2009 Report to Government on National Research and

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2.34 It is also necessary <strong>to</strong> consider the durations of the R&D projects needed for the management of higher activity wastes. These range from a few months <strong>to</strong> several years and in some instances <strong>to</strong> a few decades. Some projects can begin almost immediately while others have long lead times, for example because of the need <strong>to</strong> build up the skills base or <strong>to</strong> develop new facilities. 2.35 A further very important issue in setting research priorities is safety case development. This is an iterative process. An initial design for a facility is devised and a safety case is developed for that design. Then an analysis of that safety case is carried out <strong>to</strong> identify those areas of uncertainty that have most impact on the safety of the GDF. R&D is then performed <strong>to</strong> investigate these areas of uncertainty, with a view <strong>to</strong> reducing them or producing a better quantification of them. The design is then improved and the safety case revised accordingly. The iterations continue until the safety case is sufficiently robust <strong>to</strong> satisfy regula<strong>to</strong>rs and other stakeholders. For a GDF, the R&D includes site investigation, from the surface and underground, and the analysis of safety case results helps <strong>to</strong> guide the site investigations. Throughout the iterative process, time needs <strong>to</strong> be allowed for R&D results <strong>to</strong> be promulgated, assimilated and discussed. 2.36 In the current economic climate, it is particularly important <strong>to</strong> set clear R&D priorities. CoRWM believes that this is best done in an open and transparent way, involving the people who will do the R&D as well as those who will use the results. Key Points on Establishing Research Requirements 2.37 Both applied R&D and fundamental research are needed <strong>to</strong> support the management of higher activity radioactive wastes. The applied research addresses practical safety and design issues in the development and operation of facilities for waste conditioning, packaging, s<strong>to</strong>rage and disposal. The fundamental research provides the detailed understanding that underpins safety cases and facility designs. It can also reveal hither<strong>to</strong> unknown issues that need <strong>to</strong> be considered. It is essential that future UK R&D programmes for management of higher activity wastes contain the full spectrum of fundamental research, applied research and development, with appropriate amounts of effort devoted <strong>to</strong> each. 2.38 Research requirements for the management of higher activity wastes span a large number of disciplines. These include engineering disciplines as well as physics, chemistry, biology and earth sciences. The research needed is both multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary. 2.39 There are a number of knowledge management issues that should be addressed in the near future. These include the preservation and declassification of documents describing past R&D for higher activity wastes and the development of a UK knowledge management system for all radioactive waste management R&D. 2.40 Priorities for R&D <strong>to</strong> support the management of higher activity wastes should be set in an open and transparent way, involving researchers themselves as well as programme managers and users of results. It is also important <strong>to</strong> involve a wide range of stakeholders, including local communities (Section 3). The needs of CoRWM Document 2543, Oc<strong>to</strong>ber <strong>2009</strong> Page 24 of 151
safety case development, the overall programme for the management of higher activity wastes, project lead times and project durations should all be taken in<strong>to</strong> account in deciding which R&D <strong>to</strong> fund and when. CoRWM Document 2543, Oc<strong>to</strong>ber <strong>2009</strong> Page 25 of 151
Page 1 and 2: Committee on Radioactive Waste Mana
Page 3 and 4: Finland ...........................
Page 5 and 6: Geosphere Characterisation ........
Page 7 and 8: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. CoRWM’s remi
Page 9 and 10: odies would need to</strong
Page 11 and 12: disseminate and assimilate its resu
Page 13 and 14: 1.3 CoRWM’s Work Programme for 20
Page 15 and 16: 1.11 The R&D requirements for the l
Page 17 and 18: 2. ESTABLISHING R&D REQUIREMENTS Wh
Page 19 and 20: adioactive waste management facilit
Page 21 and 22: should mitigate the risks of findin
Page 23: there is no unwarranted repetition
Page 27 and 28: Table 1. Approximate annual levels
Page 29 and 30: Figure 1. Structure of UK R&D provi
Page 31 and 32: NDA R&D for Geological Disposal 3.1
Page 33 and 34: 3.27 The purpose of NNL can be summ
Page 35 and 36: identified the research required an
Page 37 and 38: submitted to RCEP
Page 39 and 40: Box 1. Research Council Funded Univ
Page 41 and 42: 3.62 BGS is conducting three projec
Page 43 and 44: 3.70 In the current FP7 programme (
Page 45 and 46: 3.77 RCEP noted that there was a la
Page 47 and 48: sectors: land disp
Page 49 and 50: eyond those that RWMD intends <stro
Page 51 and 52: Box 2. USDOE 2006 Workshop R&D Issu
Page 53 and 54: 3.111 Fundamental and applied resea
Page 55 and 56: France 3.122 There are six major gr
Page 57 and 58: and in concert with Forpro is desig
Page 59 and 60: • encourage the transfer and pres
Page 61 and 62: comparison to othe
Page 63 and 64: 4. R&D SKILLS TO SUPPORT THE MRWS P
Page 65 and 66: Figure 3. UK Nuclear Skills Map Sou
Page 67 and 68: ensure the availability of a skille
Page 69 and 70: which is longer than the competitio
Page 71 and 72: Box 4. Postgraduate University Prov
Page 73 and 74: 4.30 The NDA also operates a gradua
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for NDA to acquire
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Retention of Skills 4.48 It has bee
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5. INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIRED FOR R&D
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purchase of equipment. In addition,
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5.23 The Pacific Northwest National
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5.35 The range of possible function
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5.40 Early in 2009
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6. SOME R&D ISSUES 6.1 R&D carried
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interactions, the impact of highly
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7. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
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7.11 CoRWM has found that responsib
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and Appendix A is only intended <st
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Current and Planned R&D for ILW A.5
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wasteform integrity at end of s<str
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Magnox Fuel A.20 Magnox fuel consis
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capability exists in the UK for doi
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purpose-built building. The former
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pending a decision on its long-term
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through all these. The nature of th
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Box 7. Radionuclide Speciation Many
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could mix with the bulk hydrogen ga
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than that for uranium-235. Likewise
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near-field of the part containing t
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• Long-term stability and perform
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few millimetres to
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environment, all with the character
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Number Title 2500 Interim S
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EPSRC, 2009. Grant
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Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,
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Skomurski FN, Ewing RC, Rohl AL, Ga
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Co-location Disposal of “high lev
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Geosphere Solid portion of the eart
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Packaging Placing waste int
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Stillage A metal frame used <strong
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BNGSL British Nuclear Group Sellafi
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FP Framework Programme (of the Euro
Page 147 and 148:
MOX mixed oxide fuel (contains uran
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RS Royal Society RSC Royal Society
Page 151:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Leadership in the
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2009 Report to Government on National Research and

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