Nuclear waste disposal consulting

Thanks to expensive experience in the design and operation of several plants of fuel cycle, Orano is in position to offer advice and design studies to clients in charge of the nuclear waste disposal.

• The Challenge

  Only a few disposal centers are currently operating in the world.

  The experience feedback available is not yet as rich as that already acquired on other nuclear installations (fuel cycle plant, production of nuclear electricity, …).

  The designer and future operator of a nuclear waste repository is rarely in a position to duplicate already proven solutions and which would make it possible to take into account the related issues linked to the repository (safety and operating costs, revamping investments and long-term maintenance, nuclear logistics, dismantling).

  This difficulty is present at each key moment of a nuclear waste disposal project.

   

• The Solution

  Orano has designed and operates various nuclear facilities, which have similar or identical functions to those required for nuclear waste disposal.

  • Control, unloading of road or rail convoys of nuclear packaging
  • Control, handling, conditionning and interim storage of nuclear waste and fuel

  The know-how of Orano in these areas is based on decades of nuclear facilities operations in compliance with international safety requirements.

  Similarities with radioactive waste disposals allow Orano to offer consulting services to the designer and future operator in all the project phases: conception optimization, cost analyses, risk and opportunity management, safety demonstration.

   

   

• Key Features

  • Multidisciplinary team of experts (design, operation, transport, treatment, characterization, waste storage, …)
  • Proven safety standards in compliance with international regulatory requirements
  • Designing and operating nuclear facilities for decades
  • Design, accreditation and manufacture of nuclear waste packages
  • Nuclear waste logistics (commissioning and transports)

• Expertise & Experiences

  Orano has been involved with Andra to the project development of the French Industrial Geological Disposal Center, called CIGEO, since its start.
   
  Orano is a trusted supplier of Andra and has been working directly on the  French Disposal Centre (HLW and ILW), for many years. Orano performs operating services, radiation protection services and environment monitoring.
   
  Orano designed and operates its own facilities dedicated to the :

  • Liquid effluent and solid waste treatment, conditioning, and interim storage (La Hague, STE3, since1987)
  • Conditioning and interim storage of:
    • vitrified high-level waste (La Hague EVLH/EEVLH, since1989)
    • technological intermediate-level waste  (La Hague ACC/ECC, since 2002)
    • technological low-level waste  (La Hague, AD2 plant, since 1990)

• Your Benefits at a glance

  • Peer Review of design files
  • Peer review of safety files
  • Identification of technical and economic optimizations based on an existing design files
  • Advice related to the management of risks and opportunities (Identification and implementation of dedicated action plans)
  • Cost estimate of investment, operation and dismantling
  • Flow studies (rail convoys, packaging, waste packages) and facilities sizing
  • Sizing of operating teams and definition of the industrial organisation to be deployed
  • Preliminary and front end engineering design studies of surface nuclear facilities

• Q&A

  We can provide a large range of services (short duration workshops, consulting missions, financial and/or engineering studies on a specific domain or on a wider scope of the disposal, whatever the project advancement). Orano’s service is adapted to the needs of each client.

  According to the client needs, Orano is able to enlist a large competence panel (head of project, specialist or experts on technical subject or safety in any domain of nuclear waste industry, nuclear logistic, economic estimation, financial engineering…)

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