Session: 05-06: LLW Treatment & Packaging Developments

Paper Number: 109829

109829 - Developing Waste Inventories to Support the Environmental Safety Case at the Uk’s Low Level Waste Repository. 

The Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) is the UK’s principal disposal facility for Low Level Waste (LLW).  The current disposal concept involves the emplacement of wastes, typically within standard, mild-steel transport containers, into near-surface, concrete vaults, although disposals were made previously to lined trenches.  

To achieve and maintain the Environmental Permit for the LLWR, which is required to undertake disposals, safety must be demonstrated, both now and in the future.  This demonstration is achieved through the submission of an Environmental Safety Case (ESC) to the Environment Agency as the responsible regulator.  Amongst other things, the ESC must show that the radiological and non-radiological impacts from the current and potential future disposal inventory are consistent with regulatory criteria. 

The derivation and use  of these inventories from historic disposal data, the UK Radioactive Waste Inventory (UKRWI) and other data sources will be presented.  In particular, for historic disposals,  there is a need to account for shortcomings in legacy disposal data.  Whilst, for future inventories, consideration must be given to the routing of waste to other management routes and disposal facilities. Uncertainties must also be considered, including those associated with different implementations of the UK’s Nuclear New Build programme and approaches to integrated waste management. 

The use of inventory data to support optimisation of facility design and safety performance assessments will also be discussed. 

Presenting Author: Tim Slater Eden Nuclear and Environment Ltd

Presenting Author Biography: Tim is a Principal Consultant at Eden NE and joined in 2015. He is Member of the Society for Radiological Protection (MSRP) and has a PhD in atmospheric science including numerical modelling.

Tim is an experienced physicist with expertise in radioactive waste management and decommissioning, particularly in relation to radioactive waste disposal and waste inventory data. During his time at Eden NE, Tim has provided significant support LLW Repository Ltd’s Environmental Safety Case (ESC) and Inventory teams, and has become an expert in this area, having played a key role in the development of the inventory expected to be received at the Low Level Waste Repository (LLWR) over the next hundred years.

Tim also has considerable experience in radiological assessments for the disposal of solid radioactive wastes, and of liquid and aerial discharges, optimisation studies and strategy development.