(19)
(11) EP 0 167 403 A3

(12) EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION

(88) Date of publication A3:
30.12.1986 Bulletin 1986/52

(43) Date of publication A2:
08.01.1986 Bulletin 1986/02

(21) Application number: 85304786

(22) Date of filing: 04.07.1985
(84) Designated Contracting States:
BE CH DE FR GB IT LI NL SE

(30) Priority: 05.07.1984 US 627977

(71) Applicant: WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC CORPORATION
 ()

(72) Inventors:
  • Mallory, Charles William
     ()
  • Watts, Ralph Edmond
     ()
  • Sanner, William Samuel, Jr.
     ()
  • Paladino, Joseph Brian
     ()
  • Lilley, Arthur Willard
     ()
  • Winston, Steven Jay
     ()
  • Stricklin, Billy Clark
     ()
  • Razor, John Edward
     ()

   


(54) Improvements in or relating to the disposal of nuclear waste


(57) A land disposal site for the disposal of nuclear waste material which generally comprises a trench, a non-rigid, water-shedding cap formed from alluvium and silt which overlies this depression, and a solid array of waste-containing modules disposed in the trench for both encapsu- iating the waste and for supporting the non-rigid cap over the depression. The floor of the trench preferably includes a capillary barrier formed from a layer of gravel so that ground water will not seep up into the modules buried within the disposal site. The top surfaces of the modules are covered with a sloped layer of alluvium, which in turn is covered with another capillary barrier of gravel. This capillary barrier of gravel carries a sloped layer of silt which sheds running surface water and directs it into a pair of drains disposed on either side of the trench. The silt layer is capped with a final layer of graded rip-rap which protects it from wind and water erosion, and which forms a natural radiation and intrusion barrier. Finally, the modules disposed within the disposal site are preferably uniformly shaped, hexagonal prisms which are capable of being solidly packed into a structure which is flexibly conformable with any changes in shape of the trench brought about by seismic or other natural disturbances.







Search report