Title: Groundwater system characterisation in support of safety assessment for radioactive waste disposal

Authors: Raffaella Testoni; Riccardo Levizzari; Mario De Salve

Addresses: Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Torino, Italy ' Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, Saluggia Research Centre, Strada per Crescentino 41, 13040 Saluggia (VC), Italy ' Department of Energy, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24, 10129 Torino, Italy

Abstract: Radioactive waste disposal is a strategic activity in the nuclear field to safeguard the population and the environment from radiological risks. In the radioactive waste disposal field, safety assessment aims to foresee and manage the environmental and radiological impact of possible radionuclide releases. One of the main radionuclide transport pathways in the environment is through groundwater. This paper deals with an assessment process applied to a characterisation of a groundwater system and its relations with surface water, in order to foresee critical scenarios of possible radionuclide migration in environmental matrices (e.g., groundwater, surface water, soil, etc.). The study examines in depth the groundwater system of a nuclear site in Italy.

Keywords: safety assessment; radioactive waste disposal; groundwater; particle tracking; numerical modelling; MODFLOW; MODPATH; Italy; nuclear sites; prediction scenarios; step-by-step approach; simulation; radiological risks; environmental impact; radionuclide releases; radionuclide transport; surface water; nuclear energy; nuclear power plants; NPP; nuclear safety.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2016.078064

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2016 Vol.59 No.1, pp.56 - 77

Accepted: 12 May 2016
Published online: 31 Jul 2016 *

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