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Overview of the Section 180(c) Program: History, Lessons Learned, and Potential Next Steps
Overview of the Section 180(c) Program: History, Lessons Learned, and Potential Next Steps
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) is responsible, under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, for the transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from point of origin to destination at a federal storage or disposal facility. Section 180(c), written into the Nuclear Waste Policy Act Amendments of 1987, requires OCRWM to prepare public safety officials along the routes for these shipments.
Internationalization of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Internationalization of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
Following the proposals for nuclear fuel assurance of International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed El Baradei, former Russian President Vladimir V.
Putin, and U.S. President George W. Bush, joint committees of the Russian Academy of
Sciences (RAS) and the U.S. National Academies (NAS) were formed to address these and other
fuel assurance concepts and their links to nonproliferation goals. The joint committees also
addressed many technology issues relating to the fuel assurance concepts. This report provides
Review of DOE's Nuclear Energy Research and Development Program - Summary
Review of DOE's Nuclear Energy Research and Development Program - Summary
There has been a substantial resurgence of interest in nuclear power in the United States
over the past few years. One consequence has been a rapid growth in the research
budget of DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy (NE). In light of this growth, the Office of
Management and Budget included within the FY2006 budget request a study by the
National Academy of Sciences to review the NE research programs and recommend
priorities among those programs. The programs to be evaluated were: Nuclear Power
Confidence in the Long-term Safety of Deep Geological Repositories
Confidence in the Long-term Safety of Deep Geological Repositories
Confidence in the long-term safety of deep geological disposal, and the ways in which this
confidence can be obtained and communicated, are topics of great importance to the radioactive waste
management community.1
The technical aspects of confidence have been the subject of considerable debate, especially
the concept of model validation. It has, for example, been pointed out that it is impossible to describe
fully the evolution of an open system, such as a repository and its environment, that cannot be
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.
Nuclear Waste Facility Siting and Local Opposition
Nuclear Waste Facility Siting and Local Opposition
On the historic evidence, but also for the distinctive qualities of the challenge, nuclear waste siting conflicts are assuredly among the most refractory in the large variety of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) facility siting disputes. Since the president brought the Yucca Mountain process to a halt in 2010 (or, more accurately, issued its death certificate), the search for a permanent waste fuel repository is at the starting line again.
Internationalization of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Goals, Strategies, and Challenges
Internationalization of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Goals, Strategies, and Challenges
Following the proposals for nuclear fuel assurance of International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, former Russian President Vladimir V.
Putin, and U.S. President George W. Bush, joint committees of the Russian Academy of
Sciences (RAS) and the U.S. National Academies (NAS) were formed to address these and other
fuel assurance concepts and their links to nonproliferation goals. The joint committees also
addressed many technology issues relating to the fuel assurance concepts. This report provides
Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste
Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste
In the course of producing electrical power in light water.reactors (LWRs), the uranium
fuel accumulates fission products until the fission process is no longer efficient for power
production. At that point the fuel is removed from the reactor and stored in water basins
to allow radioactivity to partially decay before further disposition. This fuel is referred
to as "spent fuel." Although spent fuel as At is discharged from a reactor is intensely
radioactive, it has been stored safely in moderate quantities for decades. Spent fuel could
Report to Congress on Reassessment of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program
Report to Congress on Reassessment of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program
The success of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program of the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) is critical to U.S. ability to manage and dispose of
nuclear waste safely--and to the reestablishment of confidence in the nuclear energy
option in the United States. The program must conform with all applicable standards
and, in fact, set the example for a national policy on the safe disposal of radioactive
waste.
The Secretary of Energy has recently completed an extensive review of the
Transportation and Storage Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission DRAFT
Transportation and Storage Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission DRAFT
The main question before the Transportation and Storage Subcommittee was whether the United States
should change its approach to storing and transporting spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level
radioactive waste (HLW) while one or more permanent disposal facilities are established.
To answer this question and to develop specific recommendations and options for consideration by the
full Commission, the Subcommittee held multiple meetings and deliberative sessions, visited several
The Potential of Using Commercial Dual Purpose Canisters for Direct Disposal
The Potential of Using Commercial Dual Purpose Canisters for Direct Disposal
This report evaluates the potential for directly disposing of licensed commercial Dual Purpose
Canisters (DPCs) inside waste package overpacks without reopening. The evaluation considers
the principal features of the DPC designs that have been licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) as these relate to thedesigns of waste packages and as they relate to
disposability in a repository in unsaturated volcanic tuff. Where DPC features appear to compromise future disposability in an unsaturated tuff (e.g., Yucca Mountain) repository
Letter to President Obama - Blue Ribbon Commission
Letter to President Obama - Blue Ribbon Commission
Dear Mr. President:
At your direction, the Secretary of Energy established the Blue Ribbon Commission on
America’s Nuclear Future to review policies for managing the back end of the nuclear
fuel cycle and recommend a new strategy. We are pleased to be serving as Co‐
Chairmen of the Commission, and we are writing to you to highlight an important action
we strongly believe should be reflected in your Fiscal Year 2013 baseline budget
projections.
In our draft report to the Secretary, issued in July of this year, the Commission
Background Paper on Commingling of Defense and Commercial Waste
Background Paper on Commingling of Defense and Commercial Waste
Since a 1985 decision by President Reagan that a separate permanent repository for disposal of
defense high level waste was not required1, DOE has planned for disposal of all high-level waste
and spent fuel from national defense activities and DOE’s own research activities in a repository
for commercial waste developed under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). The Commission
has heard recommendations from some commenters2 that this decision be revisited, or even
Nuclear Wastes: Technologies for Separations and Transmutation
Nuclear Wastes: Technologies for Separations and Transmutation
Disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear weapons production and power generation has
caused public outcry and political consternation. Nuclear Wastes presents a critical review
of some waste management and disposal alternatives to the current national policy of
direct disposal of light water reactor spent fuel. The book offers clearcut conclusions for
what the nation should do today and what solutions should be explored for tomorrow.
