Category of Content
Siting Experience Documents Only
Publication Date
Subject Matter
Country
Keywords
Radiolytic Specie Generation from Internal Waste Package Criticality
Radiolytic Specie Generation from Internal Waste Package Criticality
EQ6 Calculation for Chemical Degradation of Pu-Ceramic Waste Packages: Effects of Updated Materials Composition and Rates
EQ6 Calculation for Chemical Degradation of Pu-Ceramic Waste Packages: Effects of Updated Materials Composition and Rates
The Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) Waste Package Operations (WPO) of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management and Operating Contractor (CRWMS M&O) performed calculations to provide input for disposal of Pu-ceramic waste forms. The Pu- ceramic (Refs. 1 and 2) is designed to immobilize excess plutonium from weapons production, and has been considered for disposal at the potential Yucca Mountain site.
Second Waste Package Probabilistic Criticality Analysis: Generation and Evaluation of Internal Criticality Configurations
Second Waste Package Probabilistic Criticality Analysis: Generation and Evaluation of Internal Criticality Configurations
This analysis is prepared by the Mined Geologic Disposal System (MODS) Waste Package Development (WPD) department to provide an evaluation of the criticality potential within a waste package having some or all of its contents degraded by corrosion and removal of neutron absorbers. This analysis is also intended to provide an estimate of the consequences of any internal criticality, particularly in terms of any increase in radionuclide inventory. These consequence estimates will be used as part of the WPD input to the Total System Performance Assessment.
Disposal Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission
Disposal Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission
The Disposal Subcommittee of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (BRC) addressed a wide-ranging set of issues, all bearing directly on the central question: “How can the United States go about establishing one or more disposal sites for high-level nuclear wastes in a manner and within a timeframe that is technically, socially, economically, and politically acceptable?”
EQ6 calculations for Chemical Degradation of Navy Waste Packages
EQ6 calculations for Chemical Degradation of Navy Waste Packages
The Monitored Geologic Repository Waste Package Operations of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management & Operating Contractor (CRWMS M&O) performed calculations to provide input for disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Navy (Refs. 1 and , 2). The Navy SNF has been considered for disposal at the potential Yucca Mountain site. For some waste packages, the containment may breach (Ref. 3), allowing the influx of water. Water in the waste package may moderate neutrons, increasing the likelihood of a criticality event within the waste package.
Nuclear Waste and Native America: The MRS Siting Exercise
Nuclear Waste and Native America: The MRS Siting Exercise
The U.S. government’s quest to store high-level nuclear waste has
had many interesting twists and turns. One set of developments stands
out as unique — efforts to site a temporary Monitored Retrievable
Storage (MRS) facility on lands belonging to Native Americans. We
describe the history and logic of the government’s process which led to
the involvement of Native Americans and the reactions of some tribes
to the MRS option. We also provide cross-cultural perspectives on issues
Revisiting America's Nuclear Waste Policy
Revisiting America's Nuclear Waste Policy
With the first 100 days of the Obama Administration behind us, the Institute for 21st Century Energy presents
this nuclear waste policy document that recounts the history of the country’s nuclear waste policy, discusses
the mechanics of the issue, and off ers specifi c recommendations to the Obama Administration and the
U.S. Congress.
Two weeks aft er the 2008 presidential election, the Institute released dozens of energy policy recommendations for
the incoming administration and 111th Congress. Ten recommendations focused on committing to and expanding
Yucca Mountain - Nevada's Perspective
Yucca Mountain - Nevada's Perspective
Yucca Mountain—that barren rise in the desert ninety miles from Las Vegas—is the nation‘s only site identified for the potential location of the first ge ological repository for commercially-generated HLNW and SNF. Many assume
that Yucca Mountain has geologic and climatic qualities that make it uniquely
suitable to isolate the thousands of metric tons of the world‘s most lethal, long lived waste currently accumulating at 104 operating nuclear power plants across the United States.
Unfortunately, Yucca Mountain is an exceptionally bad site,
Underlying Yucca Mountain: The Interplay of Geology and Policy in Nuclear Waste Disposal
Underlying Yucca Mountain: The Interplay of Geology and Policy in Nuclear Waste Disposal
Nuclear waste disposal in the USA is a difficult policy issue infused with
science, technology, and politics. This issue provides an example of the co-production
of scientific knowledge and politics through public policy. The proponents of a
repository site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, argue that their decision to go ahead
with the site is based on ‘sound science’, but the science they use to uphold their
decision is influenced by politics. In turn, the politics of site selection has been altered
EQ6 Calculation for Chemical Degradation of Shippingport PWR (HEU Oxide) Spent Nuclear Fuel Waste Packages
EQ6 Calculation for Chemical Degradation of Shippingport PWR (HEU Oxide) Spent Nuclear Fuel Waste Packages
The Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) Waste Package Operations (WPO) of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management & Operating Contractor (CRWMS M&O) performed calculations to provide input for disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Shippingport Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) (Ref. 1). The Shippingport PWR SNF has been considered for disposal at the proposed Yucca Mountain site.
Disposal Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission DRAFT
Disposal Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission DRAFT
The Disposal Subcommittee of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future has
commenced to address a set of issues, all of which bear directly on the central question: “How can the
United States go about establishing one or more disposal sites for high-level nuclear wastes in a manner
and within a timeframe that is technically, socially, economically, and politically acceptable?”
