IMPACTS OF SOURCE TERM HETEROGENEITIES ON WATER PATHWAY DOSE.

Abstract

Radioactive sealed sources are used extensively throughout the world in different field and various activities such as medicine, agriculture, industry, research, education military applications, as well as nuclear facilities. The International Basic Safety Standards for Protection against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation sources [1] defines a sealed source as ''radioactive material that is (a) permanently sealed in capsule or (b) closely bounded and in a solid form. The capsule or material of sealed source shall be strong enough to maintain remain leak free under the conditions of use and wear for which the source was designed, also under foreseeable mishaps''. When a radioactive sealed source is no longer needed, or becomes unfit for the intended application it is considered spent. A spent sealed source is not necessarily a waste because it can be used in other applications. If for any technical or economic reason (decay, obsolete equipment and technique, worn out equipment) no further use is foreseen, the spent sealed source is considered spent and becomes radioactive waste [2] [3]. In addition, a source may be taken out of service temporarily or indefinitely. In this case the source is out of used (''disused'') but not considered spentmore » [4]. Sources that are not in active use and have not being declared as spent are considered as disused sealed sources [4]. Considering the potential radiation hazards associated with such waste it has to be managed and disposed of in a way that will ensure that the potential radiation hazards are adequately managed and controlled in compliance with the appropriate safety principles and criteria. It is recognized that there exists today experience and means for all steps in the management of disused sealed sources, except disposal of [2]. In many countries, disused sealed sources represent a part of the radioactive waste inventory being characterized generally with high specific activities and small physical sizes and for which a solution has to be found in term of long-term disposal. Together with their casing and packaging, they are one form of heterogeneous waste; many other forms of waste with heterogeneous properties exist. They may arise in very small quantities and with very specific characteristics in the case of small producers, or in larger streams with standard characteristics in others. This wide variety of waste induces three main different levels of waste heterogeneity: (1) hot spot (e.g. disused sealed sources); (2) large item inside a package (e.g. metal components); and (3) very large items to be disposed of directly in the disposal unit (e.g. irradiated pipes, vessels). Safety assessments generally assume a certain level of waste homogeneity in most of the existing or proposed disposal facilities. There is a need to evaluate the appropriateness of such an assumption and the influence on the results of safety assessment. This need is especially acute in the case of sealed sources. There are many cases where are storage conditions are poor, or there is improper management leading to a radiological accident, some with significant or detrimental impacts. Disposal in a near surface disposal facility has been used in the past for some disused sealed sources. This option is currently in use for others sealed sources, or is being studied for the rest of them. The regulatory framework differs greatly between countries. In some countries, large quantities of disused sealed sources have been disposed of without any restriction, in others their disposal is forbidden by law. In any case, evaluation of the acceptability of disposal of disused sealed sources in near surface disposal facility is of utmost importance.« less