Methodological developments and practice in characterisation of unconventional and legacy waste

Author(s):  
Per Strand ◽  
Nick Jefferies ◽  
Yoshikazu Koma ◽  
Jo Plyer

Abstract Radioactive waste management requires planned and systematic actions to provide confidence that the entire system, processes and final products will satisfy given requirements for quality. The characterisation process is dependent on setting clear characterisation objectives and gathering the right information to underpin the decisions that need to be taken to manage the waste safely. This paper reviews experience of characterisation of waste generated from past nuclear activities that were not conducted in compliance consistent with current criteria, or from unexpected situations that were not planned for. This experience shows that the development of a reliable and efficient characterisation and categorisation methodology is a common challenge for such wastes, referred to here as unconventional and legacy (UL) waste. Through the activites of the Nuclear Energy Agency Expert Group on the Characterisation of Unconventional and Legacy Waste (EGCUL), consideration has been given to widely used waste stream characterisation procedures and methods that were originally developed primarily for application in conventional decommissioning work. Although they provide a substantial basis for characterisation, there are various additional factors that commonly need to be taken into account in the case of UL waste. By analysing the challenges and lessons learned from a variety of case studies and other international experience, it has been possible to identify opportunities for adaptations and enhancements to these characterisation methologies, and these are set out and explained. The need for integration of waste characterisation with other aspects of strategic planning for UL waste management is discussed, including characterisation to address any non-radiological hazards.The analysed case studies have also highlighted the importance of developing a robust legislative and regulatory framework in parallel with an appropriate waste infrastructure to treat, store and dispose of UL waste. Finally, the basic features of a UL waste characterisation roadmap are presented, including the interactions within a wider UL waste management programme and key areas for further consideration and possible development. It is anticipated such work can be supported by continued international cooperation.

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3A) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Carlos Jansen Silva ◽  
Fernando Barcellos Razuck

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the lessons learned (LL) in a radiation accident are extremely important in the building of learning about accidents, identifying best practices and preventing new accidents from occurring – making that if they do, the damage could be mitigated. Thereby, it was noted that the problems identified from the accident analysis led to the adoption of a series of measures to make facilities safer and more prepared for such accidents. Thus, is evident that the analysis of the LL about radiation accidents is a powerful learning tool in the field of radiation protection, opening space for discussions of a wider knowledge about nuclear energy. It is then observed the importance of evaluating LL to strengthen the Nuclear Knowledge Management (NKM). In this sense, the objective of this paper is to demonstrate to students of a Postgraduate course on Radiation Protection how to carry out a bibliographical review on the accidents involving radiation material, based in the main publications of the IAEA about LL. It is understood that, in relation to the dissemination of knowledge, the analysis of the LL as a tool for NKM is of extra relevance, not only for studies and learning in the area, but mainly for the prevention of accidents.


Author(s):  
Marie-Anne Berton ◽  
Julian Cruickshank ◽  
Catherine Ollivier-Dehaye ◽  
Horst Monken-Fernandes ◽  
Peter Orr

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Co-operative Programme for the Exchange of Scientific and Technical Information Concerning Nuclear Installation Decommissioning Projects (CPD) is a joint undertaking of a limited number of organisations, mainly from NEA member countries. The objective of the CPD is to acquire and share information from operational experience in decommissioning nuclear installations that is useful for future projects. The information exchange includes biannual meetings of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) and supporting projects on topics. The TAG has decided to form a Task Group to review nuclear site restoration starting in March 2012 that involves nuclear operators, experts and regulators. The group is supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that is leading similar work on legacy sites. Within NEA Counties, several nuclear sites are being restored for beneficial reuse. Restoration is normally considered the last activity in a sequence of decommissioning steps but increasingly the value of long-term planning and parallel remediation is being recognised. It is essential that regulators know that liabilities are well understood (well characterised) and there is adequate financial provision to carry on the remediation works. Operators are also learning that early intervention is needed to ensure prevention and minimisation of leaks and spills of radioactive and non-radioactive contaminants in order to reduce groundwater and soil contamination, thus reducing overall liabilities and ensuring protection of the environment. Early intervention needs to be guided by good practices that include adequate site characterisation, reliable conceptual models and defined goals. Currently most nuclear site restoration work takes place at the legacy nuclear sites. This work has emphasised the need for better clarity in terms of the regulatory expectations for site restoration. At other nuclear sites the drivers are less evident and there is a risk that land quality issues are overlooked. The aim of the Task Group is to share information on experiences, approaches and techniques for land quality management at selected nuclear sites to ensure risks to workers and the environment, costs and disruption to decommissioning programmes are minimised. The project will also highlight the successes and lessons to learn from experience of remediation that will be helpful to operational situations on nuclear sites. The paper will report on progress with analysis of national and site level questionnaires and early consideration of case studies. The questionnaires will provide a snapshot of the current status, issues and best practice with site restoration and the case studies will provide in depth illustrations of practice with nuclear site or remediation projects.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 24-26

