Architecture and management of a geological repository - Andra

4 – Waste disposal PackagesFigure 4.1.9Standard container demonstrators.• Installation of primary waste packages in an irradiating cellPrimary packages are handled in a similar method to that used by operators of the nuclear installationsfrom which these primary packages come (see § 9.1.3). Provision is made inside the container toenable grippers for primary packages to pass through.• Closing standard waste disposal packagesClosure is an important aspect of the standard container manufacturing process. The process usedconsists of closing the package by "hydraulic concrete jointing" between the lid and body. Concretejointing provides a mechanical link and seal between the lid and the body and prevents the lid frombeing torn off. It is produced via a groove, several centimetres wide, between the body and the lid,which has a profile which prevents the lid from being ripped off. Fresh concrete is cast in this groove.At the current stage, the selected solution of a concrete lid, fixed with a concrete seal, is providingimportant feedback. Concrete jointing is a process widely used on fibrous concrete packages currentlyused at the Aube Centre (CBF-C1C, CBFK, …). This classic technique has been used since 1990 onCogema fibrous concrete containers. To date, 8 000 CBF-K packages have been manufactured at LaHague and Marcoule (through put of 400 packages per year). About 200 CBG-K packages have beenproduced on CEA sites (mainly in Grenoble).This procedure was also tested as part of the demonstration programme.4.1.6.2 Manufacture of waste disposal packages with reinforced retention capacityAs in the previous case, the container is put together in two stages. In the first step, the body ismanufactured outside a nuclear context. In the second step, the primary waste packages are loaded andclosed in an irradiating cell.Once the primary packages are installed in the body, a packing plug is placed in each individualhousing. Each one is then closed by casting concrete. These small closure lids are matured in a bufferstorage area (for 28 days) to obtain adequate performances and stabilisation of the concrete so that thecontainer can undergo quality control before being transferred to the repository.The process of casting lids onto prefabricated bodies benefits from a great deal of industrial feedback;it has been in use since 1990 by COGEMA and EDF for packages showing low and medium activitydisposed of at the Aube Centre.This technique was used by COGEMA to produce more than 35 000 packages in 15 years (CBF-C1and CBF-C2). It requires a special workshop (AD2 at La Hague) for filling and closing the containers.A similar technique is used by EDF to produce packages for the surface disposal centre [C1PG orC4PG (formulation type F44, reinforced concrete)].DOSSIER 2005 ARGILE -ARCHITECTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF A GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL SYSTEM127/495