This “Technical Evaluation Report on the Content of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Yucca Mountain License Application; Postclosure Volume: Repository Safety After Permanent Closure” (TER Postclosure Volume) presents information on the NRC staff’s review of DOE’s Safety Analysis Report (SAR), provided on June 3, 2008, as updated by DOE on February 19, 2009. The NRC staff also reviewed information DOE provided in response to NRC staff’s requests for additional information and other information that DOE provided related to the SAR.

This analysis provides information necessary for total system performance assessment (TSPA) for the license application (LA) to include the excess U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plutonium in the form of mixed oxide (MOX) spent nuclear fuel and lanthanide borosilicate (LaBS) glass. This information includes the additional radionuclide inventory due to MOX spent nuclear fuel and LaBS glass and the analysis that shows that the TSPA models for commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) and high-level waste (HLW) degradation are appropriate for MOX spent nuclear fuel and LaBS glass, respectively.

The purpose of this calculation is to perform the same reactivity calculations as performed in Reference 7.1 and Reference 7.2 for a set of Laboratory Critical Experiments (LCE) except to change some of the cross section libraries as specified here, and to perform sixteen additional calculations for U233 LCEs.

As part of the plutonium waste form development and down-select process, repository analyses have been conducted to evaluate the long-term performance of these forms for repository acceptance. Intact and degraded mode criticality analysis of the mixed oxide (MOX) spent fuel is presented in Volume I, while Volume II presents the evaluations of the waste form containing plutonium immobilized in a ceramic matrix.

The purpose of this engineering calculation is to document the MCNP4B2LVevaluations of Laboratory Critical Experiments (LCEs) performed as part of the Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology program. LCE evaluations documented in this report were performed for 22 different cases with varied design parameters. Some of these LCEs (10) are documented in existing references (Ref. 7.1 and 7.2), but were re-run for this calculation file using more neutron histories.

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·

The purpose of this calculation is to apply the process described in the Preclosure Criticality Analysis Process Report (Ref. 2.2.12) to establish the bias for keff calculations performed for commercial nuclear fuels using the MCNP code system. This bias will be used in criticality safety analyses as part of the basis for establishing the upper subcritical limit (USL). This calculation also defines the range of applicability (ROA) for which the bias may be used directly without need to consider additional penalties on the USL.

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.

The means to prevent and control criticality must be addressed as part of the Preclosure Safety Analysis (PCSA) required for compliance with 10 CFR Part 63 [DIRS 180319], where the preclosure period covers the time prior to permanent closure activities. This technical report presents the nuclear criticality safety evaluation that documents the achievement of this objective.

The purpose of this calculation is to document the MCNP4B2L V evaluations of Laboratory Critical Experiments (LCEs) performed as part of the Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology program. LCE evaluations documented in this report were performed for 182 different cases with varied design parameters. The objective of this analysis is to quantify the MCNP4B2LV code system's ability to accurately calculate the effective neutron multiplication factor (keff) for various critical configurations.

The purpose of this report is to document calculations of the number of waste packages that could be damaged in a potential future igneous event intersecting a repository at YuccaMountain. The analyses include disruption from an igneous intrusion and from an igneous eruption. The analyses also support the evaluation of the potential consequences from a future event as part of the total system performance assessment (TSPA) for the license application for the Yucca Mountain Project.

The purpose of this calculation is to perform a parametric study to determine the effects of fission product leaching, assembly collapse, and iron oxide loss on the reactivity of a waste package containing mixed oxide spent nuclear fuel. Previous calculations (CRWMS M&O 1998a) have shown that the criticality control features of the waste package are adequate to prevent criticality of a flooded WP for all the enrichment/burnup pairs expected for the MOX SNF.

The purpose of this calculation is to establish the relative change in the effective neutron multiplication factor (keff) due to the use of MCNP unique identifiers (ZAIDs) in Nuclear Criticality Calculations for Canister-Based Facilities - DOE SNF (Reference 2.2.1, Attachment 3, MCNP inputs.zip) that are different to the ZAIDs used in the Analysis of Critical Benchmark Experiments and Critical Limit Calculation for DOE SNF (Reference 2.2.5, Table 5-3).

The purpose of this calculation file is to document criticality calculations performed on two different rod consolidation waste package designs. The results presented in this calculation file may be used to support further evaluation of the rod consolidation waste package design.

This report was developed in accordance with the requirements in Technical Work Plan for Postclosure Waste Form Modeling (BSC 2005 [DIRS 173246]). The purpose of the in-package chemistry model is to predict the bulk chemistry inside of a breached waste package and to provide simplified expressions of that chemistry as a function of time after breach to Total Systems Performance Assessment for the License Application (TSPA-LA).

The purpose of this analysis is to document the Commercial Reactor Critical (CRC) benchmark evaluation performed for the Quad Cities Unit 1 boiling water reactor (BWR). The CRC benchmark is performed at a beginning of life (BOL) statepoint representing reactor start-up critical conditions. The objective of this CRC benchmark analysis is to provide a validation benchmark for the MCNP 4A analytic tool for use in the disposal criticality analysis methodology.

The purpose of this analysis is to document the MCNP evaluations of benchmark lattice Laboratory Critical Experiments (LCE's). The objective of this analysis is to quantify the MCNP 4A (Reference 5.4) code system's ability to accurately calculate the effective neutron multiplication factor (keff) for various measured critical (i.e., keff= 1.0) configurations. This analysis quantifies the effectiveness of the MCNP criticality calculation for lattice configurations containing U02 and Pu02 fissile oxide fuel using two different cross section data libraries.

The objective of this analysis is to evaluate accumulations within the thermally altered tuff surrounding a drift. The evaluation examines accumulation of uranium minerals (soddyite), plutonium oxide (Pu01), and combinations of these materials. A hypothetical model of the tuff is used to provide insight into the factors that affect criticality for this near-field scenario. The factors examined include: the size of the accumulation, the fissile composition of the accumulation, the water or clayey material fraction in the accumulation and the water fraction in the tuff

The Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report (Reference 1) states that the accuracy of the criticality analysis methodology (MCNP Monte Carlo code and cross-section data) designated to assess the potential for criticality of various configurations in the Yucca Mountain proposed repository is established by evaluating appropriately selected benchmark critical experiments.

The objective of Calculation of Isotopic Bias and Uncertainty for BWR SNF is to quantify the computational bias and uncertainty in the multiplication factor (keff) to be used for Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) burn-up credit. The scope of this bias and uncertainty determination covers 38 different radiochemical assay (RCA) spent fuel samples from 14 different fuel assemblies that were irradiated in four different BWRs. The irradiated fuel samples evaluated span an enrichment range of 2.53 weight percent U-235 through 3.95 weight percent U-235.

This analysis is prepared by the Mined Geologic Disposal System (MGDS) Waste Package Development Department (WPDD) to compare the criticality potential of Westinghouse 17x17 mixed oxide (MOX) PWR fuel with the Design Basis spent nuclear fuel (SNF) analyzed previously (Ref. 5.1, 5.2). The basis of comparison will be the conceptual design Multi- Purpose Canister (MPC) PWR waste package concepts.

This report, Summary Report of Laboratory Critical Experiment Analyses Performed for the Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology, contains a summary of the laboratory critical experiment (LCE) analyses used to support the validation of the disposal criticality analysis methodology.