The El Cabril installations and their operation

The installations

The El Cabril centralised disposal facility has two functionally differentiated areas: the buildings area and the disposal area. This separation allows for the efficient performance of the activities of the centre, facilitating their monitoring and control and differentiating the radiologically regulated zones.

• Buildings area
  The buildings area has two laboratories for verification of the quality of the wastes. Also located here are the conditioning buildings, in which the waste treatment activities are performed, and the control room, where all the information on operation of the facility is centralised. The auxiliary installations include administration, industrial safety, technical services, general services, temporary storage installations, manufacturing of containers, the maintenance workshop, the canteen, etc.
• Low and intermediate level waste disposal zone
  The low and intermediate level waste disposal zone is formed by two platforms: the north platform, which includes 16 disposal cells, and the south platform, which has 12 such cells.
• Very low level waste disposal zone
  The very low level waste disposal zone is formed by a platform made up of four structures that will be constructed as they are needed.

The El Cabril installations are characterised by the following:

• Automatism: the capacity to be operated from a control room, thus minimising the exposure of the workers.
• Seismic resistance: the capacity to withstand the earthquakes foreseeable in the area.
• Solidification: the capacity to dispose of all the wastes in solid form.

Processing of low and intermediate level wastes

The low and intermediate level wastes generated at any location in Spain arrive at El Cabril and are unloaded at a conditioning building or one of the temporary storage facilities.

Most of these wastes, generated at the nuclear power plants, are already conditioned on arrival, while those coming from hospitals, research centres or industries are treated and conditioned at El Cabril installations.

The waste drums received are placed in concrete containers with a capacity for 18 220-litre drums.

When a container is full, its drums are immobilised by means of injected mortar. The compact block is placed in the disposal cell, which is a structure of reinforced concrete.

Once the disposal cell is filled with 320 containers, the upper reinforced concrete closure slab is constructed and weatherproofed.

Each of the 28 disposal cells has a sump connected to the seepage control network located beneath the platforms. This allows possible in-leakages of water to be detected and, if they occur, to be repaired.

Once the capacity of the platforms has been depleted, these will be covered with a final coverage consisting of various layers, the last of which will be of topsoil, allowing for integration into the environment.

As from this moment, a 300-year site surveillance and control phase will begin.

Processing of very low level wastes

Very low level wastes are solid materials, generally scrap and rubble, that are minimally contaminated with radioactive isotopes.

They may arrive at the facility in sacks, drums or containers and may be disposed of directly in the specific disposal structure or first be taken to the area set aside for their treatment, if necessary.

As each structure is completed, it will be covered with various layers, the last of which will be of topsoil, allowing for integration into the environment.

As from this moment, a 60-year site surveillance and control phase will begin.

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