(GRS 091) Konrad Transport Study: Safety Analysis of the Transportation of Radioactive Waste to the Konrad Waste Disposal Site

A safety analysis has been conducted for the transports of non-heat-generating (Iowtomedium-level) radioactive waste to the planned final repository KONRAD. The safety analysis has two main objectives:
1) Assessment of potential radiation exposures from normal (incident-free) transportation, especially in the region of the final repository where all waste transports converge.
2) Assessment of risks from transport accidents in the region of the final repository, i.e., the quantification of the frequency of accidents and of possibly resulting radiation exposures and contamination levels.
For the purpose of the study the anticipated waste transport volume and the waste properties were analysed in detail. This included information on the transport containers, was te product properties, activity inventories and local dose rates of the waste packages being transported. The envisaged practical implementation, i.e. the transport arrangements including shunting operations at the Braunschweig marshalling yard and the Beddingen interchange station, were also included.
Two shipping scenarios, which could be considered to bound the real conditions, were analyzed:
- 100 % transportation by rail
- 80 % transportation by rail, 20 % by road