Architecture and management of a geological repository - Andra

9 – Nuclear operating resources in the repositoryThe purpose of this chapter is to explain how nuclear-related operational activities could be organizedand to describe their main characteristics and related processes.These activities involve receiving the primary packages and preparing the disposal packages, thetransfer of these packages into the underground installations and their emplacement in the disposalcells. This chapter attempts to show for all these processes that the equipments and procedures studiedat this stage of the studies are simple, robust and safe. This is partly the result of industrial feedbackfrom existing nuclear and mining facilities and partly the result of choices based on a comparativeanalysis of the various possible solutions.In terms of nuclear processes, it highlights how safety considerations (particularly of radiologicalprotection) and the reliability of mechanical systems have been taken into account in the design.Solutions adopted internationally and the results from technological tests concerning packageemplacement are mentioned.9.1 Receiving primary packages and preparing disposal packagesThis section explains the equipments and procedures for receiving the transport casks containing theprimary waste packages, then describes those relating to the manufacture of the disposal packages.The surface nuclear installations, where these activities are carried out, have many similarities withcertain existing nuclear facilities such as the COGEMA reprocessing centre at La Hague or the DutchCOVRA storage facility. The operating principles and related resources presented in the sectionsbelow are thus largely the result of transposing industrial feedback and adapting to the specificfeatures of the waste packages to be processed.9.1.1 Receiving the transport casks, unloading the primary waste packages and storingthem temporarilyThe primary waste packages are brought to the repository site from the production sites in identical orsimilar transport casks as the existing ones. These transport casks may be transported by road or railconvoy then, in common with nuclear practices, be stored temporarily in an area dedicated to thesurface installations.When they leave this storage, the transport casks are transferred to a building called "reception andconditioning", containing a succession of shielded cells where operations are carried out by remotecontrol. The packages are docked to an unloading cell and the primary packages are extracted by ahandling crane equipped with a grab specific to each type of package. The primary packages are thentransferred to a zone of the building dedicated exclusively to storing them.The operations described above (identical for all types of waste) are illustrated by the diagram inFigure 9.1.1DOSSIER 2005 ARGILE -ARCHITECTURE AND MANAGEMENT OF A GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL SYSTEM330/495