Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences (NUREG-0090)

Section 208 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, as amended (Public Law 93-438), defines an "abnormal occurrence" (AO) as an unscheduled incident or event that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) determines to be significant from the standpoint of public health or safety. The Federal Reports Elimination and Sunset Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-66) requires that the NRC report AOs to Congress annually.

Nuclear Waste: Is There a Need for Federal Interim Storage? Report of the Monitored Retrievable Storage Review Commission

HTC Experimental Program: Validation and Calculational Analysis

In the 1980s a series of the Haut Taux de Combustion (HTC) critical experiments with fuel pins in a water-moderated lattice was conducted at the Apparatus B experimental facility in Valduc (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France) with the support of the Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire and AREVA NC. Four series of experiments were designed to assess profit associated with actinide-only burnup credit in the criticality safety evaluation for fuel handling, pool storage, and spent-fuel cask conditions.

The International Security Implications Of U.S. Domestic Nuclear Power Decisions

The United States makes decisions regarding the domestic uses of nuclear energy and the nuclear fuel cycle primarily based economic considerations, domestic political constraints, and environmental impact concerns. Such factors influence U.S. foreign policy decisions as well, but foreign policy decisions are often more strongly determined by national security considerations, including concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation and nuclear terrorism.

Nuclear Energy R&D Infrastructure Report for The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future

Over the past few years a number of important studies have been executed to identify and define the necessary nuclear energy research, development and demonstration (RD&D) infrastructure that must be sustained or developed.

SCALE-4 Analysis of Pressurized Water REactor Critical Configurations: Volume 5 - North Anna Unit 1 Cycle 5

The requirements of ANSI/ANS 8.1 specify that calculational methods for away-from-reactor (AFR) criticality safety analyses be validated against experimental measurements. If credit for the negative reactivity of the depleted (or spent) fuel isotopics is desired, it is necessary to benchmark computational methods against spent fuel critical configurations. This report summarizes a portion of the ongoing effort to benchmark AFR criticality analysis methods using selected critical configurations from commercial pressurized-water reactors (PWR).

PWR Axial Burnup Profile Analysis

DHLW Glass Waste Package Criticality Analysis (SCPB: N/A)

This analysis is prepared by the Mined Geologic Disposal System (MGDS) Waste Package Development Department (WPDD) to determine the viability of the Defense High-Level Waste (DHLW) Glass waste package concept with respect to criticality regulatory requirements in compliance with the goals of the Waste Package Implementation Plan (Ref. 5.1) for conceptual design. These design calculations are performed in sufficient detail to provide a comprehensive comparison base with other design alternatives.

The DOE Position on the MRS Facility

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.

Isotopic Generation and Confirmation of the BWR Appl. Model

The objective of this calculation is to establish an isotopic database to represent commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) from boiling water reactors (BWRs) in criticality analyses performed for the proposed Monitored Geologic Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Confirmation of the conservatism with respect to criticality in the isotopic concentration values represented by this isotopic database is performed as described in Section 3.5.3.1.2 of the Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Report (Reference 7.1).

Operational Waste Stream Assumption for TSLCC Estimates

This document provides the background and basis for the operational waste stream used in the 2000 Total System Life Cycle Cost (TSLCC) estimate for the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System (CRWMS). This document has been developed in accordance with its Development Plan (CRWMS M&O 2000a), and AP-3.11Q, ''Technical Reports''.

REPORT TO THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY ON THE CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE ADVISORY PANEL ON ALTERNATIVE MEANS OF FINANCING AND MANAGING (AMFM) RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITIES

The AMFM Panel has submitted its report "Managing Nuclear Waste - A Better Idea" to the Secretary. The report contains six general conclusions and one general recommendation in Chapter XII. In addition, Chapter X contains 14 specific enhancements ("Key Components of Any Waste Management Structure") that are recommended for implementation by the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) or any alternative organization. This paper lists and discusses the 6 general conclusions, the

Burn-up Credit Criticality Safety Benchmark - Phase VII, UO2 Fuel: Study of Spent Fuel Compositions for Long-term Disposal

Managing Nuclear Waste - A Better Idea

All activities which involve the use of radioactive material inevitably result in nuclear waste as a by-product of their operation. Most of the waste produced by such activities as medical diagnosis and therapy, field and laboratory research, and industrial processes is low-level radioactive waste—primarily small amounts of radioactivity in a large volume of matter.

