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J. C. Nomine, J. F. Ferriot
Nuclear Technology | Volume 115 | Number 2 | August 1996 | Pages 214-227
Technical Paper | Characterization of Radioactive Waste in France / Radioactive Waste Management | doi.org/10.13182/NT96-A35268
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Performing leach tests provides quality assurance and verification that radioactive waste packages are acceptable for final shallow land burial, in accordance with environmental policy. An overview assessment was completed on the leaching tests and on the leachability of various waste forms, regarding both the industrial and the research and development aspects of the leachability and illustrated by several examples. The most important aspects extracted from this overview are as follows: 1. Leaching tests must be performed on all types of package candidates for an ultimate near-surface disposal whatever the waste form: The corresponding results are necessary for the safety assessment demonstration of the disposal site. 2. Representativeness of leached specimens remains to be fully proved, especially when they are small samples (problems of size and also of leached surface). 3. Quality of the waste packages whose type has been accepted should be periodically audited to establish deviations from the quality agreed on. 4. An exhaustive material balance of the released activity in leachates and fixed on surfaces must be established when performing leaching tests, especially for alpha emitters that can become attached to surfaces in the leaching loops. 5. Influence of temperature and pressure on the leaching results have been identified as important factors for cesium leaching of cemented waste. 6. More generally, there has been good progress in leaching knowledge, but the influence of many parameters, such as durability effect on leaching, remains incompletely defined.