signature, with the public authorities, of the first four-year contract State/ Andra which defines the role of the Agency; ISO 9001 and ISO certifications obtained by Andra 2003 Commissioning of the CSFMA surface disposal facility for very-low-level ; the CSM disposal facility starts officially its post-closure monitoring phase 2005 Submission of a synthesis report (Dossier 2005) to the public authorities, on the feasibility of reversible deep geological disposal of high-level and intermediate-level long-lived 2006 Debate in Parliament on the options for the long-term management of and vote of the June 28 th Planning Act 2008 > Decree of the 16 th April, which lays down the general principles for the management of, describes the existing system and prescribes new milestones for Andra for its research work and studies, particularly for the disposal projects concerning, on one hand, high-level and intermediate-level long-lived radioactive long-lived (the so-called HA-MAVL project) and, on the other hand, low-level long-lived (the so-called FA-VL project) > June 2008: call for volunteer applications from local communities for the implementation of a disposal facility for LL-LL (some forty communities raised their hands during the same year) 2009 > Two previously selected municipalities for the FA-VL project withdraw under the opponent pressure > publication of a new issue of the National inventory of recoverable materials and 2010 > Publication of the national plan for the management of radioactive materials and for > Green light granted by the Government to Andra to carry out thorough geological investigations over a smaller area (30km 2 approximately) in order to site the geological disposal facility, Cigeo, which would accomodate high-level and intermediate-level long-lived > October 2010 : launching of the website dechets-radioactifs.com This new websitee dechets-radioctifs.com presents through a pedagogic, transparent and exhaustive manner, the whole issue of starting with the use of radioactivity characteristics up to disposal. Every citizen, who feels concerned with this societal issue, can find simple answers to his legitimate questions via this entertaining and friendly-user interface. 14 Illustration of the deep reversible disposal facility project 15

9 French national radioactive management Agency 1/7, rue Jean-Monnet Châtenay-Malabry cedex - France Phone: Andra 337C VA January copies Graphic design and production: Agence Gimmik - Pascal Lemercier Photo credits: Andra / 4 vents / P. Bourguignon / P. D / Les films Roger Leenhardt / Fotolia / E.Gaffard / P. Maurein / D.Vogel / Zorilla Production Illustrations: Xavier Husson Certified Imprim vert printing with vegetable inks on partially recycled paper, certified FSC Free Not for sale