The Belgian Approach and Status on the Radiological Surveillance of Radioactive Substances in Metal Scrap and Non-Radioactive Waste and the Financing of Orphan Sources

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marnix Braeckeveldt ◽  
Peter De Preter ◽  
Jan Michiels ◽  
Ste´phane Pepin ◽  
Manfred Schrauben ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Radioactive Substances ◽  
The People ◽  
Metal Recycling ◽  
Orphan Sources ◽  
Radioactive Sources ◽  
Sealed Source ◽  
The Cost

Numerous facilities in the non-nuclear sector in Belgium (e.g. in the non-radioactive waste processing and management sector and in the metal recycling sector) have been equipped with measuring ports for detecting radioactive substances. These measuring ports prevent radioactive sources or radioactive contamination from ending up in the material fluxes treated by the sectors concerned. They thus play an important part in the protection of the workers and the people living in the neighbourhood of the facilities, as well as in the protection of the population and the environment in general. In 2006, Belgium’s federal nuclear control agency (FANC/AFCN) drew up guidelines for the operators of non-nuclear facilities with a measuring port for detecting radioactive substances. These guidelines describe the steps to be followed by the operators when the port’s alarm goes off. Following the publication of the European guideline 2003/122/Euratom of 22 December 2003 on the control of high-activity sealed radioactive sources and orphan sources, a procedure has been drawn up by FANC/AFCN and ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Belgian National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Materials, to identify the responsible to cover the costs relating to the further management of detected sealed sources and if not found to declare the sealed source as an orphan source. In this latter case and from mid-2006 the insolvency fund managed by ONDRAF/NIRAS covers the cost of radioactive waste management. At the request of the Belgian government, a financing proposal for the management of unsealed orphan sources as radioactive waste was also established by FANC/AFCN and ONDRAF/NIRAS. This proposal applies the same approach as for sealed sources and thus the financing of unsealed orphan sources will also be covered by the insolvency fund.

Radioactive Waste Management in Lebanon

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muzna Assi
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Atomic Energy Commission ◽  
Atomic Energy ◽  
Technical Cooperation ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Reference Number ◽  
Orphan Sources ◽  
Radioactive Sources

The disused sealed radioactive sources including orphan sources in Lebanon, along with the growing industry of sealed radioactive sources in medical, industrial and research fields have posed a serious problem for authorities as well as users due to the lack of a national store for disused radioactive sources. Assistance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was requested to condition and store disused radium needles and tubes present at two facilities. The mission took place on July 25, 2001 and was organized by the IAEA in cooperation with the Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission (LAEC). Other disused radioactive sources were kept in the facilities till a safer and securer solution is provided; however orphan sources, found mainly during export control, were brought and stored temporarily in LAEC. The necessity of a safe and secure store became a must. Prior to October 2005, there was no clear legal basis for establishing such store for disused radioactive sources, until the ministerial decree no 15512 dated October 19, 2005 (related to the implementation of decree-law no 105/83) was issued which clearly stated that “The LAEC shall, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health, establish a practical mechanism for safe disposal of radioactive waste”. Following this, the work on inventory of disused sealed sources along with collecting orphan sources and placing them temporarily in LAEC was legally supported. Moreover, several missions were planned to repatriate category I and II sources, one of which was completed specifically in August 2009; other missions are being worked on. In 2008, a national technical cooperation project with the IAEA was launched. Under the Technical Cooperation (TC) project with reference number LEB3002, the project was entitled “Assistance in the establishment of a safe temporary national storage at the LAECfor orphan sources and radioactive waste” which cycle is 2009–2011. Under this project, a national store for radioactive sources in the third basement of LAEC is being established. The area is being reconstructed currently and will be equipped when ready under LEB3002 project. Along with this, a system for sealed disused sources management has been prepared, part of which is applied now and the rest will be applied upon the establishment of the store. This paper will cover the inventory collection process, the study for the establishment of this store, the present and prospective waste management system, and the waste acceptance criteria.

