Sources of radiation

· cosmic rays (magnetic field of Earth, absorption in atmosphere),

· radioactive background of Earth, differs according to location, typically 1-5 mSv

· nuclear test

· artificial sources (e.g. X ray apparatus, irradiation during cancer therapy, etc.)

Nuclear fuel cycle

1. Uranium mining

· Classical way

· Chemical way with use of sulphur acid – possible long term impact on underground water – Czech case

2. Chemical processing – “yellow cake” preparation (concentration)

3. Uranium enrichment (natural uranium consist of only 0.7% of U235 izotope)

· Conversion into gas UF₆, physical methods (slight differences in specific weight, or speed of diffusion)

· Conversion into U₃O₈

4. Fabrication of fuel cells

5. Nuclear power plant – e.g. 2x1000 MW, 30 years, 1826 tonnes of spent fuel

6. Temporary storage (app. 40-50 years)

7. Final disposal

RADIOACTIVE WASTE – THREE MAIN RELATED ECONOMIC TASK

· How to finance decommissioning

· How to finance radioactive waste (final) disposal (of different types)

· How to finance temporary storage of spent fuel

RADIOACTIVE WASTE CLASSIFICATION

· According to activity level

o Low level waste (LLW)

o Intermediate level waste (ILW)

o High level waste – spent fuel

· According to half time

o Short lived isotopes

o Intermediate lived isotopes

o Long lived isotopes

· According to origin

o Industry, hospitals, research institutes, etc.

o Nuclear power

Basically at least 10 half-times are needed

CZECH CASE EXAMPLE

(similar to other EU countries)

· Responsibility of state – long time horizons

o State authority responsible for waste record keeping (origin, amount, processing) and for waste disposal – SURAO in Czech republic

o Waste originator should bear all current and future cost of waste management (uncertainty in future knowledge) – regulated fee

Decommissioning

· Owners of nuclear plants should create provisions in money (bound account), periodically audited and approved by

· System for LLW and ILW waste disposal – payment for one equivalent container (drum in drum system)

o Institutional waste – three existing repositories (Richard, Bratrstvi, Dukovany)

o Nuclear waste

· System for spent fuel disposal – payment for 1 MWh produced

Deep geological repository – expected opening in 2065

METHODOLOGY USED FOR FEES CALCULATION OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL

· “Polluter pays principle” application

· Financial balance of waste management system

· Reflection of adequate level of risk (specific task, very long time horizons)

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14