FEASIBILITY OF RETRIEVAL OF RADIOACTIVE-WASTE FROM A SALT-MINE REPOSITORY - AN OVERVIEW

Two options for permanent disposal of radioactive waste in rock salt a re distinguished: the salt-mine repository and the deep boreholes and cavity combination. Of these, the salt-mine repository is treated in s ome detail. The results of a feasibility study of waste retrieval from a salt-mine repository are reviewed. This study was carried out in th e framework of the 'OPLA' research programme of the Netherlands. Three disposal concepts have been considered: a modification of a concept f or permanent disposal, a concept incorporating thick-walled overpacks and a concept which involves cased boreholes. Circumstances that may i nfluence the retrieval operation (e.g. salt temperature, and volume an d weight of overpacks) are taken into account. As a conclusion, it app ears technically feasible to retrieve radioactive waste from a salt-mi ne repository, provided that the period between disposal and retrieval is not longer than a few hundred years.