Session: 09-04: Radiation shielding

Paper Number: 133409

133409 - Layers of Protection When Adapting Advance Technologies to Enable Remote Handling of Radioactive Materials 

Abstract: 

LAYERS OF PROTECTION WHEN ADAPTING ADVANCE TECHNOLOGIES TO ENABLE REMOTE HANDLING OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS

S. Syed

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, Ontario, Canada

Sohaib.Syed@cnl.ca

Abstract

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is planning to decommission the Waste Management Area standpipe and bunker structures at the Whiteshell Laboratories site, located in Pinawa, Manitoba. The decommissioning activities will include retrieving or recovering historical radioactive waste from standpipes and bunkers. The waste stored in standpipes and bunkers ranges in activity from low-level wastes to irradiated nuclear fuel (high-level waste). The standpipes and bunkers include radioactive solid waste stored in containers of unknown integrity and radioactive liquid waste, which is a byproduct of water ingress into the waste packages. This presents a high risk of worker exposure to radiological hazards.

In recent years, CNL has conducted extensive research developing automated tools for handling of radioactive waste during decommissioning activities. Adopting advanced technologies and tooling reduces human interaction with radiological material and minimizes worker exposure. The approach adopted by CNL in designing these systems enables remote handling when recovering radioactive waste based on the design and lessons learned (internal and external) of hot cell facility operations.

When implementing advanced technologies and tooling to handle radioactive materials remotely, it is important to implement multiple layers of protection (multiple barriers) to ensure the safety of workers, the public, and the environment. These layers of protection act as barriers to prevent a postulated initiating event from progressing into a severe accident. Layers of protection in the design of a system or facility include the elimination of hazards by implementing: an inherently safer design, process control and monitoring of the system or facility, alarms requiring operator intervention or critical alarms with safety interlock, a safety instrument system to automatically bring the system or facility to a safe state, passive or active protection to mitigate the consequence of the hazardous event, and emergency response. The design of a system should be conservative, with safety margins between normal operating conditions and postulated initiating events. Adapting layers of protection in the design of a remotely operated automated system or facility aims to ensure the safety of the worker and the public, and the protection of the environment.

This paper outlines some of the recent efforts made by CNL in radioactive waste management, particularly in the design of systems and facilities for handling historic waste or waste generated during decommissioning activities. The paper focuses on identifying the benefits of implementing advanced technologies that provide multiple layers of protection during various radioactive waste management activities. Such as retrieving or recovering radioactive waste from standpipes and bunkers, characterization, sorting, segregation, and repackaging of retrieved or recovered radioactive waste in transportation-ready waste packages for off-site shipping to a storage facility.

Presenting Author: Sohaib Syed Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

Presenting Author Biography: Sohaib Syed is an experienced safety engineer with over 15 years of experience in the nuclear and oil industries. He has been providing safety analysis support for more than 8 years, particularly in the areas of radioactive waste management and decommissioning activities. Sohaib has a well-rounded background in safety analysis and has successfully provided safety analysis support for a variety of projects, ranging from modifications to existing facilities to first-of-a-kind, handling radioactive waste ranging from low-level to high-level waste in both solid and liquid forms. He also possesses excellent leadership skills, technical expertise, and problem-solving, and guides in areas that require safety input.

Sohaib enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures, historical places, and various types of cuisines.

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