To answer this question and to develop specific recommendations and options for consideration by the
Factors Affecting Public and Political Acceptance for the Implementation of Geological Disposal
Factors Affecting Public and Political Acceptance for the Implementation of Geological Disposal
The main objective of this report is to identify conditions which affect public concern (either
increase or decrease) and political acceptance for developing and implementing programmes
for geologic disposal of long-lived radioactive waste. It also looks how citizens and relevant
actors can be associated in the decision making process in such a way that their input is
enriching the outcome towards a more socially robust and sustainable solution. Finally, it
aims at learning from the interaction how to optimise risk management addressing needs and
Criticality Evaluation of Degraded Internal Configurations for the PWR AUCF WP Designs
Criticality Evaluation of Degraded Internal Configurations for the PWR AUCF WP Designs
The purpose of this analysis is to provide input on the criticality potential of various degraded configurations to an analysis on the probability of a criticality event in a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) Advanced Uncanistered Fuel (AUCF) Waste Package (WP).
General Corrosion and Localized Corrosion of Waste Package Outer Barrier
General Corrosion and Localized Corrosion of Waste Package Outer Barrier
The purpose and scope of this model report is to document models for general and localized corrosion of the waste package outer barrier (WPOB) to be used in evaluating long-term waste package performance in the total system performance assessment (TSPA). The waste package design for the license application is a double-wall waste package placed underneath a protective drip shield (SNL 2007 [DIRS 179394]; SNL 2007 [DIRS 179354]). The WPOB will be constructed of Alloy 22 (UNS N06022) (SNL 2007 [DIRS 179567], Section 4.1.1.6), a highly corrosion-resistant nickel-based alloy.
EQ6 Calculations for Chemical Degradation of Enrico Fermi Spent Nuclear Fuel Waste Packages
EQ6 Calculations for Chemical Degradation of Enrico Fermi Spent Nuclear Fuel Waste Packages
The Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR) Waste Package Operations (WPO) of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management & Operating Contractor (CRWMS M&O) performed calculations to provide input for disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Emico Fermi Atomic Power Plant (Ref. 1). The Fermi fuel has been considered for disposal at the potential Yucca Mountain site.
EBS Radionuclide Transport Abstraction
EBS Radionuclide Transport Abstraction
The purpose of this report is to develop and analyze the Engineered Barrier System (EBS) Radionuclide Transport Abstraction Model, consistent with Level I and Level II model validation, as identified in Technical Work Plan for: Near-Field Environment: Engineered Barrier System: Radionuclide Transport Abstraction Model Report (BSC 2006 [DIRS 177739]). The EBS Radionuclide Transport Abstraction (or RTA) is the conceptual model used in the Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) to determine the rate of radionuclide releases from the EBS to the unsaturated zone (UZ).
Stress Corrosion Cracking of Waste Package Outer Barrier and Drip Shield Materials
Stress Corrosion Cracking of Waste Package Outer Barrier and Drip Shield Materials
Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is one of the most common corrosion-related causes for premature breach of metal structural components. SCC is the initiation and propagation of cracks in structural components due to three factors that must be present simultaneously (Jones 1992 [DIRS 169906], Section 8.1): metallurgical susceptibility, critical environment, and sustained tensile stresses.
EQ6 Calculations for Chemical Degradation of Pu-Ceramic Waste Packages
EQ6 Calculations for Chemical Degradation of Pu-Ceramic Waste Packages
In this study, the long-term geochemical behavior of waste package (WP), containing Pu-ceramic, was modeled. The ceramic under consideration contains Ti, U, Pu, Gd and Hf in a pyrochlore structure; the Gd and Hf stabilize the mineral structure, but are also intended to provide criticality control. The specific study objectives were to determine:
1) the extent to which criticality control material, suggested for this WP design, will remain in the WP after corrosion/dissolution of the initial package configuration (such that it can be effective in preventing criticality), and
Comparing Nuclear Fuel Cycle Options
Comparing Nuclear Fuel Cycle Options
The comparison of different nuclear fuel cycle options has become an integral element to any analysis of the future prospects for nuclear energy, in the United States and around the world. Concerns for supply security and price volatility of fossil fuels, combined with growing resolve to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, have caused a general shift in attitudes towards nuclear energy. However, there are lingering sustainability concerns for nuclear energy – long term uranium supply and environmental impact – as well as concerns about the proliferation of nuclear weapons.
EQ6 Calculations for Chemical Degradation of Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) Waste Packages
EQ6 Calculations for Chemical Degradation of Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) Waste Packages
Fuel from the Fast Flux Test Facility ' (FFTF) has been considered for disposal at the proposed
Extended Storage and Transportation - Evaluation of Drying Adequacy
Extended Storage and Transportation - Evaluation of Drying Adequacy
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is evaluating the safety and security of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) stored in dry casks for extended time periods before transportation to a location where the SNF is further processed or permanently disposed.
Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future Draft Report to the Secretary of Energy
Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future Draft Report to the Secretary of Energy
America’s nuclear waste management program is at an impasse. The Obama Administration’s decision
to halt work on a repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada is but the latest indicator of a policy that has
been troubled for decades and has now all but completely broken down. The approach laid out under
the 1987 Amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA)—which tied the entire U.S. high-level
waste management program to the fate of the Yucca Mountain site—has not worked to produce a
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.
EQ6 Calculations for Chemical Degradation of TRIGA Codisposal Waste PacKages
EQ6 Calculations for Chemical Degradation of TRIGA Codisposal Waste PacKages
The Monitored Geologic Repository Waste Package Operations of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System Management & Operating Contractor (CRWMS M&O) performed calculations to provide input for disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from the Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (TRIGA) reactor (Ref. 1). The TRIGA SNF has been considered for disposal at the potential Yucca Mountain site.