(1) Classification of Radioactive Waste for
Land Disposal
(a) Considerations.
Determination of the classification of radioactive waste involves two
considerations. First, consideration shall be given to the concentration of
long-lived radionuclides (and their shorter- lived precursors) whose potential
hazard will persist long after such precautions as institutional controls,
improved waste form, and deeper disposal have ceased to be effective. These
precautions delay the time when long-lived radionuclides could cause exposures.
In addition, the magnitude of the potential dose is limited by the
concentration and availability of the radionuclide at the time of exposure.
Second, consideration shall be given to the concentration of shorter-lived
radionuclides for which requirements on institutional controls, waste form, and
disposal methods are effective.
(b)
Classes of waste.
(i) Class A waste is waste
that is usually segregated from other waste classes at the disposal site. The
physical form and characteristics of Class A waste shall meet the minimum
requirements set forth in Subsection R313-15-1009(2)(a). If Class A waste also
meets the stability requirements set forth in Subsection R313-15-1009(2)(b), it
is not necessary to segregate the waste for disposal.
(ii) Class B waste is waste that shall meet
more rigorous requirements on waste form to ensure stability after disposal.
The physical form and characteristics of Class B waste shall meet both the
minimum and stability requirements set forth in Subsection
R313-15-1009(2).
(iii) Class C
waste is waste that not only shall meet more rigorous requirements on waste
form to ensure stability but also requires additional measures at the disposal
facility to protect against inadvertent intrusion. The physical form and
characteristics of Class C waste shall meet both the minimum and stability
requirements set forth in Subsection R313-15-1009(2).
(c) Classification determined by long-lived
radionuclides. If the radioactive waste contains only radionuclides listed in
Table I, classification shall be determined as follows:
(i) If the concentration does not exceed 0.1
times the value in Table I, the waste is Class A.
(ii) If the concentration exceeds 0.1 times
the value in Table I, but does not exceed the value in Table I, the waste is
Class C.
(iii) If the concentration
exceeds the value in Table I, the waste is not generally acceptable for land
disposal.
(iv) For wastes
containing mixtures of radionuclides listed in Table I, the total concentration
shall be determined by the sum of fractions rule described in Subsection
R313-15-1009(1)(g).
TABLE I
Concentration |
Radionuclide |
curie/cubic meter(1) |
nanocurie/gram(2) |
C-14 |
8 | |
C-14 in activated metal |
80 | |
Ni-59 in activated metal |
220 | |
Nb-94 in activated metal |
0.2 | |
Tc-99 |
3 | |
I-129 |
0.08 | |
Alpha emitting transuranic radionuclides with
halflife greater than five years | |
100 |
Pu-241 | |
3,500 |
Cm-242 | |
20,000 |
Ra-226 | |
100 |
NOTE: (1) To convert the Ci/m3 values to
gigabecquerel (GBq)/cubic meter, multiply the Ci/m3 value by 37. (2) To convert
the nCi/g values to becquerel (Bq)/gram, multiply the nCi/g value by
37. |
(d) Classification determined by short-lived
radionuclides. If the waste does not contain any of the radionuclides listed in
Table I, classification shall be determined based on the concentrations shown
in Table II. However, as specified in Subsection R313-15-1009(1)(f), if
radioactive waste does not contain any nuclides listed in either Table I or II,
it is Class A.
(i) If the concentration does
not exceed the value in Column 1, the waste is Class A.
(ii) If the concentration exceeds the value
in Column 1 but does not exceed the value in Column 2, the waste is Class
B.
(iii) If the concentration
exceeds the value in Column 2 but does not exceed the value in Column 3, the
waste is Class C.
(iv) If the
concentration exceeds the value in Column 3, the waste is not generally
acceptable for near-surface disposal.
(v) For wastes containing mixtures of the
radionuclides listed in Table II, the total concentration shall be determined
by the sum of fractions rule described in Subsection R313-15-1009(1)(g).
TABLE II |
Radionuclide |
Concentration, curie/cubic meter(1) |
Column 1 |
Column 2 |
Column 3 |
Total of all radionuclides with less than 5-year
halflife |
700 |
(2) |
(2) |
H-3 |
40 |
(2) |
(2) |
Co-60 |
700 |
(2) |
(2) |
Ni-63 |
3.5 |
70 |
700 |
Ni-63
in activated metal |
35 |
700 |
7000 |
Sr-90 |
0.04 |
150 |
7000 |
Cs-137 |
1 |
44 |
4600 |
NOTE: (1) To convert the Ci/m3 value to
gigabecquerel (GBq)/cubic meter, multiply the Ci/m3 value by 37. |
(2) There are no limits established for these
radionuclides in Class B or C wastes. Practical considerations such as the
effects of external radiation and internal heat generation on transportation,
handling, and disposal will limit the concentrations for these wastes. These
wastes shall be Class B unless the concentrations of other radionuclides in
Table II determine the waste to be Class C independent of these
radionuclides. |
(e) Classification determined by both long-
and short-lived radionuclides. If the radioactive waste contains a mixture of
radionuclides, some of which are listed in Table I and some of which are listed
in Table II, classification shall be determined as follows:
(i) If the concentration of a radionuclide
listed in Table I is less than 0.1 times the value listed in Table I, the class
shall be that determined by the concentration of radionuclides listed in Table
II.
