Environmental Safety Case for a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Repository
GoldSim was used by LLW Repository Ltd to support the 2011 Environmental Safety Case (ESC) for the UK Low-Level Waste Repository (LLWR) near Drigg, Cumbria. Under UK legislation, an ESC is defined as a set of claims concerning the environmental safety of disposal of solid radioactive waste, substantiated by a structured collection of arguments and evidence.
GoldSim was used to undertake a number of assessments in support of the ESC. These assessments included consideration of both radiological and non-radiological hazards, and two possible designs for the future vaults at the LLWR were considered. The assessment model included a detailed representation of the contaminant release and flows within the near field, and also implemented a sophisticated approach to the assessment of risks due to abstraction of water from a well. The model also considered coastal erosion such that the coastline would reach the LLWR within around 1,000 years.
