Abstract
AbstractA three-year European Commission project entitled performance assessment methodologies in application to guide the development of the safety case (PAMINA) was conducted in the period 2006–2009 and brought together 27 organizations from ten European countries, including the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Galson Sciences Ltd from the UK. The PAMINA project had the aim of improving and developing a common understanding of performance assessment (PA) methodologies for disposal concepts for spent fuel and other long-lived radioactive wastes in a range of geological environments.Work undertaken within PAMINA focussed on four areas: (1) review of PA methodologies in participating organizations; (2) treatment of uncertainty in PA and the safety case; (3) other methodological advancements in PA; and (4) relevance of advanced PA approaches to practical cases.The state of development of a radioactive waste disposal programme has a strong influence on the type of safety case and supporting PA that is produced. A range of PA methodologies has been developed by different waste management organizations. This paper presents a selection of conclusions from the PAMINA project, in the context of general understanding developed on what would constitute an acceptable safety case for a geological disposal facility, and outlines areas for further development.
Highlights
A safety case for a geological disposal facility (GDF) is a set of claims concerning the safety of the disposal of radioactive waste, substantiated by a structured collection of arguments and evidence
This paper provides an introduction to the PAMINA project, considers the treatment of uncertainty in the safety case, summarizes some other specific outcomes and conclusions of the project, and provides some ideas on areas for further development
Key conclusions from PAMINA, which can serve to focus future research and development in the area of performance assessment (PA) and the safety case, include: (1) Whereas in the past, safety case development placed a lot of emphasis on comparison between safety assessment calculation results and dose/risk criteria set by the regulator, recent safety cases have used a broader range of performance indicators and safety arguments: BAT, optimization, safety functions and alternative safety and performance indicators are increasingly being used as additional arguments in a safety case in support of compliance with the regulatory dose/risk criteria and to build confidence in the long-term safety and the robustness of GDF design options
Summary
A safety case for a geological disposal facility (GDF) is a set of claims concerning the safety of the disposal of radioactive waste, substantiated by a structured collection of arguments and evidence.
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