An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Geological Disposal of Nuclear Waste
Geology of Nuclear Waste Disposal
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 4,000
Starting From
28 Jun 2027
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Geological Disposal of Nuclear Waste
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Geological Disposal of Nuclear Waste - GG-NUKE-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-NUKE-PEA27 | 28 Jun - 02 Jul 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
4000 |
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Geological Disposal of Nuclear Waste
This training covers the geoscience of geological disposal of nuclear waste. It works through waste types and disposal concepts, host rock options and their properties, the multi-barrier concept, site characterisation requirements, groundwater flow and radionuclide transport, long term geological stability, the safety case and its structure, repository engineering interfaces and the regulatory and societal dimensions of disposal.
Description
Geological disposal of high level nuclear waste requires containment over periods far longer than any other engineering undertaking: tens of thousands to a million years. No engineered barrier can be guaranteed over that period, so the geology provides the long term containment, and the geoscience task is to demonstrate that a specific rock volume will remain stable, will have low and predictable groundwater flow, and will retard the movement of radionuclides if the engineered barriers fail.
This training covers that geoscience. Waste types and disposal concepts are established first, covering the categories of waste and the repository concepts developed for each. Host rock options and their properties follow, covering crystalline rock, argillaceous rock and salt and the containment mechanism each relies on. The multi-barrier concept is then developed, covering the roles of the waste form, the container, the buffer and the geology. Site characterisation requirements follow, covering the data required and the standards applied. Groundwater flow and radionuclide transport are then addressed in detail, since they are the principal release pathway. Long term geological stability follows, covering glaciation, uplift, seismicity and climate over the assessment period. The safety case and its structure are then developed. Repository engineering interfaces follow. The training closes with regulatory and societal dimensions.
The assessment period includes future ice ages and they have to be modelled. A repository in northern Europe or Canada will experience several glacial cycles within its assessment period, each bringing ice sheet loading, permafrost development to depths of hundreds of metres, altered groundwater heads, meltwater of different chemistry penetrating to depth and glacial erosion of the surface. These processes change the groundwater flow system and the geochemical conditions at repository depth, and the safety case has to show containment through them rather than only under present conditions.
Different host rocks rely on different containment mechanisms. Crystalline rock has very low matrix permeability and contains the waste by limiting flow through sparse fractures, so fracture characterisation is central. Argillaceous rock such as clay or claystone has extremely low permeability and transport is diffusion dominated, and it has the additional property of self-sealing because the clay swells and closes fractures. Salt is effectively impermeable and creeps, so it closes any opening and isolates the waste completely, but it is soluble and vulnerable to water access. The characterisation programme follows from which mechanism the concept relies on.
Diffusion dominated transport is the strongest argument available. In a host rock where the permeability is so low that advective flow is negligible, radionuclides can only move by molecular diffusion, which over a hundred metres of clay takes hundreds of thousands of years for the mobile species and far longer for the sorbing ones. Demonstrating that transport is diffusion dominated, through permeability measurement, through pore water chemistry profiles preserved over geological time and through natural tracer profiles, is therefore a central element of a clay repository safety case.
