High Level Waste Management

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High Level Waste Management

• Chapter 10
• Section 3
• Dr. John Ringle
• NE 112

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I. Radioactive Waste

• A. Classification Characteristics of
  Radioactive Waste
• B. Quantities of Waste
• C. Sources of Waste
• D. Current Location

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II. Radioactive Waste Management

• A. Principles
• B. Responsibility
• C. HLW - Disposal Options
• D. HLW Acts - Congress
• E. Characteristics of a Good Geologic Repository
• F. Hazards of Deep Geologic Disposal
• G. HLW Activity in Other Countries
• H. LLW -Disposal Options
• I. Hazards of LLW Disposal
• J. LLW Acts - Congress
• K. LLW Activity in Other Countries
• L. TRU Waste Disposal

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I. Radioactive Waste

• A. CLASSIFICATION CHARACTERISTICS OF
  RADIOACTIVE WASTE

Defense vs. Commercial waste - depends on the
origin of the waste and the nature of the
activity that created the waste
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B. QUANTITIES OF WASTE (as of 12-31-96)
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C.SOURCES OF WASTE
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D.CURRENT LOCATION
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II. RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

• A. Principles
• B. Responsibility
• C. HLW - Disposal Options
• D. HLW Acts - Congress
• E. Characteristics of a Good Geologic Repository
• F. Hazards of Deep Geologic Disposal
• G. HLW Activity in Other Countries
• H. LLW -Disposal Options
• I. Hazards of LLW Disposal
• J. LLW Acts - Congress
• K. LLW Activity in Other Countries
• L. TRU Waste Disposal

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II. RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT

• A. PRINCIPLES
•   Time
•   Isolation (Distance, Shielding)
• B. RESPONSIBILITY
•   U.S. Government HLW, TRU, Spent Fuel,
  defense LLW
•   States Commercial LLW
• C. HLW -- DISPOSAL OPTIONS
• 1. Deep geologic repositories
• 2. Subseabed
• 3. Space
• 4. Ice sheet
• 5. Transmutation
• 6. Very deep hole
• 7. Island burial

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D. HLW ACTS -- CONGRESS
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E. CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD GEOLOGIC REPOSITORY

• Very little (or no) groundwater in host rock.
• Slow water travel time in host rock.
• Low seismic activity.
• Non-corrosive environment.
• High absorptive properties for radionuclides.
• Good heat dissipation characteristics.
• Strong enough to support mining activity.
• Few fractures or cracks.
• No commercial interest in host rock.
• Isolated area.
• Dry climate.

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F. HAZARDS OF DEEP GEOLOGIC DISPOSAL 

• Transportation of HLW or SF to repository
• Shipping casks very important
• Release to ground water.
•  Barriers
• Waste form (glass or ceramic)
• Waste canister (metal)
• Backfill (host rock/clay)
• Host rock

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G. HLW ACTIVITY IN OTHER COUNTRIES

• Reprocess ?HLW disposal
• Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, France,
  Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain,
  Switzerland, United Kingdom, former USSR states
• No reprocessing ?SF disposal
• Canada, Sweden, United States
• Storage of HLW (vitrified) or SF in water or dry
  storage
• Investigate geological repositories

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H. LLW -- DISPOSAL OPTIONS

• 1. Shallow-land burial.
• 2. Earth-mounded tumulus.
• 3. Concrete structuresabove grade below
  grade.
• 4. Deep trenches.
• 5. Augered shaft.
• 6. High-integrity container.
• 7. Hydrofracture.
• 8. Underground mines rock cavities.

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I. HAZARDS OF LLW DISPOSAL

• 1. Transportation of LLW to disposal site.
• 2. Leakage of LLW via groundwater.
• 3. Inadvertent intrusion.

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J. LLW ACTS -- CONGRESS
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K. LLW ACTIVITY IN OTHER COUNTRIES

• Very similar to U.S.
• Many using shallow-land burial.
• France -- earth-mounded tumulus.
• Canada -- augered shafts.
• W. Germany -- underground mine.
• Sweden, Canada, Finland, Britain -- rock
  cavities.

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L. TRU WASTE DISPOSAL

• Very similar in most aspects to HLW disposal.
• Repository is selected and constructed Waste
  Isolation Pilot Plant, near Carlsbad, NM.
• Repository is 2150 ft. below surface in bedded
  salt.
• Test phase of WIPP started in 1994.
• Repository began accepting TRU waste March 1999.

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