MANAG. RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAG. MOSCOW

The assessment of the management procedures for the collection, transportation and monitoring of the radwaste within Moscow region not originating from NPP will be performed. Hospital, industrial and R&D centres wastes will be considered, including spent fuel from research reactor, irradiation sources and decommissioning wastes. Based on Western experience, a technical-economical assessment of improvements will be made.

The objective of this project is the modernization of the Radwaste Management system in three steps:

1. Presentation of a radwaste management system for the non-NPP waste actually in operation in the country of the Contractor.
2. Assessment of the situation of non-NPP waste management in the Moscow region (technical audit).
3. Proposals for improvement with a view to increasing operational safety radwaste management, from the collection from the waste producer to the entrance into the processing (MNPO Radon) facility.

The technical assistance consisted in:

Phase 1:

• Presentation of a radwaste management system for the non-NPP waste in the country of the Contractor, including e.g. institutional aspects, radwaste management and radwaste monitoring forms of the system operating in the Contractor’s country;
• Working seminars and visits will be organized in the Contractor’s country.

Phase 2:

Assessment of the situation of non-NPP waste management in the Moscow Region. A technical audit will be performed, it will review of the following items:

• Waste quantities (and physical-chemical status);
• The actual radioactive waste storage, the expected radioactive waste production including waste from medical, industrial and research applications, and waste from decommissioning of nuclear research facilities;
• Review of existing facilities for radwaste treatment, storage and disposal;
• Management system ranging from collecting at source to treatment at site;
• Assessment of existing acceptance requirements;
• Institutional aspects;
• Professional training aspects;
• Public relations aspects.

Phase 3:

Proposals of improvement of the management system, in particular the radwaste collection, monitoring, transportation and entrance control system. Based on the audit/Phase 2 a feasibility study will be performed for improvements of the radwaste management.

The study shall include a concept for the monitoring of the radwaste transfer in the Moscow region from the producers to the storage facility at MNPO Radon.

Contractor and Local Subcontractor have gone in detail through the waste management systems and facilities of MNPO Radon.The findings and recommendations, in spite of certain difficulties in their correct interpretations, are useful for further improvements in the Russian non-NPP radwaste management systems and procedures.
The MNPO Radon waste collection system was found to be adequate. Of concern seemed to be the waste producers, not under the regulatory control, who cause problems in getting their wastes sorted correctly into 12 groups, as defined by MNPO Radon. The adequate systems for the receiving inspection/characterization of the wastes are important therefore.
New long-term storage capacity for conditioned radwaste is needed in Moscow region after the year 2000, which gives a possibility to reconsider the waste management strategies and systems to be applied, e.g. the construction of a disposal facility and the final placement of the wastes in some other site.

As a result from the project, a need for a comprehensive safety assessment in context with the design of the new long-term storage has been considered to perform. Then an emphasis should be put also on specifying containers capable of final waste disposal. Improvements in waste handling systems in order to facilitate remote handling are important, too.

Although MNPO Radon seemed to have an extensive system of written rules and procedures, there was identified a need for the implementation of an integrated quality assurance system, based on the international ISO 9000 norm, which would facilitate tracking, record keeping and internal auditing in the future radwaste management.