Galson Sciences Ltd - Nuclear criticality safety
GSL staff have extensive experience in the conduct and review of criticality assessments, including the following: for the Environment Agency, a review of approaches to assessing repository post-closure criticality safety, and an assessment of several British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) waste package criticality safety cases; for the NII, organisation of a workshop to examine the possible application of the Tolerability of Risk (ToR) framework to waste package criticality safety assessments; for the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI), a criticality safety assessment of copper spent fuel canisters and a review of repository post-closure criticality analyses for the KBS 3 spent fuel disposal concept; for Nirex, consideration of repository post-closure issues relating to criticality safety of a wide range of intermediate-level waste (ILW) packaging. Most significantly, GSL has managed the development of four generic criticality safety assessments (separated plutonium, irradiated natural uranium, low-enriched uranium, and high enriched uranium wastes) on behalf of Nirex. These safety cases address the repository post-closure phase as well as transport and operational phases. The post-closure analysis has involved identifying criticality features, events and processes (FEPs) and scenarios and establishing a parameter database for quantitative assessment of criticality scenarios. GSL has documented the results of these criticality safety assessments for Nirex. GSL has also conducted a review of potential methods for using depleted uranium in waste packaging and disposal as a means of post-closure criticality control.
Information from projects undertaken on behalf of the Environment Agency and SKI is available by clicking on the links above.