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20 Environmental Remediation of Spent Nuclear Fuel and Radioactive Waste Temporary Storage Facilities in Gremikha Village: Challenges and Proposed Solutions--Yu. Ye. Gorlinsky, A. Yu. Kazennov, O. A. Nikolsky, V. A. Pavlov, B. S. Stepennov, and A. F. Usaty
Pages 137-151

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From page 137...
... F Usaty, Russian Research Center -- Kurchatov Institute CURRENT STATUS OF OPERATIONS IN GREMIKHA VILLAGE The former Russian Navy technical base in Gremikha village, now called the spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste temporary storage facility, is situated on the northern coast of the Kola Peninsula.
From page 138...
... for environmental remediation. The objectives are to remove the spent nuclear fuel and the radioactive waste, decommission the facility, and clean up the adjacent territory within a sanitary protective zone until residual contamination reaches acceptable levels.
From page 139...
... • Preproject documents are to be developed, justifying the selection of optimum engineering solutions for management of spent fuel from Alpha-class nuclear submarines, management of solid and liquid radioactive waste, and the marine infrastructure. • The container component must provide containers for safe transportation of spent fuel and solid radioactive waste being stored at the site.
From page 140...
... According to contracts between the Kurchatov Institute and CEA, Russian organizations carried out the following tasks in 2005-2007, with the resulting information serving as the basis for preproject and project documentation: • Generalization of results from the preliminary site study, analysis of relevant information regarding availability and conditions of accumulated spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste, and assessments of the condition of the engineering infrastructure • Development of the Gremikha information system and generation of a database that will include the results of previous studies • Purchase and installation of equipment, devices, and materials to create conditions for safe implementation of current radiation-hazard operations, including two modular decontamination facilities and additional radiological equipment • Completion of a site study aimed at obtaining comprehensive information on both the radiation situation in the buildings, structures, and offshore waters and the engineering conditions of buildings, structures, and the technical infrastructure CEA has begun to finance activities on 14 projects proposed by Rosatom. Contracts have been signed for five projects, and technical and financial proposals have been prepared for the remainder.
From page 141...
... In accordance with contracts between EBRD and Russian organizations, the following projects are being implemented: • Project 1: Creation of safe conditions for spent removable cores from Alpha-class submarines • Project 2: Development of a conceptual project for placement of spent nuclear fuel and solid radioactive waste in interim repositories • Project 3: Development of a conceptual project for improvement of spent nuclear fuel storage conditions for the nuclear submarine in Building 1 • Project 4: Improvement of the current system of physical protection at the site • Project 9: System of radiological monitoring and emergency preparedness ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION STRATEGY AND END STATE The Gremikha site is a radiation legacy of the former USSR. The strategy of environmental remediation at the site is based on several related objectives: • Identification of strategies for reaching the facility's end state and specification of positive and negative features • Determination of the main stages and principles of work • Identification of stakeholders and the basis of their positions • Specification of principal factors in justifying selection of the most acceptable facility end-state options • Selection of the most acceptable end-state strategies for the site based on comprehensive assessments of strategy options • Time and cost evaluations for strategy implementation The environmental remediation program at the site must consist of interim stages.
From page 142...
... Only if this factor were minimized would such strategies be acceptable, as it is difficult to balance the end state after remediation with modern regulatory requirements. For "spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste storage facility and/or disposal facility for secondary radioactive waste," which is the end state for the strategy "conversion and facility disposal in situ," regulatory requirements restrict spent fuel and radioactive waste storage facility possibilities.
From page 143...
... in situ Brown field: Full compliance with Change of facility function: site for a requirements for radiation- Spent fuel and radioactive waste removal and radiation- hazard facilities subsequent urgent partial dismantlement of hazard the building, as well as decontamination of the facility building and the site in order to build a new radiation-hazard facility Change of facility function: Same as above, but with delayed partial dismantlement Brown field: Release from regulatory Facility liquidation and site remediation: industrial control due to restrictions on Spent fuel and radioactive waste removal (nonradiation- site use and subsequent urgent full dismantlement of hazard) structures and radioactive waste removal, as well facility site as remediation of the adjacent area in order to build a new nonradiation-hazard facility Facility liquidation and site remediation: Same as above, but with delayed full dismantlement Green field Full release from regulatory Facility liquidation and site renovation: control Spent fuel and radioactive waste removal and subsequent urgent full dismantlement of structures and radioactive waste removal, as well as remediation of adjacent area Facility liquidation and site renovation: Same as above, but with delayed full dismantlement
From page 144...
... Here, interference with facilities located at the same industrial site was not taken into account, even though the release from regulatory control of a single site at a radiation-hazard facility is unlikely to be justifiable. Analysis of environmental remediation options has demonstrated that for the next 10 to 15 years, the most acceptable strategy is to "change the facility function." For the Gremikha site as a whole, this strategy includes urgent removal of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste and subsequent modification of the site facilities into new radiation-hazard facilities that would provide technical support for remediation work, which could take not more than 10 to 15 years.
From page 145...
... The results of radiation monitoring near the site serve as evidence that it is impossible to find impacts of site activities on the environment and the public within the surveillance area. Preliminary Assessment of the Environmental Impacts of Site Remediation Scenarios The following types of possible radiation impacts on the environment under routine use of buildings and structures intended for management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste being accumulated within the site should be noted: • Radioactive gas and aerosol discharges (fission products, radiolysis products, and so forth)
From page 146...
... There are some approved technologies developed for this purpose, which must be adapted to conditions at the site. Liquid Radioactive Waste Approximately 300 m3 of liquid waste is present in liquid waste storage facilities, closed areas of Building 1, and spent nuclear fuel containers at the onsite temporary solid-waste storage facility.
From page 147...
... • Removal of spent fuel, spent removable cores, solid and liquid radioactive waste, and contaminated soil from the site • Disassembly of contaminated and special equipment and structures and their dismantlement or removal • Decontamination of buildings intended for conversion • Remediation of the site and offshore waters A preliminary analysis of the technology associated with overall spent nuclear fuel repackaging and its removal in transport containers has been carried out. Such technology (considering the tonnage of possible containerships and
From page 148...
... Floating vessel Dismantlement of Floating Vessel 167 into solid management radioactive waste and Floating Vessel 175 into metal scrap Environmental Removal of contaminated soil from five locations, Approval of remediation of site separation of soil to minimize the amount of solid remediation radioactive waste to be removed from the site, remediation norms by of buildings, elimination of temporary solid and liquid Federal Medical waste storage facilities Biological Agency Environmental Implementation of site study recommendations after remediation of removal of spent fuel and radioactive waste from the site offshore waters and remediation, if necessary, of bottom sediments climate-related restrictions) will make it possible to remove all of the spent fuel in the course of 4 years.
From page 149...
... and temporary continuation of current facility functions and usage •  Urgent removal of spent nuclear fuel and primary radioactive waste •  Decommissioning of facilities and creation of radiation technological facilities for interim management of secondary radioactive waste 3. The assessment showed that environmental remediation work at the site could take 12 to 20 years, depending on various technologies that could be used for spent fuel and radioactive waste management.
From page 150...
... 2006. Implementation of total engineering and radiation study of marine areas at the spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste temporary storage site in Gremikha village (SevRAO OB 2 area)
From page 151...
... 2005. Radioecological Consequences of Radioactive Waste Flows in the Seas around Russia ("White Book -- 2000")


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