Radioactive Waste Immobilisation Network

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Radioactive Waste Immobilisation Network
The NDA Programme on HLW, Spent Fuel and
Nuclear Materials Management
Paul Gilchrist Engineering Division, NDA 31
January 2006
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Presentation Outline

• Supporting Information
• Draft Strategy Status
• Recap - NDA Main Drivers
• NDAs Waste Nuclear Materials Strategy Team
• WNM Key Objectives and Role
• High Level Waste (HLW) Management
• Spent Fuel Management Update
• Nuclear Materials Management
• Plutonium Disposition.
• Uranium Disposition
• Smart Application of Science and Technology

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NDA Draft Strategy Status

• 3 month consultation into NDAs draft strategy
  closed on 15th November, 2005.
• 270 responses received from communities, special
  interest groups and industry, e.g.
• British Nuclear Group
• Greenpeace
• ISL, Sheffield
• Nexia Solutions
• Nirex
• Norwegian Government
• UKAEA
• NDA Board approved the revised strategy, taking
  into account consultation comments, on 15th
  December 2005, and submitted it to UK Government.
• UK Government has until end of March 2006 to
  approve the Final Strategy no further comment
  on final strategy can be given by NDA until it is
  approved by UK Government

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Recap of NDAs Main Drivers

• We must have safe and environmentally responsible
  operation of our sites and projects
• We act in an open and transparent manner, with
  strong stakeholder engagement
• We must provide value for money for the taxpayer,
  continuously driving down the national liability
• NDA will achieve a dynamic and competitive
  decommissioning and cleanup business in UK

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NDAs Waste and Nuclear Materials Strategy Team

• Within Richard Waites Engineering Directorate.
• The Team acts as the NDAs internal sponsor for
  directly commissioned RD activities in WNM
• Phil Davies is the Team Leader.
• Joanne Fisher is the Strategy Manager low
  activity wastes, contaminated land and site end
  points.
• James McKinney is the Strategy Manager covering
  ILW (including reactor decommissioning waste) and
  Inter-site transfers
• Paul Gilchrist is the Strategy Manager for HLW,
  Fuels, Nuclear Materials, Orphans and
  Miscellaneous Wastes

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WNM Role Key Objectives

• Internal and External interface and input as
  required, e.g.
• DTI
• CoRWM.
• NDAs Skills and Technology Unit (Ian Hudson),
  particularly for waste technologies
• RD packages and the Nirex contract (Neil Smart).
  
• NDAs Strategy Directorate and Programmes
  Directorate (contract / site-facing)
• Alignment of RD to NDA business drivers.
• Internal one stop shop expert resource on waste
  and nuclear materials topics.
• Identifying and promoting good practice.
• Encouraging innovation for improved cleanup
  performance.
• Pursuing opportunities to drive down the UK
  liability we want to achieve big savings

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HLW Management

• NDA supports the current approach to reduce the
  volume of liquid HLW and to return foreign HLW
  back to the country of origin.
• Significant quantities (currently around 1,345
  cubic metres) of liquid HLW have built up over
  the years.
• There are now three vitrification lines in
  operation to encapsulate the wastes in glass as
  part of the process to achieve passive safety
• The three vitrification lines will need to
  operate effectively and continuously (subject to
  periodic shutdowns for maintenance purposes) if
  the volume reduction target date of July 2015 is
  to be met.
• Any unexpected or unplanned shutdowns of the
  vitrification lines would put the achievement of
  the volume reduction target at risk.
• Moreover, further vitrification lines could not
  be delivered in time.
• A programme agreed between BNFL and NII was put
  in place in 2000, to reduce the volume of liquid
  waste in tank storage to the minimum level
  required to maintain the integrity of the process
  by July 2015.
• Good progress is being made with this programme.

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HLW Management Programme
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Spent Fuels - Context

• NDA is responsible for the management of spent
  nuclear fuel on its sites
• Significant volume of fuel from historic
  operations
• Fuel from Magnox power stations
• Fuel from British Energys AGR power stations
• Inherited contractual obligations
• Currently, spent fuel from Magnox reactors is
  reprocessed at Sellafield, and the Magnox
  reprocessing plant is due to cease operations in
  2012.
• Spent AGR fuel is currently stored and
  reprocessed at the THORP plant at Sellafield.

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Spent Fuels NDA drivers

• Reduce hazard potential through ensuring the safe
  management of spent fuel and ultimately to
  produce passively safe packages that will be
  suitable for final disposal.
• Fulfil contractual obligations for the management
  of spent fuel on behalf of UK and overseas
  customers
• Ensure there is sufficient available capacity to
  accept all currently projected consignments of
  Magnox and AGR spent fuel from UK reactors
• Drive innovation and skills development to ensure
  the delivery of obligations in a timely and
  cost-effective manner.

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Nuclear Materials - Context

• The NDA will continue to ensure that nuclear
  materials are stored safely and securely
• The NDA is working with Government to ensure the
  most effective management of nuclear materials
• The NDA needs to understand the potential size of
  the asset or liability value of civil nuclear
  materials owned by the NDA
• Uranium and Plutonium are classified as zero
  value assets at present. The management of the
  materials in storage is within NDA scope, but, at
  present, future disposition is not.
• Current quantities are around 75 teHM plutonium
  and 55,000 teHM uranium
• Does not include foreign, MoD or BE material
• Plutonium and Uranium Disposition
• For each type of material, compare reuse and
  immobilisation (disposal) lifecycle scenarios

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Nuclear Materials Plutonium Disposition Options
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Nuclear Materials - Plutonium

• Advancing previous work (e.g. PuWG) and adapting
  to changing UK drivers.
• Main NDA Focus on
• Macro-economics of Disposition Options.
• Improving technology baselines for immobilisation
  technologies.
• Increasing understanding of performance of
  existing and new reactor Pu-fuels.

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Preliminary Assessments Uranium Options
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Nuclear Materials - Uranium

• 5 Main sources
• High Enriched.
• Thorp Product.
• Magnox Reprocessed.
• Enrichment Tails.
• Un-irradiated natural / low-enriched.
• Establishing macro-economic study of the main
  options.
• Improving technology baselines for
• Immobilisation techniques.
• Tails deconversion methods.
• Reuse .

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Nuclear Materials next steps

• Continue to work up cost models for
  immobilisation or reuse.
• Continue focussed RD spend.
• DTI being kept informed.
• Progress updates to National Stakeholder Group.

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Smart Application of Science and Technology

• Innovation in ALL activities, including
• Research, Development and Technology ,
• Operational approaches,
• Administration
• Working with suppliers
• Constructive challenge to previous established
  knowledge
• Myth Busting where appropriate.
• New technologies and new applications of existing
  technologies
• Close tracking of UK International best
  practice
• Understanding the requirements for adoption in
  the UK
• Communicating across UK sites and projects
  (embedding into NDA strategies and LTPs)
• Forward vision
• Planning now to prepare us for future challenges
  (eg graphite, contaminated land)