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Environmental Impact Statement Comments, Management of Commercial High-Level and Transuranium-Contaminated Radioactive Waste
Environmental Impact Statement Comments, 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,
Phenomena and Parameters Important to Burnup Credit
Phenomena and Parameters Important to Burnup Credit
Since the mid-1980s, a significant number of studies have been directed at understanding the phenomena and
parameters important to implementation of burnup credit in out-of-reactor applications involving pressurizedwater-
reactor (PWR) spent fuel. The efforts directed at burnup credit involving boiling-water-reactor (BWR)
spent fuel have been more limited. This paper reviews the knowledge and experience gained from work
performed in the United States and other countries in the study of burnup credit. Relevant physics and analysis
Review and Prioritization of Technical Issues Related to Burnup Credit for LWR Fuel
Review and Prioritization of Technical Issues Related to Burnup Credit for LWR Fuel
This report has been prepared to review relevant background information and provide technical discussion that will help initiate a PIRT (Phenomena Identification and Ranking Tables) process for use of burnup credit in light-water reactor (LWR) spent fuel storage and transport cask applications. The PIRT process will be used by the NRC Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research to help prioritize and guide a coordinated program of research and as a means to obtain input/feedback from industry and other interested parties.
Safety Evaluation Report for Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report, Revision 0
Safety Evaluation Report for Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report, Revision 0
In January 1999, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/Office of Civilian Radioactive
Waste Management (OCRWM) submitted the Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology
Topical Report, Revision 0 (TR) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for
review and approval. The TR presents an overall approach for consideration of postclosure
disposal criticality of commercial and defense high-level waste to be placed at
the proposed Yucca Mountain site. During the course of the review and interactions
Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report
Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report
The fundamental objective of this topical report is to present the planned risk-informed disposal criticality analysis methodology to the NRC to seek acceptance that the principles of the methodology and the planned approach to validating the methodology are sound. The design parameters and environmental assumptions within which the waste forms will reside are currently not fully established and will vary with the detailed waste package design, engineered barrier design, repository design, and repository layout.
Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material - 2005 Edition
Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material - 2005 Edition
101. These Regulations establish standards of safety which provide an
acceptable level of control of the radiation, criticality and thermal hazards to
persons, property and the environment that are associated with the transport of
radioactive material. These Regulations utilize the principles set forth in both
the “Radiation Protection and the Safety of Radiation Sources”, Safety Series
No. 120 [1] and the “International Basic Safety Standards for Protection
against Ionizing Radiation and for the Safety of Radiation Sources”, Safety
ANSI/ANS-8.27-2008: Burnup Credit for LWR Fuel
ANSI/ANS-8.27-2008: Burnup Credit for LWR Fuel
This standard provides criteria for accounting for reactivity effects of fuel irradiation and radioactive decay in criticality safety control of storage, transportation, and disposal of commercial LWR UO2 fuel assemblies.
This standard assumes the fuel and any fixed burnable absorbers are contained in an intact assembly. Additional considerations could be necessary for fuel assemblies that have been disassembled, consolidated, damaged, or reconfigured in any manner.
Criticality Analysis of Assembly Misload in a PWR Burnup Credit Cask
Criticality Analysis of Assembly Misload in a PWR Burnup Credit Cask
The Interim Staff Guidance on burnup credit (ISG-8) for spent fuel in storage and transportation casks, issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Spent Fuel Project Office, recommends a burnup measurement for each assembly to confirm the reactor record and compliance with the assembly burnup value used for loading acceptance. This recommendation is intended to prevent unauthorized loading (misloading) of assemblies due to inaccuracies in reactor burnup records and/or improper assembly identification, thereby ensuring that the appropriate subcritical margin is maintained.
Integrated Issue Resolution Status Report
Integrated Issue Resolution Status Report
This Integrated Issue Resolution Status Report provides background information about the status of prelicensing interactions between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concerning a potential high-level waste geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The NRC staff has, for many years, engaged in prelicensing interactions with DOE and various stakeholders.
Energy Justice Mapping Tool - Disadvantaged Communities Reporter
Energy Justice Mapping Tool - Disadvantaged Communities Reporter
This tool is intended to allow users to explore and produce reports on census tracts that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has categorized as disadvantaged communities, or DACs, pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 14008 - Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.
Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel: Congressional Action Needed to Break Impasse and Develop a Permanent Disposal Solution
Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel: Congressional Action Needed to Break Impasse and Develop a Permanent Disposal Solution
The Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), as amended, requires DOE to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and specifies that the only site that may be considered for the permanent disposal of commercial spent nuclear fuel is a geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. However, in 2010, DOE terminated its efforts to license a repository at Yucca Mountain, and Congress stopped funding activities related to the site. Since then, policymakers have been at an impasse on how to meet the federal disposal obligation, with significant financial consequences for taxpayers.
