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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.
Evaluation of Codisposal Viability for MOX (FFTF) DOE-Owned Fuel
Evaluation of Codisposal Viability for MOX (FFTF) DOE-Owned Fuel
There are more than 250 forms of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)-owned spent nuclear fuel (SNF). Due to the variety of the spent nuclear fuel, the National Spent Nuclear Fuel Program (NSNFP) has designated nine representative fuel groups for disposal criticality analyses based on fuel matrix, primary fissile isotope, and enrichment. Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) fuel has been designated as the representative fuel for the mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel group which is a mixture of uranium and plutonium oxides.
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]).
Closing Yucca Mountain: Litigation Associated with Attempts to Abandon the Planned Nuclear Waste Repository
Closing Yucca Mountain: Litigation Associated with Attempts to Abandon the Planned Nuclear Waste Repository
Passed in 1982, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) was an effort to establish an explicit statutory basis for the Department of Energy (DOE) to dispose of the nation’s most highly radioactive nuclear waste. The NWPA requires DOE to remove spent nuclear fuel from commercial nuclear power plants, in exchange for a fee, and transport it to a permanent geologic repository or an interim storage facility before permanent disposal. Defense-related high-level<br>waste is to go into the same repository.
Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Wastes in a Proposed Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada; Final Rule
Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Wastes in a Proposed Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada; Final Rule
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is publishing licensing criteria for disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes in the proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. As mandated by law, this final rule changes the Commissions technical requirements and criteria, as necessary, to be consistent with final environmental standards for Yucca Mountain issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Public Health and Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada; Proposed Rule
Public Health and Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada; Proposed Rule
We, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), are proposing to revise certain of our public health and safety standards for radioactive material stored or disposed of in the potential repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Section 801(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EnPA, Pub. L. 102Ð 486) directed us to develop these standards. These standards (the 2001 standards) were originally promulgated on June 13, 2001 (66 FR 32074).
On Petitions for Review of Orders of the EPA, the DOE, and the NRC
On Petitions for Review of Orders of the EPA, the DOE, and the NRC
In sum, we vacate 40 C.F.R. part 197 to the extent that it incorporates a 10,000-year compliance period because, contrary to EnPA section 801(a), that compliance period is not<br> "based upon and consistent with " the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences. The remaining challenges to the EPA rule are without merit. We vacate the NRC rule insofar as it incorporates EPAÕs 10,000-year compliance period. In all other respects, we deny NevadaÕs petition for review challenging the NRC rule.
Response to Comments from the U.S. Department of Interior, State of Nevada, and Affected Counties on the Report of Early Site Suitability Evaluation of the Potential Repository Site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Response to Comments from the U.S. Department of Interior, State of Nevada, and Affected Counties on the Report of Early Site Suitability Evaluation of the Potential Repository Site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Comments contained in this document were received by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on the Report of Early Site Suitability Evaluation (ESSE) of the Potential Repository Site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, (Younker et al., 1992, SAIC 91/8000). Comments were received from the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the State of Nevada, and several local affected governments in Nevada. No comments were received from members of the public.
A MOUNTAIN OF TROUBLE: A NATION AT RISK REPORT ON IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED YUCCA MOUNTAIN HIGH-LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE PROGRAM
A MOUNTAIN OF TROUBLE: A NATION AT RISK REPORT ON IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED YUCCA MOUNTAIN HIGH-LEVEL NUCLEAR WASTE PROGRAM
Enclosed is the State of Nevada s report on impacts of the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository program. This report is being provided pursuant to Section 114(a)(1)(H) and Section 116 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended.
DISPOSABILITY OF LOADED U.S. DUAL-PURPOSE CANISTERS FROM A CRITICALITY STANDPOINT
DISPOSABILITY OF LOADED U.S. DUAL-PURPOSE CANISTERS FROM A CRITICALITY STANDPOINT
This paper assesses the feasibility of direct disposal of loaded dual-purpose canisters (DPCs) from a criticality standpoint by evaluating attributes that could be credited to justify that the DPCs remain subcritical over a repository performance period. This study investigates the uncredited criticality margin associated with actual fuel loading compared with the regulatory licensing design basis limits and evaluates the percentage of DPCs that remain subcritical solely based on the uncredited criticality margin.
Response to Comments from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the Report of Early Site Suitability Evaluation of the Potential Repository Site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Response to Comments from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the Report of Early Site Suitability Evaluation of the Potential Repository Site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada
Comments contained in this document were received by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on the Report of Early Site Suitability Evaluation (ESSE) of the Potential Repository Site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, (Younker et al., 1992, SAIC 91/8000). Comments were received from the U.S. Department of Interior, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the State of Nevada, and several local affected governments in Nevada. No comments were received from members of the public.
Public Health and Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada (40 CFR Part 197) -- Final Rule Response to Comments Document
Public Health and Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada (40 CFR Part 197) -- Final Rule Response to Comments Document
EPA held a 90-day public comment period for the proposed radiation protection standards for Yucca Mountain (August 27, 1999 through November 26, 1999). Sixty-nine (69) sets of written comments were submitted to EPAÕs Air Docket regarding the proposed standards, although some commenters submitted more than one set of written comments. In addition, the Agency received oral testimony on the proposed standards from 28 speakers during public hearings that were held in Washington, DC; Las Vegas, NV; Amargosa Valley, NV; and Kansas City, MO.