The objective of this calculation is to determine the structural response of a 21-Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) spent nuclear fuel waste package impacting an unyielding surface. A range of initial velocities and initial angles between the waste package and the unyielding surface is studied. The scope of this calculation is limited to estimating the area of the outer shell (OS) where the residual stress exceeds a given limit (hereafter ''damaged area''). The stress limit is defined as a fraction of the yield strength of the OS material, Alloy 22 (SB-575 N06022), at the appropriate temperature. The design of the 21-PWR waste package used in this calculation is that defined in Reference 8. However, a value of 4 mm was used for the gap between the inner shell and the OS, and the thickness of the OS was reduced by 2 mm. The sketch in Attachment I provides additional information not included in Reference 8. All obtained results are valid for this design only. This calculation is associated with the waste package design and was performed by the Specialty Analyses and Waste Package Design Section. The waste package (i.e. uncanistered spent nuclear fuel disposal container) is classified as Quality Level 1.

Three types of liquid-liquid extraction equipment are used in industrial reprocessing plants. Each is described below, with a special focus on pulsed columns and centrifugal extractors, which have been the subject of an extensive R&D program by the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). Various models have been developed to simulate equipment behavior and flowsheets. The excellent results obtained during industrial operation of the UP3 and UP2-800 plants in La Hague have confirmed the validity of the choices made during the design phases and pave the way for future improvement of the reprocessing process, from a technical and a financial standpoint.

Among the highest priorities for action under the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Ecology et al. 1989a), hereafter referred to as the Tri-Party Agreement, is the retrieval, treatment and disposal of Hanford Site tank waste. Tank waste is recognized as one of the primary threats to the Columbia River and one of the most complex technical challenges. Progress has been made in resolving safety issues, characterizing tank waste and past tank leaks, enhancing double-shell tank waste transfer and operations systems, retrieving single-shell tank waste, deploying waste treatment facilities, and planning for the disposal of immobilized waste product. However, limited progress has been made in developing technologies and providing a sound technical basis for tank system closure. To address this limitation the Accelerated Tank Closure Demonstration Project was created to develop information through technology demonstrations in support of waste retrieval and closure decisions. To complete its mission the Accelerated Tank Closure Demonstration Project has adopted performance objectives that include: Protecting human health and the environment; Minimizing/eliminating potential waste releases to the soil and groundwater; Preventing water infiltration into the tank; Maintaining accessibility of surrounding tanks for future closure; Maintaining tank structural integrity; Complying with applicable waste retrieval, disposal, and …

Technical support is important for all U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facilities facing difficult technical issues, aggressive remediation schedules, and tight budgets. It is especially vital for closure sites, which typically are smaller and have fewer resources available to apply to remediation activities. In many cases, closure sites and other small sites no longer have staff with the expertise required to overcome technical barriers on their own. As closure deadlines approach, special technical expertise is needed to identify, evaluate, and implement new and innovative approaches that will result in significant cost and schedule improvement for the waste disposition pathway. Site ''problem holders'' must have access to world-class scientific and engineering expertise from DOE national laboratories and research facilities, private industry, and universities to address immediate critical problems. In order to have confidence in the feasibility and results of innovative approaches, site contractors need to have the benefit of the valuable experiences of technicians who have faced similar problems and found solutions. The DOE Environmental Management (EM) Science and Technology (S&T) program recognizes the need of the closure sites to solve problems aggressively and is highly responsive to this need. Technical support from the S&T program can take many forms, such …

The Chemistry and Metallurgical Research (CMR) Facility was designed in 1949 and built in 1952 at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to support analytical chemistry, metallurgical studies, and actinide research and development on samples of plutonium and other nuclear materials for the Atomic Energy Commission's nuclear weapons program. These primary programmatic uses of the CMR Facility have not changed significantly since it was constructed. In 1998, a seismic fault was found to the west of the CMR Facility and projected to extend beneath two wings of the building. As part of the overall Risk Management Strategy for the CMR Facility, the Department of Energy (DOE) proposed to replace it by 2010 with what is called the CMR Facility Replacement (CMRR). In an effort to make this proposed new nuclear research facility environmentally sustainable, several pollution prevention/waste minimization initiatives are being reviewed for potential incorporation during the design phase. A two-phase approach is being adopted; the facility is being designed in a manner that integrates pollution prevention efforts, and programmatic activities are being tailored to minimize waste. Processes and procedures that reduce waste generation compared to current, prevalent processes and procedures are identified. Some of these ''best practices'' include the following: …

