Substantiation of the radiochemical characteristics of liquid radioactive wastes that determine safe operation of deep waste disposal sites

• Published in: Atomic energy (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 94; no. 5; pp. 325 - 332
• Main Authors: KOSAREVA, I. M, SAVUSHKINA, M. K, LEBEDEV, V. A, VOLIN, Yu. M, KABAKCHI, S. A, KOVALEVICH, O. M, AKHUNOV, V. D, BORZUNOV, A. I, D'YAKOV, S. V, KOROTKEVICH, V. M, KUDRYAVTSEV, E. G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01-05-2003; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Assessments; Boundaries; Chemical plants; Dangerous; Disposal sites; Liquid wastes; Liquids; Radioactive wastes; Radioisotopes; Toxicity; Waste disposal; Wastes; Russia, Siberia
• ISSN: 1063-4258; 1573-8205
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1025035927746

The qualitative and quantitative radiochemical composition of liquid wastes is substantiated. This makes possible further safe operation of deep waste disposal sites at the Mining-Chemical Plant and the Siberian Chemical Plant. The toxicity and temperature in a formation with the wastes removed are used as the assessment criteria, satisfaction of which guarantees that the wastes will remain localized within the assigned boundaries of the waste-disposal formation site. It is concluded that the standard limit should be imposed on the specific activity of the long-lived group of radionuclides - super(90)Sr and super(137)Cs - rather than on the total specific activity of the wastes placed in deep disposal sites. For maximum specific activity of super(90)Sr and super(137)Cs of 37 GBq/dm super(3) and total specific activity not exceeding 185 GBq/dm super(3) for buried wastes with radionuclide composition characteristic of modern radiochemical production operations, it is impossible for potentially dangerous radiation and thermochemical processes to occur in the waste-disposal formation site. The recommended limit permits reducing substantially the volume of buried wastes and therefore the region over which the wastes propagate in the deep disposal site.