(GRS-643) Scientific Basis for a Safety Case of Deep Geological Repositories

U. Noseck, D. Becker, C. Fahrenholz, J. Flügge, S. Hagemann, V. Hormann, R. Kilger, K.-P. Kröhn, M. Kröhn, A. Meleshyn, J. Mönig, H. Moog, A. Rübel, S. Spießl, J. Wolf

The assessment of the long-term safety of a repository for radioactive or hazardous waste and therewith the development of a safety case requires a comprehensive system understanding, a continuous development of the methods of a safety case and capable and qualified numerical tools. The objective of the project “Scientific basis for the assessment of the long-term safety of repositories”, identification number 02E11647, was to follow national and international developments in this area, to evaluate research projects, which contribute to knowledge, model approaches and data, and to perform specific investigations to improve the methodologies of the safety case and the long-term safety assessment.

This project, founded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi), was performed in the period from 1st April 2018 to 30st June 2021. The results of the key topics investigated within the project are published in the following reports:

GRS-644: Natural Analogues for Repositories in Crystalline Formations.
GRS-643: Scientific Basis of a Safety Case for Deep Geological Repositories

Moreover, substantial contributions were developed for the following international reports and flyers:

NEA: International Features, Events and Processes (IFEP) List for the Deep Geolog-ical Disposal of Radioactive Waste. NEA/RWM/R(2019)1, July 2019
NEA: Managing uncertainty in siting and implementation – Creating a dialogue be-tween science and society. Joint FSC-IGSC Workshop, October 2019
SANDIA: “Sensitivity Analysis Comparisons on Geologic Case Studies: An Interna-tional Collaboration.” Sandia National Laboratories Technical Report SAND2021-11053
SANDIA: “Generic FEP Catalogue and Salt Knowledge Archive”. Sandia National Laboratories Technical Report SAND2020-13186.