Finally, the safety case is the deliverable and it is a structured argument rather than a report. It sets out the disposal concept, the evidence for each barrier's performance, the scenarios considered including unlikely ones, the calculations of dose under each scenario, the uncertainties and how they are bounded, and the lines of reasoning that remain valid even where quantification is not possible. Regulators assess the argument's completeness and internal consistency as much as its calculations, and geoscientific work on a repository is directed at supplying evidence into that structure.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Describe waste categories and the disposal concepts developed for each
- Compare host rock options and their containment mechanisms
- Explain the multi-barrier concept and the role of each barrier
- Specify site characterisation requirements for a repository
- Assess groundwater flow and radionuclide transport pathways
- Distinguish advective from diffusion dominated transport
- Assess long term geological stability including glacial effects
- Describe the structure and content of a safety case
- Identify repository engineering interfaces with the geology
- Address regulatory and societal requirements in siting
The training works through repository programme material from national disposal projects. Participants assess host rock options against containment requirements, interpret characterisation data including fracture and pore water chemistry profiles, and evaluate transport pathways. Scenarios including glacial cycles are assessed for their effect on containment. Safety case arguments are examined and critiqued.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Understand repository containment requirements
- Specify characterisation appropriate to the host rock concept
- Assess transport pathways and their timescales
- Address long term stability in assessments
- Contribute evidence into safety case structures
- Transfer subsurface capability to disposal programmes
Participants will:
- Understand geological disposal concepts
- Compare host rock options technically
- Assess groundwater and transport pathways
- Evaluate long term geological stability
- Understand safety case structure
- Work competently on disposal programmes
- Geoscientists entering nuclear waste disposal work
- Hydrogeologists on disposal programmes
- Structural geologists characterising host rocks
- Geomechanics staff on repository projects
- Project staff on disposal programmes
- Technical staff reviewing disposal proposals
- Regulators and advisors assessing safety cases
Module 1 - Waste Types and Concepts
- Waste classification categories
- Low, intermediate and high level waste
- Spent fuel and vitrified waste
- Heat output and its decline
- Radionuclide inventories
- Half lives and the assessment period
- Near surface against deep disposal
- Deep geological repository concepts
- Depth selection rationale
- Borehole disposal concepts
- National programme status
- Operating and licensed facilities
Module 2 - Host Rock Options
- Crystalline rock concepts
- Fracture controlled flow in crystalline rock
- Argillaceous rock concepts
- Clay and claystone properties
- Self-sealing in clay formations
- Salt concepts
- Salt creep and closure
- Salt solubility vulnerability
- Tuff and other volcanic hosts
- Containment mechanism by host rock
- Characterisation implications of each
- International concept comparisons
Module 3 - The Multi-Barrier Concept
- Barrier concept and defence in depth
- Waste form as a barrier
- Glass and ceramic waste forms
- Container materials and lifetime
- Copper, steel and other container options
- Buffer and backfill materials
- Bentonite properties and function
- Buffer saturation and swelling
- Engineered barrier system performance
- Geological barrier function
- Barrier interaction and coupling
- Barrier failure scenarios
Module 4 - Site Characterisation
- Characterisation programme structure
- Surface based investigation
- Borehole investigation programmes
- Underground research laboratories
- Geophysical characterisation
- Fracture characterisation in crystalline rock
- Hydraulic testing methods
- Pore water sampling in low permeability rock
- Geochemical characterisation
- Geomechanical characterisation
- Thermal property measurement
- Characterisation standards and quality
Module 5 - Groundwater Flow and Transport
- Regional groundwater flow systems
- Flow at repository depth
- Hydraulic conductivity measurement
- Fracture network flow modelling
- Discrete fracture network approaches
- Diffusion dominated transport
- Evidence for diffusion dominance
- Natural tracer profiles
- Pore water chemistry profiles
- Sorption and retardation of radionuclides
- Distribution coefficients and their measurement
- Transport modelling and travel times
Module 6 - Long Term Stability
- Assessment period and its implications
- Glacial cycles and their recurrence
- Ice sheet loading effects
- Permafrost development depth
- Glacial meltwater penetration
- Glacial erosion and its depth
- Uplift and subsidence
- Sea level change effects
- Seismicity and fault reactivation
- Volcanic and magmatic hazards
- Climate scenarios
- Demonstrating stability through scenarios
Module 7 - The Safety Case
- Safety case purpose and structure
- Safety functions and their definition
- Scenario development and screening
- Base case and alternative scenarios
- What-if and unlikely scenarios
- Human intrusion scenarios
- Performance assessment calculations
- Dose and risk criteria
- Uncertainty treatment
- Multiple lines of reasoning
- Qualitative arguments and their role
- Regulatory review of safety cases
Module 8 - Engineering, Regulation and Society
- Repository layout and design
- Excavation methods and damaged zones
- Excavation damaged zone as a pathway
- Thermal loading and spacing
- Thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and chemical coupling
- Operational period requirements
- Closure and sealing
- Retrievability and reversibility
- Regulatory frameworks and licensing
- Siting processes and volunteer communities
- Societal consent and its role
- Communicating long term safety
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
