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An Extension of the Validation of SCALE (SAS2H) Isotopic Predictions of PWR Spent Fuel
An Extension of the Validation of SCALE (SAS2H) Isotopic Predictions of PWR Spent Fuel
Isotopic characterization of spent fuel via depletion and decay calculations is necessary for
determination of source terms for subsequent system analyses involving heat transfer, radiation
shielding, isotopic migration, etc. Unlike fresh fuel assumptions typically employed in the criticality
safety analysis of spent fuel configurations, burnup credit applications also rely on depletion and
decay calculations to predict the isotopic composition of spent fuel. These isotopics are used in
Management of Commercial High Level and Transuranium Contaminated Radioactive Waste
Management of Commercial High Level and Transuranium Contaminated Radioactive Waste
This report summarizes the results of EPA's review of the AEC
draft environmental statement, "Management of Commercial High-Level
and Transuranium-Contaminated Radioactive Waste" (WASH-1539). The
means by which high-level and long-lived radioactive wastes are
managed constitutes one of the most important questions upon which
the public acceptability of nuclear power, with its social and economic
benefits, will be determined. While the generation of power by
nuclear means offers certain benefits from the environmental viewpoint,
Radioactive Waste Repositories and Host Regions: Envisaging the Future Together
Radioactive Waste Repositories and Host Regions: Envisaging the Future Together
The 7th Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) National Workshop and Community Visit was held on 7-9 April 2009 in Bar-le-Duc, France.
Translation of Technical Development on Burn-Up Credit for Spent LWR Fuels
Translation of Technical Development on Burn-Up Credit for Spent LWR Fuels
Technical development on burn-up credit for spent LWR fuels had been performed at JAERI since
1990 under the contract with Science and Technology Agency of Japan entitled ‘Technical Development on
Criticality Safety Management for Spent LWR Fuels.’ Main purposes of this work are to obtain the
experimental data on criticality properties and isotopic compositions of spent LWR fuels and to verify burnup
and criticality calculation codes. In this work three major experiments of exponential experiments for
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
A Stochastic Method for Estimating the Effect of Isotopic Uncertainties in Spent Nuclear Fuel
A Stochastic Method for Estimating the Effect of Isotopic Uncertainties in Spent Nuclear Fuel
This report describes a novel approach developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
(ORNL) for the estimation of the uncertainty in the prediction of the neutron multiplication factor
for spent nuclear fuel. This technique focuses on burnup credit, where credit is taken in criticality
safety analysis for the reduced reactivity of fuel irradiated in and discharged from a reactor.
Validation methods for burnup credit have attempted to separate the uncertainty associated with
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.
Japan’s Spent Fuel and Plutonium Management Challenges
Japan’s Spent Fuel and Plutonium Management Challenges
Japan’s spent fuel management and fuel cycle programs are now at a critical stage. Its first commercial-scale reprocessing plant, at Rokkasho Village, will soon start full-scale operation.
Prediction of the Isotopic Composition of UO2 Fuel from a BWR: Analysis of the DU1 Sample from the Dodewaard Reactor
Prediction of the Isotopic Composition of UO2 Fuel from a BWR: Analysis of the DU1 Sample from the Dodewaard Reactor
As part of a larger program to study mixed-oxide fuel subject to high burnup, some UO2 samples were exposed and analyzed. This report discusses results from the analysis of a UO sample that was burned in a boiling-water reactor (BWR) to approximately 57 GWd/t. The sample
Managing the Nation's Commercial High-Level Radioactive Waste
Managing the Nation's Commercial High-Level Radioactive Waste
This report presents the findings and conclusions of OTA's analysis of Federal policy
for the management of commercial high-level radioactive waste. It represents a major update
and expansion of the analysis presented to Congress in our summary report, Managing
Commercial High-Level Radioactive Waste, published in April of 1982 during the
debate leading to passage of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA). This new
report is intended to contribute to the implementation of NWPA, and in particular to
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
Options for Developing Public and Stakeholder Engagement for the Storage and Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and High Level Waste (HLW) in the United States
Options for Developing Public and Stakeholder Engagement for the Storage and Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) and High Level Waste (HLW) in the United States
This report puts forth a number of options and recommendations for how to engage
stakeholders and other members of the public in the storage and management of spent
nuclear fuel and high level waste in the United States. The options are generated from a
scientific review of existing publications proposing criteria for assessing past efforts to
engage publics and stakeholders in decision-making about risky technologies. A set of
nine principles are derived for evaluating cases of public and stakeholder engagement with
U.S. Regulatory Recommendations for Actinide-Only Burnup Credit in Transport and Storage Casks
U.S. Regulatory Recommendations for Actinide-Only Burnup Credit in Transport and Storage Casks
In July 1999, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Spent Fuel Project Office
(SFPO) issued Interim Staff Guidance 8 Revision 1 (ISG8R1) to provide recommendations for the use
of burnup credit in storage and transport of pressurized-water reactor (PWR) spent fuel. Subsequent to
the issuance of ISG8R1, the NRC Office of Regulatory Research (RES) has directed an effort to
investigate the technical basis for extending the criteria and recommendations of ISG8R1 to allow
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
Parametric Analysis of PWR Spent Fuel Depletion Parameters for Long-Term Disposal Criticality Safety
Parametric Analysis of PWR Spent Fuel Depletion Parameters for Long-Term Disposal Criticality Safety
Utilization of burnup credit in criticality safety analysis for long-term disposal of spent
nuclear fuel allows improved design efficiency and reduced cost due to the large mass of fissile
material that will be present in the repository. Burnup-credit calculations are based on depletion
calculations that provide a conservative estimate of spent fuel contents (in terms of criticality
potential), followed by criticality calculations to assess the value of the effective neutron
Reactor and Fuel Cycle Technology Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission DRAFT
Reactor and Fuel Cycle Technology Subcommittee Report to the Full Commission DRAFT
The Reactor and Fuel Cycle Technology Subcommittee was formed to respond to the charge—set forth in the charter of the Blue Ribbon Commission—to evaluate existing fuel cycle technologies and R&D programs in terms of multiple criteria.
