Solid Radioactive Waste Strategy Report.pdf - UK EPR

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EPR UK N° NESH-G/2008/en/0123 REV. A PAGE 166 / 257 10.3.2.2 Radioactive Contamination Radioactive contamination presents a radiological hazard to operators through inhalation, ingestion or ingress through open wounds resulting in internal irradiation of organs. Internal irradiation may also result from contamination of the skin with beta or gamma emitting radioisotopes. There is also the potential for increased public dose following release to environment. In normal operations the operator will be isolated from contamination through primary containment systems provided by the equipment or waste packaging. Further control of radioactive contamination is provided by the provision of appropriate local extract and ventilation systems to ensure that where there is a likelihood of generation of free particulates these will be entrained into the building ventilation system and captured in abatement systems, such as HEPA filtration. The resulting air flow will then be monitored, to confirm that any residual activity levels are within the discharge limits specified in the plant RSA authorisation prior to discharge into the atmosphere. In addition to the capture of contamination at source, regular radiological surveys will be carried out to monitor for the presence of any contamination. Abnormal events such as dropped loads may result in operator injury and / or radiological release if containment fails. Mechanical handling equipment will be designed in accordance with relevant standards with appropriate safety systems to prevent dropped loads. The number of waste or spent fuel package movements shall be minimised as far as practicable and where necessary carried out at minimum lift heights. Where waste or fuel is containerised the package itself will afford varying degrees of protection to the waste package against dropped load/impact scenarios. Operators will be trained in the safe connection and use of lifting equipment. Another abnormal event may be the failure of a vessel or service line containing liquid. All equipment will be built to approved UK and international standards and commissioned (i.e. thoroughly and methodically tested) prior to use. The waste and spent fuel management facilities will be designed to provide containment in the event of a spill of material (such as resulting from a pipe or tank rupture or internal flooding) by for example the use of bunds and impermeable floors where appropriate. Each area of the waste and spent fuel management facilities will be appropriately designated and the contamination control measures put in place will be commensurate with that designation. An example of such a control measure for a contamination hazard is to maintain the area at a negative pressure to the surrounding areas. This ensures that in the unlikely event of a release of contamination it is retained in the area of origin. There is also the provision of continuous air monitoring which alarms on detection of mobile airborne contamination. 10.3.2.3 Criticality Criticality can only occur if there is an accumulation of fissile material with appropriate geometry and neutron moderation to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. Whilst accidental nuclear criticality incidents are, by their nature rare and short lived, they do result in the generation of pulses of high levels of gamma and neutron radiation which are harmful to unshielded personnel in the immediate vicinity. It is not anticipated that any of the solid operational or decommissioning wastes generated during the reactor lifecycle will contain more than trace amounts of fissile material. All waste streams will be monitored to ensure that they do not contain unexpected fissile material. The
EPR UK N° NESH-G/2008/en/0123 REV. A PAGE 167 / 257 waste management buildings therefore do not require any specific safety features for the prevention of criticality accidents. By its very nature, spent fuel, even when depleted after service in a reactor, contains a significant amount of fissile material. With spent fuel, the fissile material is held within the structure of the fuel assemblies. Spent fuel handling and storage facilities have specific safety measures to ensure that the risk from accidental criticality is minimal. These safety features are discussed further in the specific section concerning spent fuel management facilities. 10.3.2.4 Dropped Load The processing, handling and transport of waste and spent fuel often requires lifting operations to be performed. The movement of waste packages, spent fuel assemblies and transport containers therefore present risks associated with dropped loads or collisions between transport vehicles, which may result in damage and/or injury, as well as potential radiological releases. These risks can be eliminated or reduced by: · The design of handling routes and setting of specific operating procedures to minimise the number of lifting operations and lift heights, particularly in the spent fuel unloading cells where bare fuel assemblies are moved individually between containers; · Lifting and handling equipment is designed in accordance with relevant standards with appropriate safety systems against dropped load. The equipment will also be designed to withstand design basis impacts and earthquakes; · Provision of mechanical locking systems and measures to prevent derailment or overbalancing of cranes, trolleys, etc; · Waste packages, spent fuel canisters, and transport containers are highly robust and have been designed and substantiated to withstand drop accidents without compromising containment of radioactive material or shielding; · Radioactive waste packages and spent fuel containers and transport containers are heavy. Where lifting operations take place, the facility itself will be robustly constructed to withstand the impact of a dropped load. In particular, safety related equipment will not be positioned where it could be affected by a dropped load or impact by a moving load. The facility safety case will address in detail all situations where dropped loads could occur and will assess the risks and the need for safeguards and mitigation measures on a case by case basis. 10.3.2.5 Fire and Internal Explosions Fire has the potential to result in both environmental radiological release and standard industrial consequences such as operator injury. Fire may be initiated through a number of sources such as electrical equipment, hot surfaces, vehicles, flammable chemicals and lightning strike. Measures to reduce the likelihood of fire include strict fire zoning, good housekeeping, removal of ignition sources, reduced fire loading in design and materials of construction, and testing of electrical equipment. The waste and spent fuel management facilities will be fitted with appropriate fire detection and fire mitigation systems in accordance with UK regulatory requirements. Restriction of petroleum based fuel inventories on site will prevent more severe fires. Where such materials need to be stored on site they will be sited away from buildings containing
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Solid Radioactive Waste Strategy Report.pdf - UK EPR

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