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Screening Analysis of Criticality Features, Events, and Processes for License Application
Screening Analysis of Criticality Features, Events, and Processes for License Application
Hydrogen-Induced Cracking of the Drip Shield
Hydrogen-Induced Cracking of the Drip Shield
Hydrogen-induced cracking is characterized by the decreased ductility and fracture toughness of a material due to the absorption of atomic hydrogen in the metal crystal lattice. Corrosion is the source of hydrogen generation. For the current design of the engineered barrier without backfill, hydrogen-induced cracking may be a concern because the titanium drip shield can be galvanically coupled to rock bolts (or wire mesh), which may fall onto the drip shield, thereby creating conditions for hydrogen production by electrochemical reaction.
Analysis of Dust Deliquescence for FEP Screening
Analysis of Dust Deliquescence for FEP Screening
The purpose of this report is to evaluate the potential for penetration of the Alloy 22 (UNS N06022) waste package outer barrier by localized corrosion due to the deliquescence of soluble constituents in dust present on waste package surfaces. The results support a recommendation to exclude deliquescence-induced localized corrosion (pitting or crevice corrosion) of the outer barrier from the total system performance assessment for the license application (TSPA-LA).
CSNF Loading Curve Sensitivity Analysis
CSNF Loading Curve Sensitivity Analysis
The purpose of this scientific analysis report, CSNF Loading Curve Sensitivity Analysis, is to establish the required minimum burnup as a function of initial enrichment for both pressurized water reactor (PWR) and boiling water reactor (BWR) commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) that would allow permanent disposal of these waste forms in the geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. The relationship between the required minimum burnup and fuel assembly initial enrichment forms a loading curve.
Dissolved Concentration Limits of Elements with Radioactive Isotopes
Dissolved Concentration Limits of Elements with Radioactive Isotopes
The purpose of this study is to evaluate dissolved concentration limits (also referred to as solubility limits) of elements with radioactive isotopes under probable repository conditions, based on geochemical modeling calculations using geochemical modeling tools, thermodynamic databases, field measurements, and laboratory experiments.
Going the Distance? The Safe Transport of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in the United States - Summary
Going the Distance? The Safe Transport of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in the United States - Summary
This new report from the National Research Council’s Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board (NRSB) and the Transportation Research Board reviews the risks and technical and societal concerns for the transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the United States. Shipments are expected to increase as the U.S. Department of Energy opens a repository for spent fuel and high-level waste at Yucca Mountain, and the commercial nuclear industry considers constructing a facility in Utah for temporary storage of spent fuel from some of its nuclear waste plants.
BRC Co-Chair Letter to The Honorable Fred Upton, Chairman, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and The Honorable John Shimkus, Chairman, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy
BRC Co-Chair Letter to The Honorable Fred Upton, Chairman, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and The Honorable John Shimkus, Chairman, U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy
Dear Representatives Upton and Shimkus,
At the direction of the President, the Secretary of Energy established the Blue Ribbon
Commission on America’s Nuclear Future and charged it with reviewing policies for
managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. We are serving as the Co-Chairmen of
the Commission and have taken note of your recent comments about the Commission’s
work.
Your comments echo those we have heard from several members of Congress and from
people across the country who believe the United States should not abandon the
Intact and Degraded Mode Criticality Calculations for the Codisposal of ATR Spent Nuclear Fuel in a Waste Package
Intact and Degraded Mode Criticality Calculations for the Codisposal of ATR Spent Nuclear Fuel in a Waste Package
Report On External Criticality of Plutonium Waste Forms In A Geologic Repository
Report On External Criticality of Plutonium Waste Forms In A Geologic Repository
This report presents the analyses and results for the potential occurrence of external criticality events which could result from plutonium waste forms emplaced in a geologic repository similar to the one being developed at Yucca Mountain. The analyses evaluate both the MOX spent fuel and the immobilized plutonium waste forms in a repository if the waste package has degraded and if the fissile material has migrated to the invert and out into the far-field.
Initial Radionuclide Inventories
Initial Radionuclide Inventories
The purpose of this analysis is to provide an initial radionuclide inventory (in grams per waste package) and associated uncertainty distributions for use in the Total System Performance Assessment for the License Application (TSPA-LA) in support of the license application for the repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. This document is intended for use in postclosure analysis only.
Transportation System Requirements Document Revision 5
Transportation System Requirements Document Revision 5
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), as amended, authorized the DOE to develop and manage a Federal system for the disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and High-Level Radioactive Waste (HLW). The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste (OCRWM) was created to manage acceptance, transportation and disposal of SNF and HLW in a manner that protects public health, safety, and the environment; enhances national and energy security; and merits public confidence.
ANS Position Statement: Licensing of Yucca Mountain as a Geological Repository for Radioactive Wastes
ANS Position Statement: Licensing of Yucca Mountain as a Geological Repository for Radioactive Wastes
The American Nuclear Society (ANS) supports (1) the development and use of geological
repositories for disposal of high-level radioactive wastes and (2) expeditious processing of the
Yucca Mountain license application in an open, technically sound manner. Geological disposal
means placing the wastes hundreds of feet underground and far from the biosphere. The U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is following a legislatively well-defined regulatory
process to evaluate the safety of the proposed Yucca Mountain Site to meet both the scientific
Key Issues Associated with Interim Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel
Key Issues Associated with Interim Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel
The issue of interim storage of used (spent)1 fuel is dependent on a number of key factors, some
of which are not known at this time but are the subject of this study. The first is whether or not
the Yucca Mountain Project continues or is cancelled such that it may be able to receive spent
fuel from existing and decommissioned nuclear power stations. The second is whether the United
States will pursue a policy of reprocessing and recycling nuclear fuel. The reprocessing and
Drift-Scale THC Seepage Model
Drift-Scale THC Seepage Model
The purpose of this report is to document the thermal-hydrologic-chemical (THC) seepage model and model simulations. The simulations predict the composition of fracture water that could potentially seep into repository emplacement drifts and the composition of the associated gas phase. The THC seepage model is not used to feed the total system performance assessment (TSPA) for the license application (LA).
