Cleaning Up Sites Contaminated with Radioactive Materials International Workshop Proceedings (2009) / Chapter Skim
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19 The Past, Present, and Future of the Facilities at Andreev Bay--A. P. Vasiliev
19 The Past, Present, and Future of the Facilities at Andreev Bay--A. P. Vasiliev
Pages 127-136
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From page 127... ...
The spent fuel and radioactive waste storage facilities were never repaired, and today they are in very bad or even dangerous condition, presenting a serious radiation hazard to personnel and the environment. Some structures have become unsound, and radioactive substances escape with groundwater to the surrounding land and into Andreev Bay (see Figure 19-1)
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From page 128... ...
Most facilities intended for spent fuel and radioactive waste storage had suffered operational damage and were not being used for their designated purposes. The old and new spent fuel storage facilities were particularly dangerous.
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From page 129... ...
Fuel retrieval from the damaged storage facility of Building 5 was by no means an easy job, but ingenious and dedicated naval personnel succeeded in moving all the canisters from Building 5 to the dry storage units (DSUs) , with FIGURE 19-2 Building 5 configuration.
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From page 130... ...
Besides these tanks, liquid waste is also found in the cells of DSUs, as well as in the subsurface solid radioactive waste storage facilities. Since 2001, substantial work has been carried out to improve the radiation and environmental conditions.
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From page 131... ...
Surveys of the liquid radioactive waste storage facilities and open solid radioactive waste storage sites, as well as a feasibility study on radioactive waste management, were carried out under a contract with Sweden. The solid waste storage facilities, where highly radioactive materials are expected to be found and groundwater presence is a strong probability, have not yet been explored. An inventory of the solid radioactive waste stored in open sites drastically contrasted with previous information about its quantity, with the new data indicating the presence of several times greater amounts of such waste.
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From page 132... ...
To rule out the possibility of a chain reaction, the following procedure for spent fuel retrieval from DSU cells was adopted: • Drainage of the cells by pumping • Reloading of spent fuel assemblies into new canisters with the help of a standard transfer cask or using a retrieval machine that is being developed The loaded canisters will be put into TK-18 shipping casks, placed on a buffer pad, and then carried by a special vessel either to Murmansk or to Severodvinsk for subsequent shipment to Mayak.
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From page 133... ...
A new railway bridge must be built, and the need for such a bridge was justified in the Strategic Master Plan. At Andreev Bay, spent nuclear fuel is found not only in DSU cells but also in old-design casks, which were kept for a long time on an open pad. Today the condition of the fuel inside the casks is unknown.
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From page 134... ...
This means that modern facilities for handling not only spent nuclear fuel but also radioactive waste should be provided on the Andreev Bay site. It is also necessary to provide temporary storage facilities, including a buffer pad for containerized spent fuel storage before it may be loaded on a vessel, as there are no alternative ways to remove the fuel from Andreev Bay, and a place where solid radioactive waste may be stored before it is shipped away to be buried or disposed of in a regional radioactive waste repository.
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From page 135... ...
Bitmap Image - Low resolution 135 Broadside
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From page 136... ...
These materials need not be shipped away or containerized. It is simpler and cheaper to put them into surface storage facilities at the same site in keeping with rules and regulations that should be developed, validated, approved by the regulatory authorities, and accepted by the public and nongovernmental environmental organizations.
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