Sensitivity study of risk to future generations from geological disposal of radioactive waste in high strength rock in the UAE

Abstract

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government's Policy is to institute a safe and permanent geological disposal facility (GDF) for the final disposal of higher activity radioactive wastes (HAW). The UAE has yet to identify or decide on a disposal site, and geological data specific to the characterisation of a GDF host rock either lacks sufficient details or is not available in the public domain. However, initial screenings of geological environments in the UAE give an indication of potential suitable host rock formations. This paper presents the results of a study into the factors that influence the risk to future generations from the disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) in a deep underground geological disposal facility. For the purpose of this study the GDF was assumed to be in a High Strength Rock (HSR) geological environment in the Khor Fakkan (KF) Block. GoldSim's Contaminant Transport code was used to model the potential dispersion of radioactivity from a GDF. which enabled the calculation of risk to future generations. The GDF radiological source term was based on the UAE's forecasted SNF inventory. The model created from GoldSim emphasizes the transport of radionuclides through the GDF's engineered barrier systems (EBS), through the surrounding geosphere and into the biosphere. Once in the biosphere the radiation dose to the reference receptor is determined via ingestion from well drinking water, or inhalation through atmospheric dispersion. The paper explores the factors that influence the assessment of risk to people both now and in the future. The analyses presented in this paper are not meant to be used in site selection decision making or in the assessment of the suitability of the location to host a GDF for nuclear waste. The selection of a disposal site in the UAE would depend on a more detailed analysis of site-specific conditions.