An advanced system using High Efficiency Solidification Technology (HEST) was developed to treat PWR liquid waste and the first unit is operating in Taiwan (1) and a detailed design is being carried out for the second unit in Japan. The HEST system consists of two subsystems, a super-concentration subsystem and a solidification subsystem. The super-concentration subsystem is able to concentrate the waste solution to a total boron content as high as 130,000 ppm prior to solidification. The higher boron content will result in greater volume reduction efficiency of solidification. The solidification subsystem consists of an in-drum mixing and a conveyor units. Representative features of this advanced system are as follows. (1) Simple system: The system consists of the super-concentration and cement solidification subsystems; it is as simple as the conventional cement solidification system. (2) High volume reduction efficiency: The number of solidified waste drums is about 1/2.5 that of bitumen solidification. (3) Stable Package: Essentially no organic material is used, and the final package will be stable under the final disposal conditions. (4) Zero secondary waste: Washing water used in the in-drum mixer is recycled. This paper describes the outline of HEST technology, treatment system and pilot plant tests.

WESKEM, LLC's Environmental, Safety and Health (ES&H) Department had previously assessed that a lack of consistency, poor communication and using antiquated communication tools could result in varying operating practices, as well as a failure to capture and disseminate appropriate Integrated Safety Management (ISM) information. To address these issues, the ES&H Department established an Activity Hazard Review (AHR)/Activity Hazard Analysis (AHA) process for systematically identifying, assessing, and controlling hazards associated with project work activities during work planning and execution. Depending on the scope of a project, information from field walkdowns and table-top meetings are collected on an AHR form. The AHA then documents the potential failure and consequence scenarios for a particular hazard. Also, the AHA recommends whether the type of mitigation appears appropriate or whether additional controls should be implemented. Since the application is web based, the information is captured into a single system and organized according to the >200 work activities already recorded in the database. Using the streamlined AHA method improved cycle time from over four hours to an average of one hour, allowing more time to analyze unique hazards and develop appropriate controls. Also, the enhanced configuration control created a readily available AHA library to research and …

Since site designation of the Yucca Mountain Project by the President, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has begun the transition from the site characterization phase of the project to preparation of the license application. As part of this transition, an increased focus has been applied to the repository design. Several evolution studies were performed to evaluate the repository design and to determine if improvements in the design were possible considering advances in the technology for handling and packaging nuclear materials. The studies' main focus was to reduce and/or eliminate uncertainties in both the pre-closure and post-closure performance of the repository and to optimize operations. The scope and recommendations from these studies are the subjects of this paper and include the following topics: (1) a more phased approach for the surface facility that utilize handling and packaging of the commercial spent nuclear fuel in a dry environment rather than in pools as was presented in the site recommendation; (2) slight adjustment of the repository footprint and a phased approach for construction and emplacement of the repository subsurface; and (3) simplification of the construction, fabrication and installation of the waste package and drip shield.

During the excavation of the Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) Chemical Waste Landfill (CWL), operations were realized by the presence of URS' (formerly known as United Research Services) On-site Mobile Laboratory (OSML) and the close proximity of the SNL/NM Environmental Restoration Chemical Laboratory (ERCL). The laboratory was located adjacent to the landfill in order to provide soil characterization, health and safety support, and waste management data. Although the cost of maintaining and operating an analytical laboratory can be higher than off-site analysis, there are many benefits to providing on site analytical services. This paper describes the synergies between the laboratory, as well as the advantages and disadvantages to having a laboratory on-site during the excavation of SNL/NM CWL.

This paper discusses the Reactor Interim Safe Storage (ISS) Project within the decommissioning projects at the Hanford Site and reviews the lessons learned from performing four large reactor decommissioning projects sequentially. The advantages and disadvantages of this multi-reactor decommissioning project are highlighted.

