|
(11) | EP 0 167 403 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
| (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. |