(ii) If the concentration of a
radionuclide listed in Table I exceeds 0.1 times the value listed in Table I,
but does not exceed the value in Table I, the waste shall be Class C, provided
the concentration of radionuclides listed in Table II does not exceed the value
shown in Column 3 of Table II.
(f) Classification of wastes with
radionuclides other than those listed in Tables I and II. If the waste does not
contain any radionuclides listed in either Table I or II, it is Class
A.
(g) The sum of the fractions
rule for mixtures of radionuclides. For determining classification for waste
that contains a mixture of radionuclides, it is necessary to determine the sum
of fractions by dividing each radionuclide's concentration by the appropriate
limit and adding the resulting values. The appropriate limits shall all be
taken from the same column of the same table. The sum of the fractions for the
column shall be less than 1.0 if the waste class is to be determined by that
column. Example: A waste contains Sr-90 in a concentration of 1.85
TBq/m3 (50 Ci/m3) and
Cs-137 in a concentration of 814 GBq/m3 (22
Ci/m3). Since the concentrations both exceed the
values in Column 1, Table II, they shall be compared to Column 2 values. For
Sr-90 fraction, 50/150 = 0.33., for Cs-137 fraction, 22/44 = 0.5; the sum of
the fractions = 0.83. Since the sum is less than 1.0, the waste is Class
B.
(h) Determination of
concentrations in wastes. The concentration of a radionuclide may be determined
by indirect methods such as use of scaling factors which relate the inferred
concentration of one radionuclide to another that is measured, or radionuclide
material accountability, if there is reasonable assurance that the indirect
methods can be correlated with actual measurements. The concentration of a
radionuclide may be averaged over the volume of the waste, or weight of the
waste if the units are expressed as becquerel (nanocurie) per gram.
(2) Radioactive Waste
Characteristics
(a) The following are minimum
requirements for all classes of waste and are intended to facilitate handling
and provide protection of health and safety of personnel at the disposal site.
(i) Wastes shall be packaged in conformance
with the conditions of the license issued to the site operator to which the
waste will be shipped. Where the conditions of the site license are more
restrictive than the provisions of Rule R313-15, the site license conditions
shall govern.
(ii) Wastes shall not
be packaged for disposal in cardboard or fiberboard boxes.
(iii) Liquid waste shall be packaged in
sufficient absorbent material to absorb twice the volume of the
liquid.
(iv) Solid waste containing
liquid shall contain as little free-standing and non-corrosive liquid as is
reasonably achievable, but in no case shall the liquid exceed one percent of
the volume.
(v) Waste shall not be
readily capable of detonation or of explosive decomposition or reaction at
normal pressures and temperatures, or of explosive reaction with
water.
(vi) Waste shall not
contain, or be capable of generating, quantities of toxic gases, vapors, or
fumes harmful to persons transporting, handling, or disposing of the waste.
This does not apply to radioactive gaseous waste packaged in accordance with
Subsection R313-15-1009(2)(a)(viii).
(vii) Waste shall not be pyrophoric.
Pyrophoric materials contained in wastes shall be treated, prepared, and
packaged to be nonflammable.
(viii)
Wastes in a gaseous form shall be packaged at an absolute pressure that does
not exceed 1.5 atmospheres at 20 degrees celsius. Total activity shall not
exceed 3.7 TBq (100 Ci) per container.
(ix) Wastes containing hazardous, biological,
pathogenic, or infectious material shall be treated to reduce to the maximum
extent practical the potential hazard from the non-radiological
materials.
(b) The
following requirements are intended to provide stability of the waste.
Stability is intended to ensure that the waste does not degrade and affect
overall stability of the site through slumping, collapse, or other failure of
the disposal unit and thereby lead to water infiltration. Stability is also a
factor in limiting exposure to an inadvertent intruder, since it provides a
recognizable and nondispersible waste.
(i)
Waste shall have structural stability. A structurally stable waste form will
generally maintain its physical dimensions and its form, under the expected
disposal conditions such as weight of overburden and compaction equipment, the
presence of moisture, and microbial activity, and internal factors such as
radiation effects and chemical changes. Structural stability can be provided by
the waste form itself, processing the waste to a stable form, or placing the
waste in a disposal container or structure that provides stability after
disposal.
(ii) Notwithstanding the
provisions in Subsections R313-15-1009(2)(a)(iii) and R313-15-1009(2)(a)(iv),
liquid wastes, or wastes containing liquid, shall be converted into a form that
contains as little free- standing and non-corrosive liquid as is reasonably
achievable, but in no case shall the liquid exceed one percent of the volume of
the waste when the waste is in a disposal container designed to ensure
stability, or 0.5 percent of the volume of the waste for waste processed to a
stable form.
(iii) Void spaces
within the waste and between the waste and its package shall be reduced to the
extent practical.
(3) Labeling. Each package of waste shall be
clearly labeled to identify whether it is Class A, Class B, or Class C waste,
in accordance with Subsection R313-15-1009(1).