Architecture and management of a geological repository - Andra

4 – Waste disposal PackagesFigure 4.1.3Disposal container with reinforced retention ability (illustration of B5 referencepackage)4.1.2.4 Comparison with the options studied in other countriesThe solution adopted by Andra is similar to the B waste package concepts studied in Japan andSwitzerland.• Options studied in Japan (RWMC)The Japanese agency RWMC is carrying out a research and development programme on conditioningwaste equivalent to the French category B in disposal packages, particularly bitumen waste and thehulls and end pieces. Three disposal package concepts are being studied at the same time:- a concrete, parallelepipedal-shaped package- a carbon steel package (one cylindrical, one parallelepipedal)- a package coated with a titanium alloy.For the concrete package concept, RWMC has formulated two types of needs leading to two variantsof this package.The first variant ("package 1" [42]) satisfies a mechanical integrity need for about 100 years. Thisdisposal package comprises a pre-fabricated, reinforced concrete box with a lid held by bolts. Theprimary waste packages are placed in contact with each other inside the disposal package and theinternal voids are filled with a filling mortar with sufficient porosity for hydrogen to circulate. Itsdimensions correspond to a cube with sides of about 2 metres. It weighs between 30 and 35 tonnesdepending on the type of waste. It contains sixteen primary containers (CSD-C) or eighteen 220-litredrums containing bituminized sludges (nine drums superposed on two levels).DOSSIER 2005 ARGILE -ARCHITECTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF A GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL SYSTEM114/495