Incineration of Spent Ion Exchange Resins in a Triphasic Mixture at Belgoprocess

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Deckers ◽  
Paul Luycx
Keyword(s):  
Ion Exchange ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Calorific Value ◽  
Ion Exchange Resins ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Gas Treatment ◽  
Waste Production ◽  
Combustible Wastes ◽  
Exchange Resins

Abstract Up to 1998, spent ion exchange resins have been fed to the incinerator in combination with various other solid combustible wastes at Belgoprocess. However, thanks to sustained efforts to reduce radioactive waste production in all nuclear facilities in Belgium, the annual production of solid combustible waste is now much too small to allow this practice to be continued. Since the incinerator at Belgoprocess is not capable of treating spent ion exchange resins as such, it was decided to adopt the use of foam as a carrier to feed the resins to the incinerator. The mixture is a pseudohomogeneous charged foam, ensuring easy handling and allowing incineration in the existing furnace, while a number of additives may be included, such as oil to increase the calorific value of the mixture and accelerate combustion. The first incineration campaign of spent ion exchange resins in a triphasic foam mixture, in conjunction with other liquid and solid combustible wastes, will be started in January 2000. The foam, comprising 70% by weight of resins, 29% by weight of water and 1% by weight of surfactant will be pulverized in the incinerator through an injection lance, at a feed rate of 40 to 100 kg/h. The incinerator and associated off-gas treatment system can be operated at standard conditions. Belgoprocess is the subsidiary of the Belgian national agency for the management of radioactive waste, known by its Dutch and French acronyms, NIRAS and ONDRAF respectively. The company ensures the treatment, conditioning and interim storage of nearly all radioactive waste produced in Belgium.

Strategy and Practice in Spent Sealed Sources Management in Belgium

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent De pooter ◽  
David Vanleeuw ◽  
Gunter Van Zaelen ◽  
Marnix Braeckeveldt
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Royal Decree ◽  
Final Treatment ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Orphan Sources ◽  
Radioactive Sources ◽  
Treatment And Diagnosis ◽  
The Eu

Radioactive sources are used for a variety of purposes, e.g. in medical treatment and diagnosis, research applications, measurement, testing, detection and calibration in industry, educational activities in colleges and universities etc. As part of its mission, ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Belgian Radioactive Waste Management Agency, draws up an inventory of all radioactive substances and nuclear installations on the Belgian territory. In recent years this inventory has been used to launch specific campaigns for the collection of different types of radioactive sources. In addition to this, the Royal Decree of 23 May 2006 concerning the transposition into Belgian law of the Spent High Activity Sealed Sources and the Management of Orphan Sources Directive of the EU (2003/122/EURATOM) has led to an increase in the number of requests addressed to ONDRAF/NIRAS for the collection of these types of radioactive waste and to an intensified collaboration between ONDRAF/NIRAS and the Belgian Safety Authority FANC/AFCN towards an effective management of orphan sources. Specific properties of these spent sources such as their activity, external dose rate, weight, size and/or their invalid special form certificate may complicate the transport and final treatment and conditioning of this type of waste and that is why these operations require careful attention. An overview of the radioactive sources already collected as radioactive waste or still present in the nuclear installations, different cases and problems encountered are presented in this paper, as well as the waste management options adopted by ONDRAF/NIRAS to deal with this type of waste.

Involvement of ANDRAD in Endorsement of Decommissioning Documentation of Nuclear Facilities in Romania

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marin Dinca
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Waste Treatment ◽  
Competent Authority ◽  
Regulatory Body ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
National Agency ◽  
Waste Storage ◽  
Safe Management

