INSIDER

The H2020 Euratom European project INSIDER (Improved Nuclear Site Characterization for waste minimization in decommissioning under constrained environment) was launched in June 2017 for a duration of 4 years; it currently includes 17 partners from 10 European countries. The project is focused onto radiological characterization applied to waste-driven integrated approaches, including the sampling overall strategy and design. Its objectives are to improve the management of waste with medium (MA) and high radioactivity (HA) levels coming from nuclear sites or facilities under D&D (Decommissioning and dismantling) and/or other constrained environments. The optimization criteria refer to operational decommissioning efficiency, safety and costs. The outcome of the project will increase knowledge on the amounts and characteristics of radioactive waste resulting from D&D and increase confidence on the sound definition of subsequent storage and disposal end points. INSIDER is thus mainly focused on the issues of precharacterization upstream of decommissioning operations. The methodology is based on advanced statistical processing and modelling, coupled with validated measurement techniques and methods, in situ or in laboratory, with a final objective of economic gains, and improved safety and sustainability. The technical approach of the project is on one hand to develop different sampling strategies, coupled with characterization methods whose performances are known in representative situations, and on the other hand to qualify the contribution of this approach toand validate its effectiveness in real situations on 3 concrete case studies representing typical configurations of decommissioning worksites: – Nuclear reactor: BR3 reactor vessel at Mol (SCK-CEN); – Installation of the fuel/waste cycle: effluent tanks at ISPRA (JRC); – Post-incident management: contaminated soils (CEA).