Definition,classification,and functions of underground research laboratories for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste and the scientific research plan of Beishan underground research laboratory
Underground research laboratories(URLs)for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste serve as critical facili-ties for verifying the safety and suitability of the sites of potential disposal repositories and for developing disposal technologies.URLs are irreplaceable in many aspects such as the siting and system design of potential disposal repositories,the development of the theories and technologies for disposal engineering,the safety and characteristic assessments,full-scale field tests,and on-site demonstration.This study highlights the definition,classification,and functions of URLs and categorizes existing primary URLs both in China and a-broad.URLs are generally categorized into general URLs(first generation)and site-specific URLs(second generation).The construc-tion of disposal repositories in China has progressed from national,regional,and site screening to site evaluation and to URL construc-tion.The authors of this study proposed the concepts of"site-specific URLs"and"third-generation URLs"in 2010 and 2014,respec-tively.Furthermore,the Beishan URL-the world's first site-specific URL for the geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste-has been built.This study introduces the siting process,planning,positioning,and functions of the Beishan URL,as well as the functions of primary scientific experiments and main field experiments conducted during its construction.The results of this study serve as a guide for future siting and R&D of disposal repositories.
high-level radioactive wasteunderground research laboratoriesdefinition and classificationsite-specific URLBeishan underground research laboratory