Summary of 2017 Public Comments on the Draft Consent-Based Siting Process for Consolidated Storage and Disposal Facilities for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste
Summary of 2017 Public Comments on the Draft Consent-Based Siting Process for Consolidated Storage and Disposal Facilities for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste
This document summarizes comments received on the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Draft Consent-Based Siting Process for Consolidated Storage and Disposal Facilities for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste (referred to throughout this document as the Draft Consent-Based Siting Process). DOE published a request for public comment on the Draft Consent-Based Siting Process in the Federal Register on January 13, 2017 (82 FR 4333).
Initial Site-Specific De-Inventory Reports
Initial Site-Specific De-Inventory Reports
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is exploring options for developing a large-scale transportation system for the safe transport of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste to future storage or disposal facilities. This complex, large-scale transportation system will involve coordinated, integrated activities. Interfaces with various transportation and non-transportation activities must be defined, and systems must be developed to ensure successful integration when the system becomes operational.
Status and Trends in Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management
Status and Trends in Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management
Status and Trends in Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management is a collaborative project between the IAEA, the European Commission and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, with the participation of nuclear industry organization the World Nuclear Association, that aims to consolidate and complement the information gathered from different initiatives around the world.
3 Reasons Why We Don’t Launch Nuclear Waste into Space
3 Reasons Why We Don’t Launch Nuclear Waste into Space
A viral YouTube video recently discussed the age-old question “why don’t we shoot nuclear waste into space?”
It’s a topic we often get asked about on social media.
While the educational video’s cartoonish depictions of nuclear waste as glowing green ooze made some of our subject matter experts cringe, it’s clear that the content creators did their homework.
Disposition of High-Level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel: The Continuing Societal and Technical Challenges
Disposition of High-Level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel: The Continuing Societal and Technical Challenges
There has been, for decades, a worldwide consensus in the nuclear technical community for disposal through geological isolation of high-level waste (HLW), including spent nuclear fuel (SNF). However, none of the national programs established to implement geological disposal has yet succeeded in establishing a geological repository and emplacing HLW in it. The large and growing HLW inventory from civilian and military reactor use over nearly 60 years remains in surface facilities intended only for interim storage.
Consent-Based Siting Process for Federal Consolidated Interim Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Consent-Based Siting Process for Federal Consolidated Interim Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel
In this document, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) outlines its road map for implementing a consent-based siting process to site one or more federal consolidated interim storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel.
Spent Nuclear Fuel and High- Level Radioactive Waste Inventory Report Revision 6
Spent Nuclear Fuel and High- Level Radioactive Waste Inventory Report Revision 6
This report provides information on the inventory of commercial spent fuel (SNF) and high-level
radioactive waste (HLW) in the United States, as well as non-commercial SNF and HLW in the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) complex. Actual or estimated quantitative values for current inventories are
provided along with inventory forecasts derived from examining different future commercial nuclear power
generation scenarios. The report also includes select information on the characteristics associated with the
Generic Repository Design Concepts and Thermal Analysis (FY11)
Generic Repository Design Concepts and Thermal Analysis (FY11)
Reference concepts for geologic disposal of used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the U.S. are developed, including geologic settings and engineered barriers. Repository thermal analysis is demonstrated for a range of waste types from projected future, advanced nuclear fuel cycles. The results show significant differences among geologic media considered (clay/shale, crystalline rock, salt), and also that waste package size and waste loading must be limited to meet targeted maximum temperature values.
Transportation Institutional Issues Involving the U.S. Department of Energy's Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program: The Post Yucca Mountain Years
Transportation Institutional Issues Involving the U.S. Department of Energy's Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program: The Post Yucca Mountain Years
This 10th anniversary update to the original archive adds several sections that cover relevant topics since 2010. Some of the new topics include the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future, consent-based siting, tribal engagement, shutdown site visits, and industry interests. Much like the first publication, the purpose of this update is to make it easier for new personnel to learn about what came before them in the hope that this knowledge gives them a greater chance of success.
Spent Nuclear Fuel and Reprocessing Waste Inventory, Revision 9
Spent Nuclear Fuel and Reprocessing Waste Inventory, Revision 9
This report provides information on the inventory of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in the United States located at Nuclear Power Reactor and Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation sites, as well as SNF and reprocessing waste located at U.S. Department of Energy sites and other research and development centers as of the end of calendar year 2021.
Summary of Consolidated Interim Storage Advantages and Disadvantages from an Integrated Systems Perspective from Prior Reports and Studies
Summary of Consolidated Interim Storage Advantages and Disadvantages from an Integrated Systems Perspective from Prior Reports and Studies
The question of whether centralized storage of civilian spent nuclear fuel (SNF) should be part of the federal waste management system as an intermediate step before permanent disposal has been debated for more than four decades. Centralized storage facilities were included as a potential component of the U.S. spent fuel management system in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), but the NWPA did not identify these facilities as being essential.
Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste 3
Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste 3
The Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste is a framework for moving toward a sustainable program to deploy an integrated system capable of transporting, storing, and disposing of used nuclear fuel1 and high-level radioactive waste from civilian nuclear power generation, defense, national security and other activities. The Strategy addresses several important needs.
NRC Online Resources - Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel Webpage
NRC Online Resources - Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel Webpage
NRC's "Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel" includes a short discussion of "What We Regulate"; "How We Regulate"; and links to related information.