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

Analysis of Experimental Data for High Burnup PWR Spent Fuel Isotopic Validation--Calvert Cliffs, Takahama, and Three Mile Island Reactors

This report is part of a report series designed to document benchmark-quality radiochemical isotopic assay data against which computer code accuracy can be quantified to establish the uncertainty and bias associated with the code predictions. The experimental data included in the report series were acquired from domestic and international programs and include spent fuel samples that cover a large burnup range. The measurements analyzed in the current report, for which experimental data is publicly available,

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

A Technology Roadmap for Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems

To advance nuclear energy to meet future energy needs, ten countries—Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States—have agreed on a framework for international cooperation in research for a future generation of nuclear energy systems, known as Generation IV. The figure below gives an overview of the generations of nuclear energy systems. The first generation was advanced in the 1950s and 60s in the early prototype reactors.

House of Representatives Letter to Secretary of Energy regarding split of defense and commercial nuclear waste disposal

House of Representatives Letter to Secretary of Energy regarding split of defense and commercial nuclear waste disposal.

Assessment of Accident Risk for Transport of Spent Nuclear Fuel to Yucca Mountain Using RADTRAN 5.5

This report evaluates the radiological impacts during postulated accidents associated with the transportation of spent nuclear fuel to the proposed Yucca Mountain repository, using the RADTRAN 5.5 computer code developed by Sandia National Laboratories. RADTRAN 5.5 can be applied to estimate the risks associated both with incident-free transportation of radioactive materials as well as with accidents that may be assumed to occur during transportation. Incidentfree transportation risks for transport of spent nuclear fuel to Yucca Mountain were evaluated in

Evaluation of Options for Permanent Geologic Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in Support of a Comprehensive National Nuclear Fuel Cycle Strategy, Volume I and Volume II (Appendices)

This study provides a technical basis for informing policy decisions regarding strategies for the management and permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW) in the United States requiring geologic isolation. Relevant policy questions this study can help inform include the following: Is a “one-size-fits–all” repository a good strategic option for disposal? Do

Nuclear Fuels Storage and Transportation Planning Project Inventory Basis

This report provides information on the inventory of commercial spent nuclear fuel, referred to herein as used nuclear fuel (UNF), as well as Government-owned UNF and high-level radioactive waste (HLW). Actual or estimated quantitative values for current inventories are provided along with inventory forecasts derived from examining a different future commercial nuclear power generation scenarios. The report also includes select information on the characteristics associated with the wastes examined (e.g. type, packaging, heat generation rate, decay curves).

Computational Benchmark for Estimation of Reactivity Margin from Fission Products and Minor Actinides in PWR Burnup Credit

This report proposes and documents a computational benchmark problem for the estimation of the additional reactivity margin available in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from fission products and minor actinides in a burnupcredit storage/transport environment, relative to SNF compositions containing only the major actinides. The benchmark problemlconfiguration is a generic burnup credit cask designed to hold 32 pressurized water reactor (PWR) assemblies.

Neutronics Benchmark for the Quad Cities-1 (Cycle 2) Mixed-Oxide Assembly Irradiation

Reactor physics computer programs are important tools that will be-used to estimate mixed oxide fuel (MOX) physics performance in support of weapons grade plutonium disposition in U.S. and Russian Federation reactors. Many of the computer programs used today have not undergone calculational comparisons to measured data obtained during reactor operation. Pin power, the buildup of transuranics, and depletion of gadolinium measurements were conducted (under Electric Power Research Institute sponsorship) on uranium and MOX pins irradiated in the Quad Cities-l