Safety in Nuclear Processing: Handling & Managing Nuclear Waste
Ensuring that nuclear waste is handled and managed correctly is crucial, as the mishandling of radioactive and hazardous materials can have a long-lasting and catastrophic impact on human health and the environment.
Maintaining appropriate management and handling that adheres to regulations and international laws ensures workers, the environment, and the health and security of future generations are safe.
For those in the civil nuclear, defence, or nuclear medicine sectors, Hosokawa containment and processing solutions minimise direct human contact with hazardous materials, through the use of integrated gloveports, and prevent leaks with robust, leak-tight construction and advanced HEPA filtration, and help keep workers safe.
That’s why – in this blog – we’ve compiled vital information to provide further insight to ensure that nuclear waste is being handled and managed correctly across nuclear processing sectors.
This blog outlines the core safety principles of managing nuclear waste and the importance of ensuring that workers and their environments are kept safe.
How Has the Nuclear Industry Changed?
Over the past couple of years the nuclear industry has seen a significant growth in investment and planned investment due to several factors. Industries such as energy, defence, nuclear medicines, and more has seen investment, such as:
Energy
Driven by global instability many countries are developing the capability to generate more of their own electricity, and nuclear power is a major contributor to this strategy.
The rapid expansion in nuclear power plants, including advanced reactors and Small Modular Reactors (SMR) means there is also a requirement for more fuel production, including additional capability for enrichment and fuel fabrication facilities to produce HALEU fuel.
Defense
Many countries are increasing defense spending and this includes developing or expanding production facilities which require containment systems to prevent operators being exposed to potentially harmful substances.
De-Commissioning
Containment systems to handle radiation contaminated materials from de-commissioned power plants and other nuclear facilities.
Nuclear Medicine
Increased demand for local production of radio-isotopes and formulation of radio pharmaceutical treatment require containment systems including glovebox and isolators, lead shielded fume cupboards and hot cells.
Hosokawa nuclear containment systems can be integrated into sterile environments for nuclear medicine applications.
Understanding Nuclear Waste
Across all nuclear industries, there are hazardous byproducts that remain for thousands of years. The World Nuclear Association states, “nuclear waste is ‘the radioactive, hazardous byproduct after nuclear fuel (like uranium) is used in fission, or from materials contaminated by medical, industrial, and defence activities.”
There are three different levels of nuclear waste, designated by their level of radioactivity. These range from high-level, intermediate, to low-level; we have further detailed the differences below with the support of The World Nuclear Association:
High-Level (HLW)
High-level waste “makes up 3% of the total waste volume”. This highly radioactive material is produced by nuclear reactors, primarily from nuclear fuel. This high-level waste generates significant heat and requires both shielding and active cooling.
Intermediate-Level (ILW)
Intermediate-level waste “makes up 7% of the total waste volume”. Intermediate-level contains higher amounts of radioactivity than LLW and requires shielding, but generally does not need cooling. It includes components from the reactor decommissioning, fuel cladding, and, in some cases, certain medical isotopes.
Low-Level (LLW)
Low-level waste “makes up 90% of the total waste volume.” This low-level waste has only 1% of the radioactivity. This consists of items such as clothing, rags, tools, water purification filters, and laboratory debris contaminated during routine operations.
Understanding the different levels of nuclear waste is beneficial to allow reactor operators and maintenance personnel to organise the correct core safety principles that need to be put in place.
The Core Safety Principles
Core safety principles are implemented and regularly embedded across all sectors of the nuclear industry. These core principles protect human health and the environment from harmful ionising radiation, both in the current timeline and for future generations.
According to the National Library of Medicine, “maintaining core safety principles in the nuclear industry is strongly linked to lower accident likelihood, better plant performance, and safer working conditions, and this relationship is quantified in several independent datasets and studies.”
We have outlined the core safety principles below:
Containment
It is vital to ensure that any radioactivity is isolated and controlled until it is no longer a hazard. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, “International safety standards require ‘multiple physical barriers’ (waste form, container, engineered structures, and host rock) so safety never relies on a single component.”
It is also widely accepted that the IAEA waste‑disposal principles say containment must be provided “until radioactive decay has significantly reduced the hazard,” explicitly linking design lifetime to radionuclide half‑lives and heat output.
Isolation
International safety standards state that, “the site, design and operation of disposal facilities must isolate waste from people and the accessible environment, not just during operation but for centuries to millennia after closure.”
