Session: 05-07: Disposal Options and Materials Management Methods

Paper Number: 111129

111129 - Implementation of a Multi-Purpose Radioactive Waste Tracking System in the Framework of Radioactive Waste Management 

Nucleco S.p.A is the main national operator in the field of the management of radioactive waste. The waste usually comes from two streams: the integrated service, including nuclear medicine, industry and scientific research activities, and the decommissioning of nuclear fuel cycle installations. The waste is generally accepted in the temporary storage by means of dose rate, contamination and x-ray checks and is subsequently characterized via a combination of Non-Destructive and Destructive Assay defined according to the radiological spectrum of the waste. The information on the origin, physical state and radiological content of the waste are used to define the waste treatment strategy. Treatment processes are performed inside Nucleco Solid radioactive waste Treatment Plant and Liquid radioactive waste Treatment Plant and involve dismantling and super compaction (for solids), biological-chemical processes (for liquids) and incorporation in a cement matrix of suitable composition. Finally, the properly conditioned waste is packaged into overpacks and safely allocated in Nucleco temporary disposal facilities.

In the framework of the above-mentioned activities, a key role is played by the radioactive waste tracking system, which is fundamental to centralize and manage all the information concerning radioactive waste, from collection to storage.

In this regard, Nucleco developed a database, hereafter referred to as DB-waste, able to both monitor the whole radioactive waste, radioactive sources and nuclear materials flow according to the legal provisions and accommodate the specific needs of the Site. DB-waste features include recording of new data, consultation and querying of available information, preparation of documentation to be sent to the regulatory authority and update to meet compliance with both new legislative requirements and operating license of the Site.

Between all the features offered by DB-waste, the most widely exploited by Nucleco users is the tracking of the specific radioactive waste treatment path, because it uniquely defines the temporary disposal facility where the waste will be stored and methods according to which it would be performed.

Therefore, in its current state DB-waste meets the present needs of users and showed to be able to adapt to new requirements. Moreover, in a future perspective radioactive waste management could encourage digitalization processes: the 3D reconstruction of Nucleco temporary disposal facilities could be implemented into DB-waste. This integration would have significant impacts, especially in facilitating and promoting activities such as planning of a new disposal facility loading plan, handling operation of sensitive waste containers and feasibility studies on possible facility’ design modifications.

Presenting Author: Martina Gallarati Nucleco S.p.A

Presenting Author Biography: Project Engineer