For the workshops, it is envisaged that participants will have an interest in research executed in CAST but can also contribute to the confidence in national safety assessments. The research is evalauted from different perspectives in order to specify this contribution. The scientific progress is already evaluated by the CAST Advisory Group. Regulators, waste generators and management organisations are envisaged as participants for the workshops for an implementation of the new understanding of potential release mechanisms of carbon-14 radioactive materials under conditions relevant for waste packaging and disposal to underground facilities on a national scale. Two workshops are envisaged to ensure that the developed knowledge in CAST is provided in a timely manner.
The first workshop had a threefold aim: to disseminate the initial findings, let these stakeholders become acquainted with the proposed research and to allow sufficient opportunity for questions. This workshop has taken place on 5 and 6 October 2016. The second workshop had a two-fold aim: to present the results obtained and to discuss the outcomes with the regulators, waste management organisations and waste generators. The second workshop has therefore been organised in conjuction with the Final CAST symposium. For the contribution to CAST in the second workshop, each participating country, had presented for the following solid materials that can be have used in the reactor: steel, zircaloy and graphite:
-what is the nitrogen content?
-how is the nitrogen content determined / specified?
-what is the neutron irradiation period and thermal fluence?
For spent ion exchange resins, the following questions are asked:
-Is there control of air ingress into the coolant?
-How is the pH of the coolant controlled?
-Is the carbon-14 activity concentration measured?
Participants for the workshop have been personally invited. The proceedings of workshop 1 are available as a CAST report.
For the first workshop special documentation was made for regulators in order to allow them to make an effective contribution to CAST during their attendance at the workshops. For the second workshop, the documentation for regulators can be found here. The proceedings of workshop 2 are available as a CAST report.
For Bulgaria, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia and Czech Republic, there was a budget to reimburse the travel costs and subsistence for up to five regulators (or technical safety organisations excluding those participanting in CAST) to attend the workshops if sufficient funding was not available.
