Erosion rate assessment in Saligny site based on Cs-137 profile

The safety disposal of the radioactive waste and spent fuel is one of the major concerns of the present research in nuclear energy field. According to the present concept, the low and intermediate level waste (LILW) generated during the operation of Cernavoda NPP will be disposed in a near surface repository at Saligny site. Up to present, a large number of aspects have been considered for the safety assessment of the proposed disposal concept most of them focused on the sub-surface exposure pathways. Generally it was proved that the natural layers are efficient barrier against the radionuclide transport toward the local and regional aquifers. Recently, the studies were concentrated on the surface exposure pathways and especially on the soil erosion. The low cohesiveness of the loess, the semi-arid climate and the presence of the wind indicate that the erosion rate of the Saligny site could be important for the long-term disposal safety. An experimental program for erosion rate evaluation was initiated last year combining in-field direct measurements and indirect calculations based on the analysis of the variation of the Cs-137 profiles with the site topography. This paper presents the results obtained until now using the variation of the Cs-137 concentration profile along two lines, one on the northern slope of the Saligny site, and another on the eastern one. (authors)