Research of nuclear waste disposal

• Main Author: Chue, Wai Mun.
• Other Authors: School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Antennas, wave guides, microwaves, radar, radio
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/55235
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Nuclear waste is the by-product of utilizing nuclear technology in the form of nuclear power, health-care facilities, nuclear research facilities and military usage. Due to the importance and criticality of proper nuclear waste disposal, this Final Year Project was started to investigate and research on the different methods of nuclear waste disposal. Despite the risks that nuclear technology and their waste by-product poses, countries are still depending heavily on nuclear technology for various reasons. France, for example, has its majority of electricity generated using nuclear energy. There are different forms of nuclear waste: high-level, intermediate-level and low-level waste. Due to the different characteristics of these waste, they require different methods of handling. The impact of improper nuclear waste handling was also looked into, citing the example of the Fukushima nuclear incident in 2011. The current nuclear waste disposal methods were investigated and discussed. The main advantages and disadvantages were highlighted and presented, showing how different methods are suitable for different types of waste. Finally, a new waste disposal method was proposed, the modified hydroclaving process. This allows the nuclear waste to drastically reduce in volume and weight for easy disposal.