Quality assurance applied to waste packaging characterization, quality control and auditing

This paper describes the Quality Assurance management systems used in the United Kingdom for the management of solid low-level radioactive waste (LLW). LLW is generated at nuclear licensed sites operated at AEA Technology at Winfrith, Harwell and Windscale (England) and at Dounreay (Scotland). The waste is generated as a result of a wide range of operations associated with thermal and fast reactors, reprocessing, analytical laboratories and other processes. In addition Harwell receive LLW from external consignors via the National Disposal Service. Where applicable the LLW is segregated at source into combustible/non combustible and compactible/noncompactible waste streams and in some cases processed by sorting, shredding, incineration or light compaction. The waste is packed into nominal 200 liter drums, and these are either disposed of directly or supercompacted before being consigned for final disposal. The disposal site for the Winfrith and Harwell waste is Drigg in Cumbria, which is operated by British Nuclear Fuels plc. The repository for Dounreay LLW is on the site itself