The Energy Policy Act of 1992 called on the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study and provide recommendations for reducing the costs of decontaminating and decommissioning (D&D) the nation's uranium enrichment facilities located at Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Raducah, Kentucky; and Portsmouth, Ohio. This volume examines the existing plans and cost estimates for the D&D of these facilities, including such elements as technologies, planning and management, and identifies approaches that could reduce D&D costs. It also assesses options for disposition of the large quantities of depleted uranium hexafluoride that are stored at these sites.
- Affordable Cleanup?
- Copyright
- Preface
- Contents
- Executive Summary
- THE GDPS
- D&D COST ESTIMATES
- THE UNCERTAIN CONTEXT
- Final State of the Sites
- Disposal of Waste
- Criteria for Release of Decontaminated Materials
- The D&D Fund and Budgetary Uncertainties
- Sequence of Plant Cleanup
- Management of DUF6
- RECOMMENDATIONS
- Previous D&D Experience
- Contracting and Management
- Need for New Facilities
- Waste Management
- Regulatory Coordination
- Coordinated Planning
- Stakeholder Involvement
- Prioritized Cost and Risk Reduction
- D&D Technology Issues
- Safeguards and Security
- DUF6
- 1 Introduction
- STUDY BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
- THE U.S. URANIUM ENRICHMENT ENTERPRISE
- THE UNITED STATES ENRICHMENT CORPORATION
- THE D&D FUND
- THE CHALLENGES OF A D&D EFFORT
- D&D COSTS
- ORGANIZATION OF THE REPORT
- REFERENCES
- 2 The GDP Sites: Process, Facilities, Inventories, and Risks
- THE GASEOUS DIFFUSION PROCESS
- SITE DESCRIPTIONS
- BUILDINGS AND EQUIPMENT
- CONTAMINATION
- Radiological Contamination
- Nonradioactive Contamination
- STORAGE OF DUF6
- SITE DIFFERENCES
- RISKS SUBSEQUENT TO GDP CLOSURE
- CONCLUSIONS
- REFERENCES
- 3 Decontamination Processes
- INTRODUCTION
- NUCLEAR CRITICALITY
- URANIUM DEPOSIT REMOVAL
- Gaseous Removal of Deposits
- Mechanical Removal
- Aqueous Spray Removal
- DECONTAMINATION OF CASCADE EQUIPMENT
- Disassembly
- Aqueous Decontamination
- DECONTAMINATION OF SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND BUILDINGS
- Radioactively Contaminated Support Systems
- Radioactively Contaminated Interior Building Surfaces
- Removal of Nonradioactive Hazardous Material
- WASTE MANAGEMENT
- CHARACTERIZATION
- Radionuclide Measurement Techniques
- Hazardous Nonradioactive Materials
- AUTOMATION AND ROBOTICS
- CAPENHURST TECHNOLOGIES
- Removal of Uranium from the Capenhurst Enrichment Cascades
- Decontamination of Equipment from the Capenhurst Cascades
- Decontamination of Supporting Systems and Building Surfaces
- Waste Management
- Characterization
- General Considerations
- CIP/CUP TECHNOLOGIES
- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- General
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- Uranium Deposit Removal
- Conclusions
- Recommendation
- Decontamination of Cascade Equipment
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- Decontamination of Support Systems and Buildings
- Waste Management and Recycling
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- Characterization
- Conclusions
- Recommendation
- Robotics
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- REFERENCES
- 4 Analyses of the D&D Cost Estimates for the GDPs
- PREVIOUS COST ESTIMATES
- The 1988 MMES Study
- The 1991 Ebasco and TLG Estimates
- Comparison of the Ebasco and TLG Estimates for the Five Process Buildings at the Oak Ridge GDP
- SAIC Analysis of the Ebasco Estimate for DOE
- IDENTIFICATION OF MAJOR COST ELEMENTS
- TIME PROFILE OF INCOME AND EXPENDITURES FOR THE D&D FUND
- ESTIMATING U.S. GDP D&D COSTS FROM CAPENHURST D&D COSTS
- Capenhurst Plant Description
- Capenhurst Project Description
- Estimating Oak Ridge Costs by Scaling Capenhurst Costs
- THE SHIPPINGPORT REACTOR D&D PROJECT
- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Previous D&D Cost Estimates
- Conclusions
- Recommendation
- Cost to D&D the GDPs
- Adequacy of the D&D Fund
- Experience from Other D&D Projects
- REFERENCES
- 5 Planning the D&D Program
- PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT
- END-STATE ALTERNATIVES
- Prioritized Cost- and Risk-Reduction Approach
- DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED REGULATORY PROGRAM
- Federal Regulations
- DOE
- EPA
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- OSHA
- DOT
- USEC Effects on Regulatory Oversight
- EPA and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Development of Radiation Site Cleanup Regulation
- State Regulation
- Challenges and Current Developments
- Coordinated Planning
- DOE-Level Planning
- Complex-Level Planning
- D&D Organization and Staffing
- Plant Characterization Program
- Regulatory Plan
- Waste Management Plan
- Site-Level Planning
- Execution of the Planning
- Scheduling and Sequencing
- Effects of Early Plant Shutdown
- Effects of D&D Program Delay
- MANAGEMENT ISSUES
- RECOMMENDATIONS
- Public and Stakeholder Involvement
- Regulatory Issues
- Planning
- Management Issues
- REFERENCES
