Olkhovyk Y. Scientific foundations for predicting the hazard of environment contamination arising from surface disposal of radioactive waste in Ukraine

Olkhovyk Yu.O. Scientific foundations for predicting the hazard of environment contamination arising from surface disposal of radioactive waste in Ukraine – Qualification scientific work as manuscript. The thesis for the degree of doctor of technical sciences, specialty 21.06.01 - ecological safety. State Environmental Academy of Postgraduate Education and the Ministry of Environment of Ukraine. Kyiv - 2018. The thesis objective is to solve a scientific problem in the area of ecological safety – establishment of scientific institutions for predicting the protective properties of engineering and geological barriers at industrial complex “Vector” and RW disposal facility “Buriakivka” sites, for justification of simplified assessment models for long-term safety of low- and medium-level solid radioactive waste disposal in near-surface storage facilities and determining activity limits at industrial complex “Vector” and RW disposal facility “Buriakivka” sites. The dissertation includes the development of simplified models for assessing the insulating properties of engineering and geological barriers during the burial of low and medium active radwaste, the determination of activity limits for the disposal of radioactive waste at the sites of the Vector complex and the Buryakivka SDP, the evaluation of the insulating properties of inorganic matrices at conditioning of liquid radioactive waste of Ukrainian NPPs, development of technical solutions for air conditioning of lava fuel-containing masses of the Shelter object, assessment of acceptability and compliance with the requirements of the Ukrainian legislation on scrapped high-level waste after the processing of spent nuclear fuel VVER-440 of the Rivne NPP in Russia. The obtained results of the dissertation research are the scientific basis for the creation of prerequisites for reducing the risks of radiation pollution of the environment and the negative impact on human life safety, taking into account the critical situation during the disposal of radioactive waste in near-surface storage in the Exclusion Zone through the development of scientific bases for forecasting the migration of radionuclides through engineering and natural barriers well as technologies for increasing the efficiency of engineering barriers. Key words: radionuclides, radioactive waste, disposal, near-surface storage facility, migration, geological barriers, aeration zone, modeling, activity limits, vitrification