Conception and Operation of a New Treatment Center for Radioactive Waste from High Energy Accelerators - 18293
CERN has operated high-energy accelerators for more than 60 years of research in fundamental physics. The side-product of this activity is the generation of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste, most of which is in solid form and free of surface contamination. Today, one operational year produces about 400 tons of radioactive waste which need to be disposed of towards the final repositories of the two CERN Host States, France and Switzerland. A new facility for the collection, interim storage, characterization and treatment of radioactive waste became operational at CERN in 2015. This facility was specifically conceived for an accelerator complex with a wide range of challenging waste items, which are often unique in their irradiation history as well as in their physical, chemical and radiological characteristics. The disposal rate was ramped up in 2016 with a unique treatment process tailored for metallic low-level waste. In 2017, two parallel processes were successfully tested for the elimination of radioactive cables and for the recycling of valuable metals. This paper gives an overview of the challenges in the design, commissioning and operation of the CERN radioactive waste treatment center. It outlines the methodology followed for the conception of the elimination processes, which can be of guidance for the development of similar facilities. (authors)