HR: 14:30h
AN: IA33A-03    [Abstracts]
TI: The Long-term Management of Used Nuclear Fuel in Canada: A Geoscientific Prespective
AU: * Belfadhel, B
EM: bbelfadhel@nwmo.ca
AF: Nuclear Waste Management Organization, 22 St. Clair Ave East, Toronto, ON M4T 2S3, Canada
AB: The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is responsible for implementing Adaptive Phased Management, the approach selected by the Government of Canada for long-term management of used nuclear fuel waste generated by Canadian nuclear reactors. In support of this objective, NWMO is pursuing an active technical research and development program in areas such as repository engineering, repository geoscience and repository safety. The geoscience work program is designed to develop a geoscientific basis for understanding long-term geosphere barrier performance, as well as building confidence in deep geological repository safety in both sedimentary and crystalline settings. This is achieved through a multidisciplinary approach involving the coordinated effort of research groups drawn from universities, consultants, and international nuclear waste management organizations. The main objectives of the program are to: develop tools and methods to improve NWMO's geosphere characterization capabilities and develop readiness for evaluating potential candidate sites in willing host communities; advance the understanding of long-term physical and geochemical evolution of the geosphere at time scales relevant to repository safety; and improve numerical methods to assess the geosphere evolution and its response to long-term perturbations. The paper provides an overview of the geoscience issues and challenges associated with the development of deep geological repositories and key activities that the NWMO is pursuing to address them.
DE: 1832 Groundwater transport
SC: International Association of Hydrogeologists, Canadian National Chapter [IA]
MN: 2009 Joint Assembly