- 6 Opportunities for D&D Cost Reduction
- PROGRAM INTEGRATION
- Management Approach
- An Alternative Management Approach
- Contracting Strategy
- Planning
- Contracting Cost
- RADIOACTIVE AND HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
- Reducing Waste Quantity
- Waste Disposal Site and Unit Disposal Cost
- Waste Packaging, Transport, and Disposal
- Risk That Waste Management Costs May Be Higher
- Hazardous Waste Disposal Costs
- DECONTAMINATION AND DECOMMISSIONING
- Technology
- Decontamination Process
- Melting of Difficult-to-Decontaminate Components
- Automation and Robotics
- Building Decontamination and Removal
- Use of Historical Maintenance Cost Data
- Characterization
- SUPPORT FACILITIES
- Decontamination Facilities
- Eliminate the High-Assay Decontamination Facility
- Simplify the Low-Assay Decontamination Facility Design
- Use of Existing Buildings
- Multiple Low-Assay Decontamination Facilities versus a Single Shared Facility
- New Administration Building
- COST ESTIMATE ASSUMPTIONS
- Learning Curve
- Site Practices and Procedures
- Safeguards, Security, and Classification
- Criticality Prevention
- Surveillance and Maintenance
- Labor Agreements
- SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Conclusions and Recommendations
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- REFERENCES
- 7 Disposition of the DUF6
- DUF6 INVENTORY
- USES FOR DEPLETED URANIUM
- Shielding Applications
- Use as a Fluorinating Agent
- Re-enrichment or Dilution
- DUF6 Enrichment by AVLIS
- Blending Agent
- Potential Energy Resource for Reactors
- DEPLETED URANIUM MANAGEMENT OPTIONS
- Condition of Cylinders
- Environmental, Safety, and Health Issues
- Regulatory Issues
- Continued Surveillance and Maintenance: Requirements and Costs
- Conversion Options and Costs
- Assessment of Alternative Management Options
- ANALYSIS OF COST ESTIMATES FOR CONVERSION
- OPPORTUNITIES FOR COST SAVING
- Plant Scale
- Plant Life
- Uranium Oxide Density
- HF Production and Marketing
- Use of Existing Facilities
- New Technology
- CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Conclusions
- Recommendations
- REFERENCES
- 8 Major Recommendations
- COORDINATED PLANNING
- CONTRACTING AND MANAGEMENT
- PRIORITIZED COST AND RISK REDUCTION
- REGULATORY COORDINATION
- STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT
- WASTE MANAGEMENT
- NEED FOR NEW FACILITIES
- D&D TECHNOLOGY ISSUES
- SAFEGUARDS AND SECURITY
- DUF6
- Appendices
- Appendix A Statement of Task
- Appendix B The Committee's Panel Structure and Panel Statement of Tasks
- Decision And Process Analysis Panel
- Technology Panel
- Cost Analysis Panel
- Appendix C Committee Meetings and Activities
- Separate Panel Meetings
- Site Visits and Symposiums Attended by Selected Members of the Committee and Staff
- Appendix D Biographical Sketches of Committee Members and Staff
- Staff
- Board on Energy and Environmental Studies
- Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
- Board on Radioactive Waste Management
- Appendix E Radionuclide Characterization and Detection
- Radionuclides To Be Characterized
- Radionuclide Characterization Processes
- Initial or Scoping Measurements
- Characterization During D&D
- Compliance Characterization
- Radionuclide Characterization Instrumentation
- Regulatory Requirements
- References
- Appendix F Automation and Robotics
- Commercial Systems
- Doe Programs
- References
- Appendix G Nuclear Criticality
- Production And Loss of Neutrons
- Avoiding Criticality
- Summary
- References
- Appendix H Previous Decontamination and Decommissioning Efforts
- Capenhurst Gaseous Diffusion Plant
- Description of Capenhurst Facility
- Approach
- Development Activities
- Decontamination and Disassembly
- Gaseous Decontamination to Remove UO2F2
- Characterization
- Removal of Nonradioactive Hazardous Materials
- Equipment and Cell Structures Disassembly
- Interim Storage of Plant Components
- Size Reduction
- Chemical Decontamination
- Melting
- Ancillary Structures Removal
- Waste Treatment and Disposal
- Personnel Protection During Decommissioning
- Criticality Control
- Air Monitoring
- Similarities And Differences Between Capenhurst And The U.S. Enrichment Plants
- Quantity Comparisons Of Capenhurst And The Oak Ridge Gdp
- References
- Appendix I Waste Treatment
- Separations
- Treatment Options
- References
- Appendix J Review of Existing Cost Estimates
- MMES Estimate
- Ebasco Estimate
- Assumptions
- DOE-Directed Assumptions
- Ebasco Assumptions
- The Assumption of New High- and Low-Assay Decontamination Facilities
- Analysis of the Ebasco Estimate
- Comparison Of The 1988 MMES And 1991 Ebasco Studies
- TLG Cost Estimate
- Saic Review
- Sensitivity Analysis In The Cost Estimates
- Schedule And Funding Profiles
- Waste Management
- Packaging Cost
- Transportation Cost
- Local Transportation to Disposal Facilities (within 10 miles from each GDP)
- Interstate Transportation to the Oak Ridge LADF for Processing
- Disposal Costs
- Storage Costs
- Waste Management Unit Cost Summary
- Summary on Waste Management
- References
- Glossary
- Acronyms
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