Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste Management in Selected Countries: Trends and Issues

Cooley, Carl R.; Schneider, Kenneth J.; ,

Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste Management in Selected Countries: Trends and Issues

by Carl R. Cooley, U.S. Dep of Energy, United States,
Kenneth J. Schneider, U.S. Dep of Energy, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: High Level Radioactive Waste Management 1990

Abstract:

This paper contains descriptions of the major parameters and plans for management of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes in Belgium, Canada, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. All nine countries are planning on disposal of spent fuel and/or high-level wastes in deep geologic repositories, although some have indicated an interest in alternatives such as seabed disposal and partitioning/transmutation. Most countries are planning on decades of interim waste storage, and are not planning to implement disposal until the year 2020 or later. Most countries plan to reprocess their spent fuel and vitrify the resulting high-level waste for disposal. Most disposal concepts utilize numerous engineered barriers that include overpacks and buffer materials. No country has finalized its repository site or concept, and only two have selected a candidate site for detailed evaluation.

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