System analysis for radwaste management

This paper is an overview of the decision-making framework for low- and medium-level wastes. The author's approach to evaluating radioactive waste management processes and their options is to consider radioactive waste management, handling, and disposal as a complete and complex system from the waste arisings (or generation) to their disposition. The system can be logically compartmentalized or divided into operation components. What is done in one component can impose constraints or flexibility on one or more of the other components of such a system. The paper describes such a radwaste management system and discusses the following subjects: management options, system optimization and optional systems.