 Radioactive Waste Management and Transport Safety Division |
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The Radioactive Waste Management and Transport Safety Division carries on surveys,
testing and research activities to ensure safety in the management of radioactive waste and the transportation of fuels as well as to improve safety regulations. |
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| 1. Safety for Decommissioning, Radioactive Waste Disposal and Others |
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| (1) Decommissioning |
| The Division reviews, compiles and accumulates knowledge contributing to the examination of decommissioning plan such as safety evaluation methods for decommissioning of nuclear installations. The Division concurrently improves confirmation methods of the completion of nuclear installations and decommissioning waste. |
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| (2) Clearance |
| Scrap materials from nuclear installations include "materials that need not be dealt with as radioactive waste" for its extremely low radioactive concentrations whose influence on human health is negligible. A clearance system whereby such materials can be recycled or disposed of is in operation. The Division also reviews the examination standards for measurement and evaluation which ensure that the radioactive concentrations of materials is below the clearance levels. It also studies confirmation procedures that an approved measuring method has been implemented. |
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Clearance measurement apparatus
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| (3) Confirmation of Radioactive Waste Disposal |
| 1) Low level radioactive waste |
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| For waste packages subject to the on-going near-surface pit disposal, the Division conducts technical evaluation of the waste's characteristics and the review and improvement of the current confirmation methods. The Division also studies the characteristics and other attributes of wastes subject to the near-surface trench disposal and intermediate depth disposal, expected to be launched in the future, and improves those confirmation procedures.
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Disposal methods for
radioactive waste
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| 2) Returned waste |
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The Division also studies requirements for receiving radioactive waste in Japan, which will be returned from overseas in the near future. |
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Sketch of a disposal
cavern cross-section for
the intermediate depth disposal
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Concept of geological disposal |
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| 2. Safety of Radioactive Waste Disposal |
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For surface disposal and intermediate depth disposal under consideration to accommodate large part of low-level radioactive waste from NPPs and fuel cycle facilities in Japan, the Division is improving safety evaluation methods and approaches for verifying whether or not long-term safety of disposal facilities comply with the standards.
Similarly, for geological disposal to accommodate high-level radioactive waste as well as TRU waste, the Division is conducting the survey and analysis of 1) the criteria to evaluate the appropriateness of site investigation result which is used select a final repository by implementing body as well as 2) the standards and safety assessment for the license application.
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| 3. Safety of Spent Fuel Storage Facilities and Transport |
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The Division studies safety of storage and transport of dual purpose casks (used for transport and storage for spent fuel storage facilities). In addition to those safety studies, the Division collects and analyzes relevant information, supports NISA to establish technical standards and evaluates and improves standards established by the scientific and industry associations. Also, the Division studies safety verification procedures for waste control facilities.
Furthermore, in order to ensure the safety of land and sea transport of nuclear fuel assembly, the Division reviews and studies the IAEA regulations and collects information, evaluates safety and improves standards pertaining to domestic transport.
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Cask drop test from a height of 9 meters
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