An evaluation on the disposal alternatives for low- and intermediate- level radwaste (II)

An evaluation on the radioactive waste disposal alternatives for the low-and intermediate level wastes being produced from nuclear power generation and radioisotope application was carried out in view of the radiological safety, socio-political aspects and repository construction economics. Three types of possible alternatives-sample shallow land disposal method, engineered shallow land disposal method and engineered rock cavern disposal method are investigated. The safety assessment consists of radiological dose calculation and nonradiological impacts which is expressed as total number of injuries and fatalities during construction, operation and transportation. The sociopolitical assessment is done in terms of site conditions including easiness for land acquisition, technical feasibility and public acceptance. The economic assessment is performed by cost comparison regarding land acquisition, construction, operation and closure for each alternatives. The evaluation shows that engineered rock cavern disposal method has remarkable favour in safety than others. And also an integrated evaluation using AHP results the engineered rock cavern disposal method as the most favorable option