At some sites both chemical and radiological investigation of soil and groundwater is required for overall site characterization. While the planning and execution of investigation activities is usually completed to fulfill regulatory (i.e., United States Environmental Protection Agency or United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission) requirements, coordination of chemical and radiological investigation programs may provide an opportunity for reducing the duration of investigation activities and reducing overall project costs. There are several similarities in the chemical and radiological investigation processes that one can take advantage of in program design and execution to efficiently plan and execute chemical and radiological investigations simultaneously. At sites where both chemical and radiological constituents are being investigated in soil and groundwater, various steps can be taken during the investigation processes to combine chemical and radiological investigation and characterization activities. With proper planning, investigating chemical and radiological constituents simultaneously in soil and groundwater can reduce the project schedule and provide cost savings for overall characterization of the site.

Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (AEHRL) has been constructed in virgin bedrock as part of the development of a deep geological repository for spent nuclear fuel in Sweden, the role being to provide input to the performance assessment, to test engineered barrier systems and to develop and refine full scale methods and machines for construction and operation of the real repository. The AEHRL extends down to 460 m depth with access via both ramp and shaft. Work in the laboratory has been separated into 4 different stage goals: (1) Verification of site investigation methods. (2) Development of detailed investigation methodology. (3) Testing of models for description of the barrier function of the host rock. (4) Demonstration of technology for and function of important parts of the repository system Stage goals 1 and 2 were in focus during the period 1986-95 and are now completed. Stage goal 1 concerns investigations carried out from ground surface and stage goal 2 investigations carried out underground, in this case during excavation of the ramp. The present work is focused on the two operative stage goals 3 and 4. The activities on barrier function of the host rock comprises primarily in-situ tests with tracer migration in …

This paper describes the management of alpha waste that cannot be stored in surface repositories under current French regulations. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of COGEMA's Integrated Waste Management Strategy. The topics discussed include primary waste minimization, from facility design to operating feedback; primary waste management by the plant operator, including waste characterization; waste treatment options that led to building waste treatment industrial facilities for plutonium decontamination, compaction and cement solidification; and optimization of industrial tools, which is strongly influenced by safety and financial considerations.

The Cold War era created a massive build-up of nuclear weapon stockpiles in the former Soviet Union and the United States. The primary objective during this period was the development of nuclear technologies for weapons, space and power with lack of attention to the impact of radioactive and hazardous waste products on the environment. Effective technologies for radioactive and hazardous waste treatment and disposal were not well investigated or promoted during the arms build-up; and consequently, environmental contamination has become a major problem. These problems in Russia and the United States are well documented. Significant amounts of liquid radwaste have existed since the 1950's. The current government of the Russian Federation is addressing the issues of land remediation and permanent storage of radwaste resulting from internal and external pressures for safe cleanup and storage. The Russian government seeks new technologies from internal sources and from the West that will provide high performance, long term stability, safe for transport and for long-term storage of liquid radwaste at a reasonable economic cost. With the great diversity of liquid chemical compositions and activity levels, it is important to note that these waste products cannot be processed with commonly used methods. Different techniques and …

Samples of zirconate pyrochlore ceramic (REE)2(Zr,U)2O7 (REE = La-Gd) containing simulated REE-An fraction of HLW were synthesized by two routes: (1) conventional cold compaction of oxide mixtures in pellets under pressure of 200 MPa and sintering of the pellets at 1550 C for 24 hours; and (2) using preliminary mechanical activation of oxide powders in a linear inductive rotator (LIV-0.5E) and a planetary mill - activator with hydrostatic yokes (AGO-2U) for 5 or 10 min. All the samples sintered at 1550 C were monolithic and dense with high mechanical integrity. As follows from X-ray diffraction (XRD) data, the ceramic sample produced without mechanical activation is composed of pyrochlore as major phase but contains also minor unreacted oxides. The samples prepared from pre-activated mixtures are composed of the pyrochlore structure phase only. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) data also show higher structural and compositional homogeneity of the samples prepared from mechanically activated batches. The samples produced from oxide mixtures mechanically activated in the LIV for 10 min were slightly contaminated with iron resulting in formation of minor perovskite structure phase not detected by XRD but seen on SEM-images of the samples. Comparison of the samples prepared from non-activated and activated batches showed …

