Welcome to the NEA FEP Database!
From here you can browse published FEP Lists. While the published FEP Lists can be browsed freely, it is necessary to have an account to do any of the following:
- Be notified of new FEP List publications.
- Send feedback to the maintainers of the FEP Lists.
- Export FEP List data as CSV.
Log in to or sign up for an account.
Background and objective
The NEA FEP Database is a tool for supporting the national programmes for radioactive waste management (RWM) in the identification, classification and screening of features, events and processes (FEPs) used in defining relevant scenarios for safety assessment analysis for deep geological repositories (DGRs). The NEA FEP Database is composed of two parts:
- International FEP (IFEP) List – a comprehensive and structured list of factors relevant to the assessment of long-term safety of DGRs. This forms a master list and classification scheme by which to examine the project-specific database entries.
- Project-specific FEP (PFEP) Lists – a collection of FEP lists and database contents, with references, that have been compiled during studies for repository safety assessment. Every FEP of each project database can be mapped to one or more of the international FEPs.
History
The NEA has carried out activities related to the compilation and use of lists and databases of FEPs in safety and performance assessment studies of radioactive waste disposal facilities since the early 1990s. In 2000, NEA released the first version of the database including both the IFEP List and eight PFEP Lists from specific national assessment studies. In 2006, an updated version of the FEP Database was completed which included three more PFEP Lists.
In 2010, NEA launched a questionnaire on “the use of FEPs in performance assessment studies and the scope for related NEA Integration Group for Safety Group (IGSC) activities”. In light of the questionnaire findings, the NEA supported the revision of the FEP Database to ensure that it will remain useful and relevant to the work of member states. This revision included the:
- review and update of the IFEP List; and
- implementation of an associated web-based database.
In 2019, this resulted in the publication of a new IFEP List (Version 3.0) which used a new FEP grouping in comparison with the 2000 version.
To retain its currency, a review was commissioned to review FEP lists from recently published safety cases and update bibliographic references, resulting in a minor update (Version 3.1) in 2024.
Publications, reports and software
- 2000 - Features, Events and Processes (FEPs) for the Geologic Disposal of Radioactive Waste
- 2013 - Updating the NEA International FEP List – An Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC) Technical Note
- Technical Note 1: Identification and Review of Recent Project-specific FEP Lists
- Technical Note 2: Proposed Revisions to the NEA International FEP List
- 2019 - International Features, Events and Processes (IFEP) List for the Deep Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Version 3.0)
- 2024 - International Features, Events and Processes (IFEP) List for the Deep Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste (Version 3.1)
The NEA implemented the first version of the database in a commercial software package with custom tools to assist in locating and examining FEPs and related information. Several versions were released, including FEP lists from different types of repository project for different kinds of waste. Initial versions were available from NEA:
- NEA2000 (Version 1.1) – It includes 8 PFEPs.
- NEA2006 (Version 2.1) – It includes 11 PFEPs (download)
In 2011, a decision was taken to move the FEP database to a web-based platform available on the NEA web-site (resulting in a reset of version numbering). This software has been developed over several years:
- NEA2019 (Version 2.0) – Initial web-release
- NEA2024 (Version 2.1.2) – Removed the need to login to view FEP lists together with various other enhancements (the current version)