Monitoring and Regulation
The International Safety Standards require monitoring before, during and after construction, through operation, and (where part of the safety case) after closure, to confirm that conditions remain safe for workers, the public and the environment.
Regulatory bodies must set monitoring requirements, review programmes and data, periodically review regulations, and provide evidence that facilities are being appropriately monitored and controlled. [International Atomic Energy Agency]
The ALARA Principle
According to the European ALARA Network, the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) Principle is “a fundamental, legally mandated radiation protection concept requiring that all public and occupational radiation exposure be kept minimal, balancing safety with economic and social factors.”
“The ALARA principle should be applied to all aspects of the management of radioactive substances and wastes, including their disposal. This includes the management of radioactively contaminated land (see Contaminated land and groundwater: generic developed principles).” [gov.uk]
Now that you have an understanding of the core safety principles for handling and managing nuclear waste, you can further deepen your knowledge of storage and disposal methods that promote safety and containment.
The Storage and Disposal Methods
Considering the core safety principles, it is vital to further understand storage and disposal methods. Whether disposing of low, intermediate, or high levels of waste, each should be considered.
Interim Storage Methods
Typically used to safely hold waste for decades until final disposal or recycling becomes available. Storage methods such as wet storage for spent fuel pools and dry interim storage.
Final Disposal for Low & Intermediate Level Waste
These wastes have lower activity or shorter half‑lives and generate little or no heat, so simpler engineered facilities are adequate. Storage methods, such as near-surface engineered disposal facilities and for intermediate-level waste, consider intermediate-depth or engineered vault disposal.
Final Disposal for High-Level Waste & Spent Fuel
This is the most critical category, highly radioactive and heat‑generating, with long‑lived radionuclides, so it requires the most robust solutions. For high-level waste and spent fuel, consider deep geological repositories and vitrification.
Other or Emerging Methods
These are being researched or selectively used but are generally seen as complementary to, not replacements for, geological disposal. These include methods such as deep borehole disposal and advanced matrices and encapsulation.
Why Correct Handling and Management of Nuclear Waste Matters
Correct handling and management of nuclear waste matters because mismanagement can contaminate air, soil, and water, increase cancer risks, damage ecosystems, and create very long‑term societal and financial burdens. [Nuclear Energy Agency]
Ensuring that operators and maintenance personnel are safely handling and managing nuclear waste correctly is vital to protecting people, the environment, limiting future health risks and geological hazards, and limiting the societal, economic, and ethical fallout.
We have outlined the core reasons as to why correct handling and management matter:
- Protects people & the environment
- Limits health risks
- Prevents long‑lived hazards & geological disposal
- Limits the scale & growth of the waste challenge
- Limit the societal, economic & ethical dimensions
How can Hosokawa provide protection, limit the scale of growth, and prevent long-lived hazards? We’ve provided information on our nuclear containment and processing solutions.
Hosokawa Nuclear Containment & Processing Solutions
Whether you’re working in the civil nuclear, defence, or nuclear medicine sectors, our comprehensive range of engineered solutions has been designed specifically to meet the unique processing and containment needs of the nuclear industry.
Our solutions include:
Nuclear Downflow Booths
High-performance nuclear downflow booths provide operators protection and containment control during manual handling of hazardous materials, with advanced HEPA filtration, ergonomic design, and customisable configurations.
Nuclear Drum Tipping and Filling
High-containment nuclear drum tipping and filling systems promote the safe handling of radioactive or toxic powders, featuring controlled airflow, dust-tight design, ergonomic operation, and full compliance with nuclear standards.
Nuclear Fume Cupboards
Custom-built nuclear fume cupboards provide safe, efficient containment for hazardous materials, with advanced filtration, airflow monitoring, ATEX compliance, and tailored configurations for demanding industrial environments.
Nuclear Gloveboxes
Custom-engineered nuclear gloveboxes promote the safe handling of radioactive materials, featuring leak-tight construction, HEPA filtration, pressure control, and ergonomic gloveports for secure, contamination-free manual operations.
Hosokawa’s nuclear containment and processing solutions can support the handling of radioactive materials with maximum operator protection, enable safe transfer and processing of nuclear materials, and ensure accurate measurement and containment throughout the production cycle.
Everything You Need to Know About Handling & Managing Nuclear Waste
Hosokawa nuclear processing and containment solutions support the handling and management of nuclear waste through multiple sectors of the industry.
Are you ready to discover what’s possible with Hosokawa nuclear processing solutions? Speak to our expert team today.
