Radiological characterization of the nuclear waste streams of the Belgian nuclear research centre SCK.CEN

The radiological characterization of nuclear wastes of a research centre is difficult seen the many different processes that generate waste. Since these wastes may contain radionuclides relevant for the disposal option, the nuclide content and activity have to be known. Considering the fact that some wastes are generated only in minor quantities, complex approaches, involving sampling and successive analysis are not justified. Basic physical models can generally be applied to estimate activity ratios, from which the radionuclide inventory can be determined by non-destructive assay on waste-packages. This article discusses waste streams at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK.CEN and explains how nuclide inventories and activity are determined. The physical models, used to derive activity ratios, and other simple approaches are discussed. (authors)