Radioactive Waste Management at the Angra 1 and Angra 2 Nuclear Power Plants and Future Perspectives

The Angra Nuclear Power Plant has two PWR plants in operation (Angra 1 and Angra 2) and one PWR plant under construction. There are five initial deposits of low and medium levels waste on the plant. Three deposits are installed in the Waste Management Center (WMC), one deposit is located inside the UKA building in Angra 2 and one deposit was built to receive two steam generators and a reactor vessel cover from Angra 1. The steam generators were changed in 2009 and the reactor vessel cover was changed in 2013. In Angra Power Plant there are about 8300 low/medium waste packages stored in that Deposits. Angra 1 has storage capacity until 2028 and Angra 2 has storage capacity until 2033. Brazil plans to build a repository until 2024. Candidate sites are already being evaluated and that repository will receive wastes from all parts of the country. This project is very important for Angra 1, Angra 2 and Angra 3 Power Plants.Angra 1 and Angra 2 produce the following waste: Resins, Filters, Compressible Waste, Non Compressible Waste and Concentrate. Angra 1 use cement to incorporate Resins and Concentrates in liners of 1000 liters, use cement to imobilize filters in 200 liters drums. Angra 2 use betume to incorporate resins and concentrates, use betume to imobilize filters in 200 liters drums. Both, Angra 1 and Angra 2, use cement to imobilize the non compressible wastes in 1200 liters boxes. Angra 3 will use the direct drum drying process for resins and concentrates. (author)