National Agency for Radioactive Waste — ANDRAD — is in Romania, by law, the competent authority for the disposal administration of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste and for the coordination of the predisposal management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, inclusive decommissioning of nuclear facilities. Government Ordinance (GO) No. 11/January 30, 2003 and Government Decision (GD) No. 1601/December 23, 2003 established the ANDRAD’s foundation and organization. In accordance with GO No. 11/2003, republished, on the safe management of the radioactive waste, ANDRAD has the responsibility to endorse the decommissioning documentation issued by the main radioactive waste generators (nuclear installations and other major radiological installations: radioactive waste treatment plants, radioactive waste storage facilities, post irradiation examination laboratories, centres for radioisotopes production etc.). ANDRAD receives for endorsement some of the documentation for decommissioning that is provided by enforced norms for each type of nuclear facility. There are presented the nuclear facilities that must have decommissioning documentation endorsed by ANDRAD, the type of documents submitted by license holder to ANDRAD and the procedure of endorsement in relation with the regulatory body (CNCAN) approval of the decommissioning documents.

Operational Programs for National Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management Programme in Slovenia

2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja Zˇeleznik ◽  
Metka Kralj ◽  
Irena Mele
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Management Programme ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Fuel Management ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
National Agency ◽  
National Programme ◽  
Action Programme ◽  
Operational Activities ◽  
Technical Solutions

The first separate National Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management Programme (National Programme) was prepared in Slovenia in 2005 as a supplementary part of the National Environmental Action Programme and was adopted in February 2006 by the Slovenian Parliament. The new National Programme includes all topics being relevant for the management of the radioactive waste and spent fuel which are produced in Slovenia, from the legislation and identification of different waste streams, to the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, the decommissioning of nuclear facilities and management of (TE)NORM in the near future from 2006 up to the 2015. The National Programme identified the existing and possible future problems and proposed the technical solutions and action plans for two distinctive periods: 2006–2009 and 2010–2015. According to the requirement of Act on Protection against Ionising Radiation and Nuclear Safety the national Agency for Radwaste Management (ARAO) prepared the operational programmes for the four year period with technical details on implementation of the National programme. ARAO gained the detailed plans of different involved holders and proposed 9 operational programmes with aims, measures, individual organizations in charge, expenses and resources for each of the programmes. The Operational programmes were already reviewed by the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning and are under acceptance. The orientation of the radioactive waste management according to the National Programme and operational activities within additional limitations based on the strategical decisions of Slovenian Government is presented in the paper.

Activities ONDRAF/NIRAS Related to the Decommissioning of Nuclear Facilities

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Cantarella ◽  
R. Simenon ◽  
M. Braeckeveldt
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Processing System ◽  
Nuclear Facility ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Royal Decree ◽  
Safe Management ◽  
Site Restoration ◽  
Final Shutdown ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Interim Storage

Since 1980, the Agency is responsible by law for the safe management of all radioactive waste produced in Belgium, including decommissioning wastes. By the law of 11 January 1991 and the implementing Royal Decree of 16/10/1991, ONDRAF/NIRAS has been entrusted with a mission concerning the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. This mission involves the collection and assessment of data concerning decommissioning forecasts for nuclear facilities, the approval of facilities’ decommissioning programmes, the establishment — in consultation with operators — of financing conditions for decommissioning, as well as the implementation of these programmes on request by the operator, or in the case of its failure to do so. This is the case for the company Best Medical Belgium SA located at Fleurus (MDS Nordion SA, till April 2011), which produced radioisotopes for medical applications and went bankrupt in 2012. These installations have been entrusted to ONDRAF/NIRAS. A plan of action was developed for taking-over the operations in the framework of remediation and decommissioning. Steps have been taken to integrate his new role as a nuclear operator. The installations of Best Medical Belgium SA are now referred to as the “O/N - Site Fleurus.” Nuclear facility operators, or any person requesting to operate a nuclear facility, are obliged to provide ONDRAF/NIRAS, under their responsibility and in due time, with all the necessary information concerning these facilities’ decommissioning forecasts, the nature, quantities and dates of transfer of the resulting waste, and the financing conditions for these facilities’ decommissioning. In order to make the necessary funds available for decommissioning a nuclear facility when it will be shut down, operators are obliged to establish provisions during the facility’s active life. These provisions are calculated in such a way that the total amount established at the time of the final shutdown covers all costs resulting from the facility’s final phase, namely the preparation of decommissioning, decontamination, more or less long-term maintenance, dismantling, treatment, conditioning and disposal of waste produced during this phase. In order to face to multiple and repeated evaluation processes, the Agency, already in the early 90’s, started with the implementation of its own integrated data processing system, recording the physical and radiological inventories of nuclear facilities, and allowing the evaluation of the quantities of decommissioning materials and wastes as well as of the decommissioning costs of these facilities. The cost evaluations cover all decommissioning activities from final shutdown of the facility until final release from nuclear control, as well as conventional demolition and site restoration if required. Beside the information related to the inventories, the database involves so called auxiliary tables integrating unit prices of the various decontamination and dismantling techniques, unit rates for radioactive waste processing, interim storage and final disposal.

