Nuclear waste

The work of Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) as of many other industrial enterprises is followed by the formation of wastes that can be determined as residues of industrial technology that cannot be utilized by this facility. The peculiarity of NPP is radioactivity of its wastes. In order to understand the problem of radioactive wastes (RAW) it is necessary to know what this concept means; what classification of RAW exists, what kinds of RAW are formed in the process of operating of nuclear power plants and what happens with them after their formation; what solutions have one of the most serious and constant problems of atomic energy radioactive wastes.

It is no secret that waste accumulates, as at any industrial site, at a nuclear power plant. Such plants are undoubtedly leaders in terms of the amount of waste in proportion to useful energy source: only 5 kilograms of about 180 tons of fuel is burned, or .003%. This waste contains within it substances with a high level of radioactivity [3]. Waste that accumulates during the operation of the Kola Nuclear Power Plant is used nuclear fuel.

First, concerning waste from the Kola Science Center, it is essential to focus on used nuclear fuel. What is used nuclear fuel? It is a special type of radioactive material that is radiated with elements that have been extracted from the reactor after their use [6]. After extraction from the reactor the used fuel rods are placed in a storage basin where they are stored for 3 to 5 years, in order to reduce their radioactivity and heat. Then they are sent to “Mayak” to the “RT-1” factor for processing.