Solid Radioactive Waste Strategy Report.pdf - UK EPR

EPR UK
N° NESH-G/2008/en/0123
REV. A PAGE 10 / 257
Term
Probability
Radioactive Waste
Radionuclide
Raw Waste
Redundant
Reprocessing
Retrieve
Secondary Waste
Segregated
Seismic Event
Site Footprint
Spent Fuel
Supercompaction
Swarf
Tritium
Very Low Level
Waste
Waste
Explanation
The ratio of the number times the event is predicted to occur out of the total
number of possible outcomes.
Solid, liquid, and gaseous materials from nuclear operations that are radioactive
or become radioactive (contaminated) and for which there is no further use. They
will require appropriate management such as effective treatment to make safe
and may require disposal.
An unstable nuclide that emits ionising radiation.
Waste that has not undergone any treatment or processing.
A part or operation that does not serve any purpose at this point in time but is a
means to maintain safety and operability over time.
The extraction and separation of usable materials and waste from spent nuclear
fuel.
The act of removal of material from its existing location, such as the retrieval of
fuel from within the reactor core or the retrieval of radioactive waste from a long–
term storage facility.
Waste that arises as a by-product from the treatment of waste from the nuclear
facility.
Waste that has been removed as a waste stream and organised into groups that
are defined either by size, activity, usability or origin.
The abrupt release of energy in the earth's crust causing an earth vibration or
earthquake.
The totality of ground area occupied by the nuclear facility including the nuclear
and conventional islands.
Fuel that has been used within the nuclear reactor to an extent that it can no
longer sustain a chain reaction. It is, however, still radioactive and will require
appropriate treatment and disposal.
The compaction of a material with a very high force of up to 2000 te.
Metal turnings and scrap, usually from the separation of spent nuclear fuel, from
the canning and cladding material prior to reprocessing.
A radioactive isotope of hydrogen (one proton, two neutrons). Because it is
chemically identical to natural hydrogen, tritium can easily be taken into the body
by any ingestion path. It decays by beta emission and has a radioactive half-life
of about 12.3 years.
A sub-category of Low Level Waste that is excluded from the requirement for
regulatory control appropriate to radioactive wastes, as the radiological hazards
are judged to be sufficiently low. The regulatory controls relevant to controlled
wastes do apply to this form of waste.
A material that has no further useful commercial, industrial or manufacturing
purpose and is either discarded, planned to be discarded or required to be
discarded.