Containers for the Final Storage of Radioactive Waste in the Konrad Mine.

The Konrad Mine near Salzgitter-Bleckenstedt is the planned repository for radioactive waste with negligible heat output. The article outlines the boundary conditions for the waste containers as resulting from the plans for the operations phase of the Konrad Mine. Also concepts of radiation protection in the facility and some aspects of mining technology are discussed. For the standardized waste container concept, which served as one of the basic criteria in planning the infrastructure of the Konrad Mine, possible uses, development potentials for volume minimization, and the requirements to be met are outlined. The concept to be employed in packaging radioactive waste, which has been elaborated on the basis of experience accumulated in the test emplacement in the Asse Salt Mine, of the results of research and development projects and, above all, of present practice (e. g. , in nuclear power plants and at the national research centers), proves that radioactive waste can be conditioned properly so as to meet the preliminary emplacement conditions for the Konrad Mine.