What Does
Nuclear Waste Storage Mean?
Nuclear waste storage is a facility that caters to the storage and disposal of nuclear waste generated from nuclear processes at nuclear plants. Nuclear waste is harmful especially when living things are exposed to it.
Proper storage and disposal of nuclear waste can prevent unnecessary exposure and consequent damage to the environment. Horizontal directional drilling can be used to install pipes from the nuclear plant to the disposal site, which is usually in a remote location
Trenchlesspedia Explains Nuclear Waste Storage
Nuclear waste is mostly radioactive in nature but the radioactivity of the waste reduces overtime. Radioactive waste production is not just from the nuclear fuel cycle and can be generated from different sectors such as agriculture, medicine, manufacturing and mineral exploration.
Radioactive waste is categorized into four categories:
- Very low-level waste (VLLW)
- Low-level waste (LLW)
- Intermediate level waste (ILW)
- High-level waste (HLW)
Disposal of VLLW and LLW can be undertaken safely at any place. Used fuel is usually stored under water for a minimum of 5 years and then transferred to dry storage. HLW is preferred to be stored in deep geological disposal sites at depths between 250 meter and 1000 meter for mined repositories and 2000 to 5000 meter for boreholes.