A new membrane-sorption technology has been recently developed and industrially implemented in Russia for the treatment of the Liquid (Low-Level) Radioactive Waste (LRW). The first step of the technology is a precipitation of the radionuclides and/or their adsorption onto sorbents of small particle size. The second step is filtration of the precipitate/sorbent through the metal-ceramic membrane, Trumem.. The unique feature of the technology is a Membrane-Sorption Reactor (MSR), in which the precipitation / sorption and the filtration of the radionuclides occur simultaneously, in one stage. This results in high efficiency, high productivity and compactness of the equipment, which are the obvious advantages of the developed technology. Two types of MSR based on Flat Membranes device and Centrifugal Membrane device were developed. The advantages and disadvantages of application of each type of the reactors are discussed. The MSR technology has been extensively tested and efficiently implemented at ''Mayak '' nuclear facility near Chelyabinsk, Russia as well as at other Russian sites. The results of this and other applications of the MSR technology at the different Russian nuclear facilities are discussed. The results of the first industrial applications of the MSR technology for radioactive waste treatment in Russia and analysis of the …

The principal mission of the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) is to meet a series of objectives defined in the West Valley Demonstration Project Act (Public Law 96-368). Chief among these is the objective to solidify liquid high-level waste (HLW) at the WVDP site into a form suitable for disposal in a federal geologic repository. In 1982, the Secretary of Energy formally selected vitrification as the technology to be used to solidify HLW at the WVDP. One of the first steps in meeting the HLW solidification objective involved designing, constructing and operating the Vitrification (Vit) Facility, the WVDP facility that houses the systems and subsystems used to process HLW into stainless steel canisters of borosilicate waste-glass that satisfy waste acceptance criteria (WAC) for disposal in a federal geologic repository. HLW processing and canister production began in 1996. The final step in meeting the HLW solidification objective involved ending Vit system operations and shut ting down the Vit Facility. This was accomplished by conducting a discrete series of activities to remove as much residual material as practical from the primary process vessels, components, and associated piping used in HLW canister production before declaring a formal end to Vit system operations. Flushing …

The Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP), owned by the Department of Energy (DOE), has been enriching uranium since the early 1950s. The enrichment process involves electrical and mechanical components that require periodic cleaning. The primary cleaning agent was trichloroethene (TCE) until the late 1980s. Historical documentation indicates that a mixture of TCE and dry ice were used at PGDP for testing the integrity of steel cylinders, which stored depleted uranium. TCE and dry ice were contained in a below-ground pit and used during the integrity testing. TCE seeped from the pit and contaminated the surrounding soil. The Lasagna{trademark} technology was identified in the Record of Decision (ROD) as the selected alternative for remediation of the cylinder testing site. A public-private consortium formed in 1992 (including DOE, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, Monsanto, DuPont, and General Electric) developed the Lasagna{trademark} technology. This innovative technology employs electrokinetics to remediate soil contaminated with organics and is especially suited to sites with low permeability soils. This technology uses direct current to move water through the soil faster and more uniformly than hydraulic methods. Electrokinetics moves contaminants in soil pore water through treatment zones comprised of iron filings, …

Significant progress was made this year toward closure of the Department of Energy's Ashtabula Environmental Management Project (AEMP) with the demolition of the 9-building Main Extrusion Plant Complex. The 44,000 square foot building complex formerly housed uranium extrusion facilities and equipment. At the start of the project in October of 2001, the buildings still contained a RCRA Part B storage area, operating mixed waste treatment facilities, active waste shredding and compacting process areas, and a state EPA permitted HEPA ventilation system. This paper presents a discussion of the multidisciplinary effort to bring the building to a safe shutdown condition in just six months, including relocation of existing process areas, utility isolation, and preliminary decontamination. Also discussed is the demolition strategy in which portions of the facility remained active while demolition was proceeding in other areas. Other details of the technical approach to the demolition are also discussed, including innovative techniques for demolition, galbestos removal, contamination control, and waste minimization. These techniques contributed to the early completion of demolition in July of 2002, fully two months ahead of schedule and $1.5 million under budget.