Clearance of Bulk Materials From Decommissioning Projects: Regulatory and Cost Issues

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Devgun ◽  
D. Demoss ◽  
S. Raupp
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
National Level ◽  
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Bulk Materials ◽  
Solid Materials ◽  
The Cost

Decommissioning of nuclear facilities requires management of bulk materials on a large scale. Clearance (also called “free release”) is an essential part of material management and is necessary to reduce the amount of radioactive waste generated. Cleared materials can either be recycled for other use or disposed of as conventional waste. While guidance for decommissioning of reactors in the United States is well established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and License Termination criteria as codified in 10 CFR 20 Subpart E are applied, there is no specific criteria or detailed guidance for the clearance of solid materials. The issue has been around for over three decades. The approach taken by the NRC is still on a case by case basis. In contrast, the guidance at the international scene is more detailed and clearance of solid materials (for recycling or disposition) from the decommissioning of nuclear facilities is regularly practiced in European countries (such as, Sweden, Belgium and Germany). The cost of disposal of bulk materials from decommissioning, such as demolition debris that may or may not be contaminated, as radioactive waste is prohibitive. A path to free release under some criteria is necessary. It is not a question of radiological safety since there is consensus on extremely low dose criteria and these are accepted at the international level. It is rather, an issue of regulatory void in the United States where clarity and explicit guidance at the national level is pending. This paper provides an overview of national and international guidance and regulatory developments for the clearance of solid materials from nuclear decommissioning projects including dose risk based methodologies. It will summarize the cost dimension of the issue and the field experience gained from the Big Rock Point decommissioning project.

An Overview of the Draft of ‘Nuclear Materials and Radioactive Waste Management Act’

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huan Lin ◽  
Tai-Wei Lan ◽  
Min-Tsang Chang ◽  
Wuu-Kune Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Public Involvement ◽  
Nuclear Materials ◽  
Regulatory Body ◽  
Nuclear Facilities ◽  
Radioactive Waste Management ◽  
Regulatory Capacity ◽  
Concept Of Information ◽  
The Impact

The “Nuclear Materials and Radioactive Waste Management Act” (NMRWMA) in Taiwan has been in use since 2002. To promote further administrative efficiency and improve regulatory capacity, an amendment of the act has been initiated by the Atomic Energy Council (AEC). It is now being reviewed by outside experts and related communities so as to include the best understanding of risk management factors. For the future decommissioning challenges of nuclear facilities, the act is also being amended to comply with the regulatory requirements of the decommissioning mandates. Currently the Taiwan government is conducting government reorganization, and AEC will be reformed but will remain as an independent regulatory body. AEC will then be capable of improving the regulatory capacity for facilitating licensing and inspection, ensuring operational safety, environmental protection and public involvement, and giving a more flexible administrative discretion, such as expending the margin of penalty. The amendment is also required to provide a formal legal basis for the Nuclear Backend Fund, and to mandate the waste producers to take responsibility for any final debt repayment. In addition, this amendment promotes measures to prevent accidents or emergencies concerning radioactive materials and facilities and procedures to reduce the impact and effect of any unexpected events. Furthermore, this amendment intends to implement the concept of information transparency and public participation so as to meet the public needs. Finally, radioactive waste final disposal tasks have to be completed by waste producers under the supervision of the AEC.

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