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Nuclear Waste Management Overview

Nuclear wastes are byproducts of nuclear power generation and other nuclear technologies. They are classified as solid, liquid, or gaseous wastes and as high, medium, or low level based on their radioactivity. Liquid wastes are either diluted and released into the ground or concentrated and stored in tanks to prevent water contamination. Solid wastes are buried or sealed in concrete and drums. Low level wastes like contaminated materials and liquids are buried onsite or in oceans. Medium level wastes requiring shielding can be buried in shallow repositories. High level wastes, which are very radioactive and hot, are stored in pools for cooling then sealed in underground geological repositories.

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9 views10 pages

Nuclear Waste Management Overview

Nuclear wastes are byproducts of nuclear power generation and other nuclear technologies. They are classified as solid, liquid, or gaseous wastes and as high, medium, or low level based on their radioactivity. Liquid wastes are either diluted and released into the ground or concentrated and stored in tanks to prevent water contamination. Solid wastes are buried or sealed in concrete and drums. Low level wastes like contaminated materials and liquids are buried onsite or in oceans. Medium level wastes requiring shielding can be buried in shallow repositories. High level wastes, which are very radioactive and hot, are stored in pools for cooling then sealed in underground geological repositories.

Uploaded by

Muhammad Arslan
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Nuclear waste

management
What are nuclear wastes?

Nuclear wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Nuclear


wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other
applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology.
Nuclear waste classification
[Link] wastes
[Link] wastes
[Link] wastes
Nuclear waste classification
Classification on the basis of radioactivity
[Link] level wastes
[Link] level wastes
[Link] level wastes
Ways for disposal of waste

Liquid Waste – The disposal of liquid wastes is done in


two ways:
[Link] – The liquid wastes are diluted with large
quantities of water and then released into the ground. This
method suffers from the drawback that there is a chance of
contamination of underground water if the dilution factor is
not adequate.
[Link] to small volumes and storage –
When the dilution of radioactive liquid wastes is not
desirable due to amount or nature of isotopes, the liquid
wastes are concentrated to small volumes and stored in
underground tanks. The tanks should be of assured long
term strength and leakage of liquid from the tanks should
not take place otherwise leakage of contents, from the
tanks may lead to significant underground water
contamination.
• Gaseous Waste – Gaseous wastes can most easily
results in atmospheric pollution. Gaseous wastes are
generally diluted with air, passed through filters and then
released to atmosphere through large chimneys.
• Solid Wastes – Solid wastes consists of scrape material or
discarded objects contaminated with radioactive matter.
These wastes if combustible are burnt and the radioactive
matter is mixed with concrete, drummed and shipped for
burial. Non-combustible solid wastes, are always buried
deep in the ground
Disposal of low level waste
Low level radio waste consist of:
Contaminated solids
liquids
animal carcasses
• Radioactive animal carcasses are either incinerated or buried
onsite.
• The nuclear wastes is cast in cement in steel drum and are buried
either or kept at the bed of oceans.
Disposal of medium level
wastes
• Medium level waste requires shielding when being
handled.
• Dependent on the amount of activity it can be buried in
shallow repositories.
• These wastes are mainly contaminated with neutron
activation product isotopes
Disposal of high level wastes

• High level waste has a large amount of radioactive


activity and is thermally hot.
• remove fuel underwater and transferred to a storage
pool.
• After about five years it can be transferred into dry
ventilated concrete containers,
• but otherwise it can safely remain in the pool indefinitely
- usually for up to 50 years.
• The high-level wastes (whether as used fuel after 50
years cooling) will be disposed of deep underground in
geological repositories.

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