Development of a design support system for geological disposal of radioactive waste using a CIM concept

The project period for the geological disposal of radioactive waste in a purpose built repository could be as long as a hundred years and require the involvement of several generations of engineers. Throughout such a long... [ view full abstract ]

The project period for the geological disposal of radioactive waste in a purpose built repository could be as long as a hundred years and require the involvement of several generations of engineers. Throughout such a long project period, it is important to manage systematically the information accumulated on design, construction, operation and closure, and to be able to track decisions made at each stage of the project. In addition, the repository comprises a wide variety of elements like engineered barriers (containers/buffer materials), underground facilities, transportation/emplacement equipment, and surface facilities, and they are closely related each other as one system. To help rational design of the repository system, a design support system (referred to as the Integrated System for Repository Engineering: iSRE) has been developed. Core functions of iSRE are a database function (DB) and an interface function (IF). A plug-in method has been adopted for simulation codes used in iSRE for design and analysis, so that the latest codes can be used and that iSRE avoids becoming obsolete. In this paper, the following items are presented: (1) characteristics of information management on engineering technology in the disposal project, (2) iSRE’s functions and goals, (3) realization of iSRE functions as a prototype, (4) confirmation of functions in prototype of iSRE, (5) outcomes achieved and future issues identified through the prototype development and trials. In order to confirm that the iSRE prototype functions well, test runs of the prototype based on the scenario illustrating typical works in the geological disposal project were made (e.g. change of design due to new information). This resulted in the iSRE core functions of DB and IF forming the foundation of information management on engineering technology. Test runs of the prototype of iSRE helped to identify practical issues for the development and use of such a design support system.