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds his/her own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings There has always been a good deal of talk among business school professors and industry leaders alike regarding the right time to collaborate. It is, of course, an interesting topic and one that probably has no right answer given the myriad of variables and inability of humans to actually look into the future. When this discussion takes place, it centers around what factors should be considered – Is the firm contemplating collaboration on an upswing or a downswing? Does it have a diversified offer or is it leveraged against only one product? Is it global or looking to expand into new markets? All factors, all relevant. But somehow, they fail to get the root of the matter. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 105-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Lazo

Between September 2011 and August 2015, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) organised a series of 12 stakeholder dialogue workshops with residents of Fukushima Prefecture. Discussions focused on recovery, addressing topics such as protection of children, management of contaminated food, monitoring, and self-help measures. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) supported, and the Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) Secretariat attended, all 12 meetings to listen directly to the concerns of affected individuals and draw lessons for CRPPH. To summarise the dialogue results, ICRP organised a final meeting in Date, Japan with the support of NEA and other organisations. The lessons from and utility of the dialogue meetings were praised by dialogue participants and sponsors, and ICRP agreed that some form of dialogue would continue, although with ICRP participation and support rather than leadership. This paper summarises the internationally relevant lessons learned by CRPPH from this important process.


2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-15
Author(s):  
A. Arbatov

The article deals with the Agreement concluded in July of 2015 by the group of states “5+1” (the United States, Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany, and special envoy of the European Union) with Iran on its nuclear energy program (called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – JCPOA). It is argued, that despite some controversial points the Agreement as a whole is tangibly limiting, reducing and restructuring Iranian nuclear-technical assets, its development program, stockpile and quality of nuclear materials, and is prohibiting potentially military activities. Of special value is the broad and deep regime of transparency, safeguards and control by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which goes much further than the existing safeguards associated with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). It is underlined that objectively (regardless of Iranian intentions) manufacturing of nuclear weapon or some secret military activity of significant scale is practically out of question in Iran during the term of various provisions of the Agreement (10–25 years). As proved by the article, a crucial factor in reaching the JCPOA were the U.S. and European Union economic and financial sanctions, adopted against Iran in 2012. They led to the profound economic crisis, which brought the change of government at presidential elections of 2013, and eventually facilitated Iranian concessions (foremost, on the scale of uranium enrichment, deep underground enrichment complex, plutonium-producing reactor, and the scale of transparency). On the other hand, in contrast to American and Russian official statements, the unprecedented tensions between Russia and the West around the Ukrainian crisis since the early 2014 seriously weakened the unity and diplomatic dominance of the “5+1” group of states. Hence, it turned impossible to achieve still more far-reaching agreements on some principle issues (in particular, on the necessity for Iran to receive the approval of the “5+1” and IAEA for the parameters of its nuclear energy program justifiable by peaceful needs – as suggested by the Interim Agreement of November 2013). This has created a precedent for other states to claim the right for developing nuclear energy programs with dual purpose or suspicious elements without obligatory and plausible peaceful justification. It is also underlined, that the future impact of the Agreement on the global system and regimes of nuclear non-proliferation is unclear. The positive side is the JCPOA role in preventing the new war in the Gulf. The dubious aspect is that universalization of the limitations and transparency norms of the Agreement for the purpose of the Non-Proliferation Treaty enhancement is rejected by a number of states, foremost by Russia. It keeps to a tough position that the Agreement is exceptionally Iranian case, which is not applicable to other states, and in fact this point is legally fixed in JCPOA and IAEA documents. This Russian position is in line with its general stance against more restrictive interpretation of the NPT norms and against more intrusive IAEA safeguards. No doubt, in the foreseeable future, these issues will be a matter of serious controversies among states regarding the enhancement of the NPT and overall non-proliferation system and regimes.


