Review of Performance Assessment for Engineered Barrier Systems to Support Future RD&D of Radioactive Waste Management in Japan

Abstract

This paper is a state-of-the-art report on the performance assessment of cementitious and related materials as components of engineered barrier systems for radioactive waste management. In this paper, (1) the concept of safety functions is reviewed as the engineering background of discussion, (2) an overview of the postclosure performance assessment for Belgian low- and intermediate-level short-lived radioactive waste disposal is provided, and (3) a modeling methodology for engineered barrier systems is analyzed using the concept of “mandala for durability mechanics”. According to these works, authors present technical suggestions for technical stakeholders of Japanese low-level radioactive waste disposal.