Geochemical processes and geophysical investigations associated with geological disposal of radioactive waste

The Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is an international committee composed of senior government experts. It is entrusted with overall responsibility for the orientation, conduct and co-ordination at NEA of research and development activities in the field of radioactive waste management. In the particular area of geological disposal of radioactive wastes, the Committee is supported by a Co-ordinating Group on Geological Disposal which has a mandate to organize the exchange of information between participants and to co-ordinate activities in the field of geological disposal. It also constitutes a forum for discussion and evaluation of results achieved in research and development, reporting periodically to the Radioactive Waste Management Committee. During 1982 the Co-ordinating Group sponsored two technical workshops on topics of great importance to the safety assessment and siting of high-level waste repositories. The first of these workshops, held at the OECD in Paris in May 1982 dealt with geochemical processes, and the second, held in Ottawa in September 1982, covered geophysical investigations. These are both active areas of research, and the technical complexity of the subjects and the diversity of experimental findings can often give an impression of uncertainty and confusion to those not intimately involved. It was one purpose of these workshops to attempt to draw from the discussions a clearer view of the capabilities of our current experimental techniques and to highlight the points of most significance to geological disposal of high-level waste, and the areas where further research should be focused. The paper represents the view of the NEA Chairman of the Co-ordinating Group and the Secretariat and does not engage the responsibilities of member governments of the Organisation. (author)