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ANS Position Statement: Licensing of Yucca Mountain as a Geological Repository for Radioactive Wastes

The American Nuclear Society (ANS) supports (1) the development and use of geological
repositories for disposal of high-level radioactive wastes and (2) expeditious processing of the
Yucca Mountain license application in an open, technically sound manner. Geological disposal
means placing the wastes hundreds of feet underground and far from the biosphere. The U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is following a legislatively well-defined regulatory
process to evaluate the safety of the proposed Yucca Mountain Site to meet both the scientific

Configuration Model Generator

The Disposal Criticality Analysis Methodology Topical Reporta prescribes an approach to the methodology for performing postclosure criticality analyses within the monitored geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. An essential component of the methodology is the Configuration Generator Model for In-Package Criticality that provides a tool to evaluate the probabilities of degraded configurations achieving a critical state.

Development of Technical Data Needed to Justify Full Burnup Credit in Criticality Safety Licensing Analyses Involving Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel

This technical work plan (TWP) describes the planning of burnup credit (BUC) experimental work to be implemented by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) Lead Laboratory for Repository Systems. This TWP serves to coordinate and integrate a program to implement Work Packages S31023 to S31036 of the fiscal year 2007 annual work plan (AWP) for the Lead Laboratory.

Preclosure Consequence Analyses

This document contains analyses and calculations of absorbed dose from dispersed waste forms from light water reactors. The design features of HEPA filters are compared to the results. The calculation determines the consequences from normal operations and event sequences from surface and subsurface facilities during the preclosure period.

Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Igneous Scenario Criticality Evaluation

The purpose of this scientific analysis report, Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Igneous Scenario Criticality Evaluation, is to investigate the effects of an igneous intrusion event occurring in the repository on commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) stored in waste packages. This activity supports the Postclosure Criticality Department's development of bounding (design-basis) configurations for loading specifications and the evaluation of features, events, and processes (FEPs) that could lead to waste package criticality.

The Siting Record

An Account of the Programs of Federal Agencies and Events That Have Led to the Selection of a Potential Site for a Geologic Repository for High-Level Radioactive Waste

Calculation of Upper Subcritical Limits for Nuclear Criticality in a Repository

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·

Isotopic Generation and Verification of the PWR Application Model

The objective of this calculation is to establish an isotopic database to represent commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) from pressurized water reactors (PWRs) 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 (YMP 2000).

Co-Mingled and Defense-Only Repositories

At the request of the staff to the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future (“BRC”), we have reviewed the following questions:
1. Is there legal authority for DOE or any other entity to undertake to site a repository for “co-mingled” nuclear materials (i.e., civilian and defense spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW)) at any site other than Yucca Mountain?

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