ELECTRON LINACS IN RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL PROBLEM*

Development of nuclear technologies is accompanied by the growth of radioactive waste including long-lived ones. The waste inside the Chernobyl 4-th unit is of particular importance because their amount is estimated as much as 20MCi. Under the circumstances a problem of operative characterization of the waste and their long-term disposal is urgent. The report presents an overview of the waste characterization method elaborated in NSC KIPT based on γ-activation analysis using bremsstrahlung of the high-current electron linac. On the other hand disposal of the radioactive waste faces a problem of confinement materials (including geological structures). Such materials have to keep their protection properties with respect to radionucliede transport under absorbed dose value up to ~107 Gy during thousand years or so. The elaborated methods for production of radionucliede– tracers and operative determination of their diffusion coefficients into barriers under different doses of the braking photons are described