All radioactive waste generated in Austria is collected, sorted, processed, conditioned and stored by Nuclear Engineering Seibersdorf GmbH until its disposal in a final disposal site. This interim storage takes place in the so-called transfer storage into which the conditioned waste is transferred from the conditioner business unit for radioactive waste processing.
There are currently 2 warehouses available for transfer storage, and another one is under construction. The radioactive waste can be stored here according to the most current state of the art, so that each drum can be inspected individually. A new storage concept has been developed, and storage now takes place horizontally on proprietary pallets.
Furthermore, optimal room climatic conditions were created (maintaining a minimum room temperature and a maximum permissible relative humidity) in order to minimise the risk of condensation effects on the drums and thus prevent corrosion.
The total capacity of the interim storage will be approx. 18,000 conditioned 200 litre drums. Moreover, there are a few special containers (for example for intermediate-level radioactive waste).
The containers filled with conditioned waste to be handed over to the interim storage must comply with quality guidelines which are described in the acceptance criteria.
The interim storage is designed as follows:
- Safe and contamination-free storage of conditioned waste
- Shielding to the outside
- Security against the potential impact of a plane crash
- Security against unauthorised access
The tasks of the central office for the interim storage are:
- Checking for compliance with the acceptance criteria
- Documentation of the waste
- Takeover of the containers
- Periodic inspection of the containers