Architecture and management of a geological repository - Andra

6 – Overall underground architecture6.6.4 Architecture’s flexibility with respect to the waste inventory and waste management• Effect of the waste quantityThe architectures presented can be adapted without any problems to more (or less) important wasteinventories, since the number of modules to be created can be easily adjusted without jeopardising thegeneral organisation.• Effect of operation ratesRecall that the operation reports retained under the study are only to be considered as assumptions.They cannot constitute forecasts or prefigure any industrial reality. They offer, however, a reasonableand conventional framework for a feasibility estimation.A variation in the operating rate of the repository or the simultaneous operation of several repositoryzones of exothermal packages would have a minimum effect on the general footprint, but could impacton the sizing of the drifts of infrastructures: with all other things equal, higher operating rates wouldlead to higher construction working rates and, therefore, could necessitate higher capacityinfrastructures, that is, a larger number of drifts or drifts with larger diameters.Architectures of different shapes might also have to be designed if simultaneous disposal of C wastepackages and spent fuel packages is desired by doubling the infrastructures.• Taking into consideration the repository of spent fuels CU3The architecture can be easily adapted to take into consideration the repository of spent fuels CU3 incase they would not be recycled. The corresponding repository zone would represent approximately5 ha (Figure 6.6.4).Figure 6.6.4Adaptation of the architecture to spent fuels CU3DOSSIER 2005 ARGILE -ARCHITECTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF A GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL SYSTEM285/495