When making decisions on the most suitable option for engineering designs for the safe packaging, storage, transport and disposal of radioactive waste, optioneering assessments including BAT and BPEO are undertaken. Identifying and selecting an optimal approach involves comparing the benefits and disadvantages of each in terms of key factors such as the applicability to waste type, implications on environment, sustainability, safety, cost, programme and the technical maturity of the option.
Circle Nuclear Consulting have significant experience in developing and undertaking optioneering assessments, assessment of technology readiness levels and identification of implementation plans including assessment of costs and schedule to deploy an option or technology. Recent examples include:
- Options assessment of surface and near-surface disposal facility concept options for intermediate and low level waste facilities for the Australian Government
- Options, cost and benefits study of having a national centre of expertise to support the implementation, construction, operation and closure of a UK geological disposal facility.
- Literature review and research into tunnel backfill techniques that could be used to backfill spent fuel disposal tunnels in the deep geological repository for NWMO in Canada.
- Feasibility study for UK coastal geological disposal facility
- Options study for underground intermediate and low level waste disposal vault enhancements for a UK geological disposal facility
- Options study for underground high level waste and spent fuel disposal tunnel layout and equipment re-use study for a UK geological disposal facility
- Options study for the retrieval of waste from different backfilled stages for a UK geological disposal facility
- Identifying options and providing learning from experience from other major infrastructure projects to help provide benefits to the design and operation of the UK geological disposal facility.
These projects included a review of other similar projects from nuclear and non-nuclear industries in the UK and internationally.
We have experience in the preparation of documentation to support optioneering and decision analysis and the meeting organisation, facilitation and reporting.