The Engineered Barrier System for a Deep Geologic Repository in Canada

摘要

In Canada, used nuclear fuel is stored at the nuclear reactor sites, initially in water-filled pools and, after about ten years out of reactor, in steel-lined concrete dry storage structures. These storage practices, while safe, require continuous institutional controls, such as security measures, monitoring, and maintenance. Thus storage is an effective interim measure for protection of human health and the natural environment. In 1978, the governments of Canada and Ontario established the Canadian Nuclear Fuel Waste Management Program as a step toward, developing a long-term solution to the management of nuclear fuel waste. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and Ontario Hydro (now Ontario Power Generation Inc., or OPG) have advanced the concept for placing used nuclear fuel waste in a deep geologic repository within the stable plu-tonic rock of the Canadian Shield. Over the last 20 years, Canada (in cooperation with other international waste management organizations) has developed a broad range of technology and expertise for the emplacement of used fuel in such a geologic repository. This work has ranged from ex-perimental studies to model development and to demonstration of site characteriza-tion and repository engineering technolo-gy. The latter were largely carried out at AECL's Underground Research Laborato-ry (URL), located in a large granitic pluton on the Canadian Shield near Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba.