EPRI Project Update on International Nuclear Power Plant Waste Classification - 16224

Countries around the globe use varying schemes for the characterization of radioactive waste. Many countries use adaptations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) waste classification scheme. Other countries use the Class A, B, and C waste classification scheme that was developed in the United States. General comparisons have been made between the IAEA and the United States (U.S.) classification schemes, but a clear and well researched comparison of the two schemes was not evident in the available research data sets. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Radiation Safety (RS) Program has conducted a technical evaluation that compares these two waste characterization schemes. EPRI developed a set of reference wastes that are representative of nuclear power plant low-level radioactive waste in form and radioactivity concentrations (e.g. dry active waste, high activity resin, low activity resin, high activity filters and low activity filters). These reference wastes were then classified using the waste classification systems in place in several countries around the world. This paper and presentation will provide a summary of that research, show where strong comparisons and correlations can be made, and provide a discussion on how this information might inform the harmonization of global waste classification standards. (authors)