Author(s):  
J.G. van Hassel ◽  
Xiao-Mei Zhang

Abstract Failures induced in the silicon substrate by process marginalities or process mistakes need continuous attention in new as well as established technologies. Several case studies showing implant related defects and dislocations in silicon will be discussed. Depending on the electrical characteristics of the failure the localization method has to be chosen. The emphasis of the discussion will be on the importance of the right choice for further physical de-processing to reveal the defect. This paper focuses on the localization method, the de- processing technique and the use of Wright etch for subsequent TEM preparation.


1986 ◽  
Vol 18 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 33-40
Author(s):  
K. M. Minnatullah

Nearly 80% of all illness in Bangladesh is related to water and sanitation. The combined rate of enteric diseases in Bangladesh is the highest in the world. 30% of all the deaths of children under 5 are due to diarrhoea, claiming more than 200,000 lives annually. Environmentally sound human waste management, along with personal hygiene awareness, are of critical importance to the prevention of faecal-oral disease transmission. present rural sanitation coverage is about 3%. A national target has been set to ensure that 13% of the rural poor will be covered under the human waste management programme by 1990, the end of the U.N. Water Decade. This however, contrasts with the similar target of 77% for the rural water supply programme, which received higher resource allocation and priority for a much longer period. This lack of correlation between water and sanitation has highly reduced the positive health impact of these developments. An affordable human waste management programme for the rural people, where 87% of the total population lives under conditions of the greatest poverty and underdevelopment, urgently needs serious and realistic consideration in the context of the limited resource prospects for future years. This report addresses the above issues and describes the commendable momentum that has been gained through the continuous efforts of national planners and policy makers. It is hoped that this might in the near future, through the rural human waste management programme, produce the long desired continual reduction of faecal-oral disease transmission.


1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Francisco Fontes Lima ◽  
Francisco Alves Pereira

This paper describes the findings of the “Third International Conference on Waste Management in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industries,” held in Salvador, Brazil, October 20-23, 1993. A summary of the 74 technical papers, divided into six major categories, is presented together with comments on the more stringent legislation concerning source control programmes. Case studies of two large chemical complexes that have been developing successful waste minimization programmes are described in detail: CETREL-Environmental Protection Company in Camaçari, Brazil, and BASF AG in Ludwigshafen, Germany.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia O'Campo ◽  
Alisa Velonis ◽  
Pearl Buhariwala ◽  
Janisha Kamalanathan ◽  
Maha Awaiz Hassan

BACKGROUND The popularity of mHealth technology has resulted in the development of numerous applications for almost every type of self-improvement or disease management. M- and e-health solutions for increasing awareness about and safety around partner violence is no exception. OBJECTIVE These applications allow women to control access to these resources and provide unlimited, and with the right design features, safe access when these resources are needed. Few applications, however, have been designed in close collaboration with intended users to ensure relevance and effectiveness. METHODS We report here on the design of a pair of evidence-based m- and e-health applications to facilitate early identification of unsafe relationship behaviors and tailored safety planning to reduce harm from violence including the methods by which we collaborated with and sought input from population of intended users. RESULTS The demographic characteristics of those who participated in the various surveys and interviews to inform the development of our screening and safety-decision support app are presented in (Table 2). CONCLUSIONS Finally, we share challenges we faced and lessons learned that might inform future design efforts of m- and e-health evidence-based applications.


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