THC Sensitivity Study of Heterogeneous Permeability and Capillarity Effects
THC Sensitivity Study of Heterogeneous Permeability and Capillarity Effects
The purpose of this report is to <,locument the sensitivity of the drift-scale thermal-hydrologic- chemical (THC) seepage model (SNL 2007 [DIRS 177404]) to heterogeneities in permeability and capillarity, which could affect predicted fluxes and chemistries of water and gases seeping into the emplacement drifts. This report has been developed following Technical Work Plan for: Revision of Model Reports for Near-Field and In-Drift Water Chemistry (SNL 2007 [DIRS 179287]).
Nuclear Criticality Calculations for Canister-Based Facilities - DOE SNF
Nuclear Criticality Calculations for Canister-Based Facilities - DOE SNF
The purpose of this calculation is to perform waste-form specific nuclear criticality safety calculations to aid in establishing criticality safety design criteria, and to identify design and process parameters that are potentially important to the criticality safety of Department of Energy (DOE) standardized Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) canisters.
Degraded Waste Package Criticality: Summary Report of Evaluations Through 1996
Degraded Waste Package Criticality: Summary Report of Evaluations Through 1996
The purpose of this document is to summarize the degraded waste package disposal criticality evaluations which were performed in fiscal years I995 and I996. These evaluations were described in detail in 4 previous documents (Refs. I through 4). The initial version of this summary has been described in the I996 Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Technical Report (Ref. 5). A topical report planned for 1998 will present the methodology in its final form for approval by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Calculation of Upper Subcritical Limits for Nuclear Criticality in a Repository
Calculation of Upper Subcritical Limits for Nuclear Criticality in a Repository
The purpose of this document is to present the methodology to be used for development of the Subcritical Limit (SL) for post closure conditions for the Yucca Mountain repository. The SL is a value based on a set of benchmark criticality multiplier, keff> results that are outputs of the MCNP calculation method. This SL accounts for calculational biases and associated uncertainties resulting from the use of MCNP as the method of assessing kerr·
Geochemistry Model Validation Report: Material Degradation and Release Model
Geochemistry Model Validation Report: Material Degradation and Release Model
The purpose of the material degradation and release (MDR) model is to predict the fate of the waste package materials, specifically the retention or mobilization of the radionuclides and the neutron-absorbing material as a function of time after the breach of a waste package during the 10,000 years after repository closure. The output of this model is used directly to assess the potential for a criticality event inside the waste package due to the retention of the radionuclides combined with a loss of the neutron-absorbing material.
Standards & Regulations for the Geologic Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste
Standards & Regulations for the Geologic Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste
This paper draws on my experience as a reviewer of the scientific programs and performance assessments of the geological repository for transuranic waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico and the proposed repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. In addition, I have served on numerous committees of the National Research Council that have addressed many aspects of nuclear waste management.
Probability of a PWR Uncanistered Fuel Waste Package Postclosure Criticality
Probability of a PWR Uncanistered Fuel Waste Package Postclosure Criticality
The purpose of this calculation is to estimate the probability of criticality in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) uncanistered fuel waste package during the postclosure phase of the repository as a function of various waste package material, loading, and environmental parameters. Parameterization on the upper subcritical limit that is used to define the threshold for criticality will also be performed. The possibility of waste package misload due to human or equipment error during preclosure is also considered in estimating the postclosure criticality probability.
Dissolved Concentration Limits of Elements with Radioactive Isotopes
Dissolved Concentration Limits of Elements with Radioactive Isotopes
The purpose of this study is to evaluate dissolved concentration limits (also referred to as solubility limits) of elements with radioactive isotopes under probable repository conditions, based on geochemical modeling calculations using geochemical modeling tools, thermodynamic databases, field measurements, and laboratory experiments.
EQ6 Calculation for Chemical Degradation of Enrico Fermi Codisposal Waste Packages: Effects of Updated Design and Rates
EQ6 Calculation for Chemical Degradation of Enrico Fermi Codisposal Waste Packages: Effects of Updated Design and Rates
The Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) Waste Package Project of the BSC Management and Operating Contractor for the Department of Energy's Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management performed calculations to provide input for disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Enrico Fermi Reactor owned by the DOE (Ref. 9). The Fermi SNF has been considered for disposal at the proposed Yucca Mountain site.
Analysis of Dust Deliquescence for FEP Screening
Analysis of Dust Deliquescence for FEP Screening
The purpose of this report is to evaluate the potential for penetration of the Alloy 22 (UNS N06022) waste package outer barrier by localized corrosion due to the deliquescence of soluble constituents in dust present on waste package surfaces. The results support a recommendation to exclude deliquescence-induced localized corrosion (pitting or crevice corrosion) of the outer barrier from the total system performance assessment for the license application (TSPA-LA).