As facility demolition and remediation continued at the DOE Ashtabula Environmental Management Project (AEMP), a DOE closure site located in Ashtabula, OH, the quantity of mixed waste increased by approximately twenty-fold from the original Site Treatment Plan estimates to over 567 m3 (20,000 cubic feet). Also, a greater variety of low-level mixed waste (MW) was identified that was suitable for alternate debris treatment like macroencapsulation (MACRO) instead of traditional shredding, stabilization, and solidification to improve the overall safety and cost-effectiveness. Macroencapsulation is required for lead and authorized for hazardous debris under the alternate debris treatment standards per 40 CFR 268.45. Several polymer encapsulation processes were being explored, developed, and deployed in the mid-1990's by various groups including the DOE Mixed Waste Focus Area, DOE EM-50 Office of Science and Technology, Brookhaven National Laboratory, DOE Macro Working Group, DOE-Albuquerque Mixed Waste/Mobile Treatment Unit, and Envirocare of Utah, Inc. As a result, technically-proven macroencapsulation and microencapsulation processes using extruded polyethylene beads were verified as being technically acceptable for waste treatment to RCRA standards. The AEMP had a variety of waste forms where technically-proven systems were needed to perform on-site treatment of challenging mixed wastes (MW) from production operations (i.e. HEPA filters, barium …

The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Nevada Test Site (NTS) is one of two regional sites where low-level radioactive waste (LLW) from approved DOE and U.S. DOD generators across the United States is disposed. In federal fiscal year (FY) 2002, over 57,000 cubic meters of waste was transported to and disposed at the NTS. DOE and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations ensure that radiation exposure from truck shipments to members of the public is negligible. Nevertheless, particularly in rural communities along transportation routes in Utah and Nevada, there is perceived risk from members of the public about incremental exposure from LLW trucks, especially when ''Main Street'' and the LLW transportation route are the same. To better quantify the exposure to gamma radiation, a stationary monitoring array of four pressurized ion chambers (PICs) have been set up in a pullout just before LLW trucks reach the entrance to the NTS. The PICs are positioned at a distance of one meter from the sides of the truck trailer and at a height appropriate for the design of the trucks that will be used in FY2003 to haul LLW to the NTS. The use of four PICs (two on each …

Four liquid emulsion membrane (LEM) systems are given to remove different hazardous elements such as uranium, thorium, cobalt, copper, lead, and cadmium from different aqueous waste effluents. The optimum conditions for use of these systems are deduced. The potentiality of LEM for removal of hazardous pollutants from aqueous waste solutions is given.

This paper describes and presents the findings from two studies undertaken for the European Commission to assess the long-term impact upon the environment and human health of non-radioactive contaminants found in various low level radioactive waste streams. The initial study investigated the application of safety assessment approaches developed for radioactive contaminants to the assessment of nonradioactive contaminants in low level radioactive waste. It demonstrated how disposal limits could be derived for a range of non-radioactive contaminants and generic disposal facilities. The follow-up study used the same approach but undertook more detailed, disposal system specific calculations, assessing the impacts of both the non-radioactive and radioactive contaminants. The calculations undertaken indicated that it is prudent to consider non-radioactive, as well as radioactive contaminants, when assessing the impacts of low level radioactive waste disposal. For some waste streams with relatively low concentrations of radionuclides, the potential post-closure disposal impacts from non-radioactive contaminants can be comparable with the potential radiological impacts. For such waste streams there is therefore an added incentive to explore options for recycling the materials involved wherever possible.

Underutilized and surplus lead stocks and leaded components are a common legacy environmental problem across much of the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex. While seeking to dispose of these items through its Environmental Management Program, DOE operational programs continue to pursue contemporary mission requirements such as managing and/or storing radioactive isotopes that require lead materials for shielding. This paradox was identified in late 1999 when DOE's policies for managing scrap metal were assessed. In January 2000, the Secretary of Energy directed the National Center of Excellence for Materials Recycle (NMR) to develop and implement a comprehensive lead reuse program for all of DOE. Fluor Hanford, contractor for DOE Richland Operations, subsequently contacted NMR to pilot lead reclamation and reuse at the Hanford Site. This relationship resulted in the development of a beneficial reuse pathway for lead reclaimed from spent fuel transport railcars being stored at Hanford. The 1.3 million pounds of lead in the railcars is considered radiologically encumbered due to its prior use. Further, the material was considered a mixed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) low-level radioactive waste that would require expensive storage or macro encapsulation to meet land disposal restrictions prior to burial. Working closely with Flour …