Research Reactor Aluminum Spent Fuel

Research Reactor Aluminum Spent Fuel

Treatment Options for Disposal

  • Author: Crowley, Kevin D.; Levenson, Milton
  • Publisher: National Academies Press
  • ISBN: 9780309060493
  • eISBN Pdf: 9780309591805
  • eISBN Epub: 9780309174107
  • Place of publication:  United States
  • Year of digital publication: 1998
  • Month: May
  • Pages: 240
  • Language: English

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS) for management of aluminum spent fuel from foreign and domestic research reactors, much of which is highly enriched in uranium-235. This EIS will assess the need for additional treatment and storage facilities at the Savannah River Site to accommodate the receipt of this fuel, and it also will assess and select a treatment technology to prepare this fuel for interim storage and eventual shipment to a repository for disposal.

This National Research Council book, which was prepared at the request of DOE's Savannah River Office, provides a technical assessment of the technologies, costs, and schedules developed by DOE for eight alternative treatment options and the baseline reprocessing option. It also provides comments on DOE's aluminum spent fuel disposal program, a program that is slated to last for about 40 years and cost in excess of $2 billion.

  • Research Reactor Aluminum Spent Fuel
  • Copyright
  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • Contents
  • Summary
    • FINDINGS RELATED TO THE SELECTION OF ALUMINUM SPENT FUEL TREATMENT OPTIONS
    • FINDINGS RELATED TO WASTE-PACKAGE PERFORMANCE CRITERIA
    • FINDINGS RELATED TO COSTS AND TIMING OF ALUMINUM SPENT FUEL TREATMENT OPTIONS
    • CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS
  • 1 Background and Task
    • TASK STATEMENT AND STUDY PROCESS
    • ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT
  • 2 Treatment Options for Aluminum Spent Nuclear Fuel
    • BACKGROUND
    • TREATMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR ALUMINUM SPENT FUEL
      • Direct Disposal Technologies
      • HEU Dilution Technologies
      • Advanced Treatment Technologies
    • EVALUATING THE TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES
    • TASK TEAM RECOMMENDATIONS
    • RESPONSE TO FIRST CHARGE IN STATEMENT OF TASK
  • 3 Waste-Package Performance Criteria
    • BACKGROUND
    • WASTE ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA
    • OTHER REQUIREMENTS
    • RESPONSE TO SECOND CHARGE IN STATEMENT OF TASK
      • 2.3.20.2: Limits on Radionuclide Inventories in Multi-Element Canisters
      • 2.3.21: Limits on Total Fissile Material in a Disposable Canister
      • 2.3.22: Limits on Disposable Canister Criticality Potential
    • CONCLUSIONS
  • 4 Cost and Schedule
    • TASK TEAM REPORT COST AND SCHEDULE ESTIMATES
    • ALTERNATIVE COST STUDY
    • COMPARISON OF TASK TEAM AND ALTERNATIVE COST STUDY ESTIMATES
    • RESPONSE TO THIRD CHARGE IN STATEMENT OF TASK
  • 5 Concluding Observations
    • PHASED DECISION AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY FOR TREATMENT OPTION SELECTION
      • Spent Fuel Generation
      • Spent Fuel Receipt and Storage
      • Treatment and Interim Storage
      • Transport and Repository Disposal
      • Decontamination and Decommissioning
      • Post-2015 Aluminum Spent Fuel Inventory
    • PATH FORWARD
  • References
  • Appendix A Study Request Letter from DOE-Savannah River
  • Appendix B Meeting Agendas and Participants
  • Appendix C Charge to Consultants
    • QUESTIONS TO EXPERTS
      • Criticality
      • Proliferation
      • Cost and Schedule
      • Corrosion and Metallurgy
      • Processing and Remote Handling
      • Regulatory Waste Acceptance
  • Appendix D Consultant Reports
    • TOPIC: PROLIFERATION ASPECTS OF THE TREATMENT OPTIONS
    • TOPIC: PROLIFERATION ASPECTS OF THE TREATMENT OPTIONS CONSULTANT: JOHN AHEARNE
    • TOPIC: NUCLEAR CRITICALITY SAFETY CONSULTANT: FRANCIS M. ALCORN
    • TOPIC: COST AND SCHEDULE CONSULTANT: M.W. ANGVALL
    • TOPIC: REGULATORY AND WASTE ACCEPTANCE CONSULTANT: ROBERT M. BERNERO
      • Introduction
      • Background
      • Regulatory Approach for Yucca Mountain
      • Evaluation of DOE Aluminum-Based Spent Fuel Alternatives
      • Summary
    • TOPIC: PROCESSING AND REMOTE HANDLING CONSIDERATIONS CONSULTANT: JOSEPH BYRD
      • Introduction and Background
      • Processing/Remote Handling Issues
      • General Issues
      • Conclusions and Recommendations
      • References
    • TOPIC: METALLURGY AND CORROSION CONSULTANT: R.L. DILLON
      • Introduction
      • Conclusions
      • References
    • TOPIC: COST AND SCHEDULE CONSULTANT: G. BRIAN ESTES
      • References
    • TOPIC: PROCESSING AND REMOTE SYSTEMS CONSULTANT: HARRY HARMON
      • Introduction
      • Responses
      • References
    • TOPIC: NUCLEAR CRITICALITY SAFETY CONSULTANT: VALERIE L. PUTMAN
      • Introduction
      • Conclusion
      • Discussion
      • Criticality Safety at Savannah River Site (SRS)
      • Criticality Safety on Public Roads, Transport to Final Repository
      • Criticality Safety at Final Repository
      • Intact Canisters and Al-SNF, Initial Repository Conditions
      • Degraded Canisters and/or Al-SNF, Long Term Repository Conditions
      • Summary
      • References
      • Other Documents Reviewed
    • TOPIC: PROLIFERATION ASPECTS OF THE TREATMENT OPTIONS CONSULTANT: DAVID ROSSIN
      • Proliferation Assessment
      • Identification of Separated Fissile Material as a Proliferation Risk
      • Container
      • Repository
      • Self-Protection Criterion
      • Use of Processing for Waste Management
      • Summary of Findings
    • TOPIC: METALLURGY AND CORROSION CONSULTANT: PAUL SHEWMON
      • Introduction
      • Processing
      • Answers to Assigned Questions
      • References
    • TOPIC: COST AND SCHEDULE CONSULTANT: RICHARD I. SMITH
      • General Comments
      • Specific Comments
      • Other Comments
      • References
  • Appendix E Biographical Sketches of Consultants
  • Appendix F Documents Received in This Study

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