Research and analysis

Geological Disposal: Concept Status Report

The objective of this report is to document the current status of information available on generic disposal concepts.

Documents

Geological Disposal Concept Status Report

Details

Geological disposal is the UK Government’s policy for managing higher-activity radioactive wastes. The waste will be placed in an engineered underground containment structure – the geological disposal facility (GDF) – designed so that natural and man-made barriers work together to isolate the waste so that no harmful quantities of radioactivity ever reach the surface environment. 

A wide range of engineering solutions are available. Each option is termed a ‘disposal concept’. A disposal concept for a group of wastes is the engineered barrier system and its geometry (layout) required to deliver the safety functions and requirements defined in the disposal system specification, in a particular geological environment.  A number of compatible disposal concepts could potentially be used in a single ‘GDF concept’. A GDF concept for all UK higher activity waste would be expected to function as one integrated system and must be tailored to site-specific characteristics.

The objective of this report is to document the current status of information available on generic disposal concepts.

Updates to this page

Published 16 October 2017

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