Low-level radioactive waste disposal technology

In 1984, the Atomic Energy Commission announced its policy that Low-Level Radioactive Waste shall be disposed of in shallow land disposal facilities. Since then, research and development has been directed to the first Japanese disposal facility. Under such circumstances, IHI introduced the SUREPAK System in Japan, which was developed by Westinghouse Electric Corp. Recently Westinghouse Electric Corporation proposed the system including siting, designing and operation of the disposal facility to the state of Illinois. And IHI has also developed unique waste container which adopted a composite structure made up of steel and concrete. In order to assess the span of life of the container, the carbonation rate is one of the important factors. This paper refers to the disposal facility proposed for Illions, and IHI's unique composite container. Furthermore, the carbonation rates of various concrete are compared. (author)