Assessment of Reactivity Margins and Loading Curves for PWR Burnup-Credit Cask Designs
Assessment of Reactivity Margins and Loading Curves for PWR Burnup-Credit Cask Designs
This report presents studies to assess reactivity margins and loading curves for pressurized water reactor
(PWR) burnup-credit criticality safety evaluations. The studies are based on a generic high-density 32-
assembly cask and systematically vary individual calculational (depletion and criticality) assumptions to
demonstrate the impact on the predicted effective neutron multiplication factor, keff, and burnup-credit
loading curves. The purpose of this report is to provide a greater understanding of the importance of
Assessment of Fission Product Cross-Section Data for Burnup Credit Applications
Assessment of Fission Product Cross-Section Data for Burnup Credit Applications
Past efforts by the Department of Energy (DOE), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and others have provided sufficient technical information to enable the NRC to issue regulatory guidance for implementation of pressurized-water reactor (PWR) burnup credit; however, consideration of only the reactivity change due to the major actinides is recommended in the guidance.
Range of Applicability and Bias Determination for Postclosure Criticality of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel
Range of Applicability and Bias Determination for Postclosure Criticality of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel
The purpose of this calculation report, Range of Applicability and Bias Determination for Postclosure
Criticality of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel, is to validate the computational method used to perform
postclosure criticality calculations. The validation process applies the criticality analysis methodology
approach documented in Section 3.5 of the Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report.1
The application systems for this validation consist of waste packages containing transport, aging, and
Identification, Description, and Characterization of Existing and Alternative Nuclear Energy Systems
Identification, Description, and Characterization of Existing and Alternative Nuclear Energy Systems
Fundamentally, a nuclear energy system uses nuclear fission to create heat, which is then available for generating electricity or other applications, including seawater desalination, heating, and production of other fuels. The nuclear energy system as currently deployed in the United States, Figure 1, consists of a number of integrated components, beginning with the natural resources required for nuclear fuel, followed by fissioning of the fuel in reactors connected to electricity generation facilities, and ending with the disposition of all wastes, including used nuclear fuel (UNF).
AN ANALYSIS OF INJURIES AT DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WORK SITES
AN ANALYSIS OF INJURIES AT DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WORK SITES
The Construction Industry Research and Policy Center (CIRPC) at the University of Tennessee was awarded a contract by the Center to Protect Workers’ Rights, under their grant program with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to analyze injuries of employees of the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and their contractors’ working at DOE work sites. The injury data analyzed were injuries recorded in DOE’s Computerized Accident Incident Reporting System (CAIRS).
Proposed Alternative Strategy for the Department of Energy's Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program: A Task Force Report
Proposed Alternative Strategy for the Department of Energy's Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program: A Task Force Report
Over the decade since NWPA, the disposal
program's strategy, based on its interpretation of the
legislative mandate and regulatory requirements, has
sought:
• in a single large step and under a tight
schedule, to achieve the first-of-a-kind licensing
of a first-of-a-kind repository for isolating
wastes from the human environment for many
thousands of years.
• in a single large step and as rapidly as possible,
to build a full-scale repository and begin
disposing of the bulk of the nation's inventory
Civilian Nuclear Spent Fuel Temporary Storage Options
Civilian Nuclear Spent Fuel Temporary Storage Options
The Department of Energy (DOE) is studying a site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, for a
permanent underground repository for highly radioactive spent fuel from nuclear reactors,
but delays have pushed back the facility’s opening date to 2010 at the earliest. In the
meantime, spent fuel is accumulating at U.S. nuclear plant sites at the rate of about 2,000
metric tons per year. Major options for managing those growing quantities of nuclear spent
fuel include continued storage at reactors, construction of a DOE interim storage site near