The committee examines the currently used "once-through" fuel cycle versus different
Partnering for Long-Term Management of Radioactive Waste, Evolution and Current Practice in Thirteen Countries
Partnering for Long-Term Management of Radioactive Waste, Evolution and Current Practice in Thirteen Countries
The search for sites for radioactive waste management (RWM) facilities attracts attention from implementers, government bodies, local communities, and the public at large. Facility siting processes, in general, tend to be marred by conflicts, disagreements, and delays.
CURRENT U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NUCLEAR ENERGY RD&D PROGRAMS AND PLANS
CURRENT U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NUCLEAR ENERGY RD&D PROGRAMS AND PLANS
This document summarizes DOE’s commercial nuclear energy RD&D program based on a R&D roadmap and on DOE/NE’s budget request for fiscal year 2011. The roadmap is written at a high level and is mostly qualitative in terms of activities, milestones and decisions to be made and does not contain budget information. The fiscal year 2011 budget request contains more specific and detailed information on activities, milestones, decisions, and budgets but only for fiscal year 2011 and the two preceding fiscal years.
Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste
Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste
The objective of this safety requirements publication is to set down the protection objectives and criteria for geological disposal and to establish the requirements that must be met to ensure the safety of this disposal option, consistent with the established principles of safety for radioactive waste management.
Used Fuel Disposition U.S. Radioactive Waste Inventory and Characteristics Related to Potential Future Nuclear Energy Systems
Used Fuel Disposition U.S. Radioactive Waste Inventory and Characteristics Related to Potential Future Nuclear Energy Systems
In February, 2011 the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) on America’s Nuclear Future requested the Department of Energy
(DOE) to provide a white paper summarizing the quantities and characteristics of potential waste generated by various
nuclear fuel cycles. The BRC request expressed interest in two classes of radioactive wastes:
Existing waste that are or might be destined for a civilian deep geologic repository or equivalent.
Potential future waste, generated by alternative nuclear fuel cycles (e.g. wastes from reprocessing, mixed-oxide
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste: Volume IV—Lessons Learned
EPRI Review of Geologic Disposal for Used Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste: Volume IV—Lessons Learned
The effective termination of the Yucca Mountain program by the U.S. Administration in 2009
has further delayed the construction and operation of a permanent disposal facility for used fuel
and high level radioactive waste (HLW) in the United States. In concert with this decision, the
President directed the Energy Secretary to establish the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s
Nuclear Future to review and provide recommendations on options for managing used fuel and
An Economic Analysis of Select Fuel Cycles Using the Steady-State Analysis Model for Advanced Fuel Cycles Schemes (SMAFS)
An Economic Analysis of Select Fuel Cycles Using the Steady-State Analysis Model for Advanced Fuel Cycles Schemes (SMAFS)
This report evaluates the relative economics of alternative fuel cycles compared to the current
U.S. once-through fuel cycle, including concepts under consideration by the U.S. Department of
Energy’s (DOE) Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). EPRI utilized a model developed
by the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), Steady-state analysis Model for Advanced Fuel Cycle
Schemes (SMAFS), to evaluate fuel cycle alternatives. The report also evaluates potential
financing options for a fuel recycling facility. Please note that this report contains preliminary
Program on Technology Innovation: Advanced Fuel Cycles—Impact on High-Level Waste Disposal: Analysis of Deployment Scenarios of Fast Burner Reactors in the U.S. Nuclear Fleet
Program on Technology Innovation: Advanced Fuel Cycles—Impact on High-Level Waste Disposal: Analysis of Deployment Scenarios of Fast Burner Reactors in the U.S. Nuclear Fleet
This report presents the results of a dynamic simulation analysis for deployment of advanced light water reactors (LWRs) and fast burner reactors, as proposed by the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) program. Conditions for the analysis were selected for their potential to challenge the nuclear fuel simulation codes that were used, due to the large variations in nuclear fuel composition for the burner reactors before equilibrium conditions are approached. The analysis was performed in a U.S.
Assessment of Disposal Options for DOE-Managed High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel
Assessment of Disposal Options for DOE-Managed High-Level Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel
This report was prepared for the Secretary of Energy by a team of federal and contractor
personnel led by the Department’s Office of Nuclear Energy. The report assesses the technical
options for the permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) and spent nuclear fuel
(SNF) managed by the Department of Energy. Specifically, it considers whether DOE-managed HLW and
SNF should be disposed of with commercial SNF and HLW in one geologic repository or whether there
Disposal Concepts/Thermal Load Management (FY11/12 Summary Report)
Disposal Concepts/Thermal Load Management (FY11/12 Summary Report)
This report is part of study to identify reference geologic disposal concepts for generic studies in the Used Fuel Disposition R&D Campaign. This report summarizes the work on both enclosed and open modes, which has been expanded to include thermal analysis of open modes, a range of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) burnup, additional disposal system description, and cost estimation.
Internationalization of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle--Goals, Strategies, and Challenges
Internationalization of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle--Goals, Strategies, and Challenges
The so-called nuclear renaissance has increased worldwide interest in nuclear power.
This potential growth also has increased, in some quarters, concern that nonproliferation
considerations are not being given sufficient attention. In particular, since the introduction of
many new power reactors will lead to requiring an increase in uranium enrichment services to
provide the reactor fuel, the proliferation risk of adding enrichment facilities in countries that do