随着我国核能事业的飞速发展，高水平放射性废物的处理和处置，即将成为一个重大的安全和环保问题。在介绍国内外进展的基础上，重点讨论了高放废物地质处置面临的挑战：处置库场址地质演化的精确预测、深部地质环境特征、多场耦合条件下(中(高)温、应力作用、水力作用、化学作用、生物作用和辐射作用等)深部岩体、地下水和工程材料的行为、低浓度超铀放射性核素的地球化学行为与随地下水迁移行为及处置系统的安全评价。

Safe disposal of high level radioactive waste is a challenging task facing the scientific and technological world. This paper introduces the latest progress of high level radioactive waste disposal programs in the world,and discusses the key scientific challenges: the precise prediction of the evolution of a repository site; the characteristics of deep geological environment;the behaviour of deep rock mass,groundwater and engineering material under coupled conditions(intermediate to high temperature, geostress, hydraulic, chemical, biological and radiation process, etc); the geochemical behaviour of transuranic radionuclides with low concentration and its movement with groundwater;and the safety assessment of disposal system. Several large-scale research projects and several hot topics relating to high-level waste disposal are also introduced.