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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 361 records · Page 20
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Managing Hanford's Direct Feed Low Activity Waste Program - 20002

The Office of River Protection (ORP) is responsible for the management and completion of the River Protection Project (RPP) mission, which comprises both the Hanford Site tank farms operations and the completion and operation of the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Project. The RPP mission is to safely retrieve, treat, and immobilize Hanford's high-level and low-activity tank waste and close the tank farms to protect the Columbia River. The Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste (DFLAW) Program is a major subset of the overall RPP mission, providing disposition of low-activity waste. The scope is to retrieve, treat, and immobilize the low-activity waste at the Low-Activity Waste Facility. DFLAW will begin operations no later than December 2023. The DFLAW Program overarches a suite of individual projects, activities, and infrastructure upgrades. The major projects and activities include multiple contractors under both ORP and the Richland Operations Office, underscoring the need for effective integration, coordination, and collaboration. The objectives of the DFLAW Program leadership team are to: - Effectively coordinate and integrate the projects that comprise the DFLAW Program - Manage the interfaces between the projects so that the integrated DFLAW Program is completed successfully - Ensure the DFLAW portfolio of projects operate as required without gaps or conflicts at the interfaces. DOE is accomplishing these objectives through a newly established leadership model that integrates the DOE and contractor work streams and promotes a teamwork model to enable collaborative success. Long considered one of the most formidable cleanup challenges at Hanford, the Department of Energy and its contractors are on the verge of achieving a cleanup commitment that has been decades in the making. DOE is preparing to vitrify (turn to glass) Hanford's chemical and radioactive tank waste using the DFLAW process. The Modified Consent Decree milestone for completing hot commissioning of the Hanford Site's Low- Activity Waste Facility is Dec. 31, 2023. While this milestone may seem distant under normal project management circumstances, it is a relatively short period of time for the operational and cultural transformation necessary to successfully begin treating tank waste at Hanford. Direct feed means separating the waste at a tank farm to remove the more radioactive portion (i.e., solids and cesium) so that the resulting low-activity (less radioactive) waste can be fed directly to the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant's Low-Activity Waste Facility. Starting DFLAW will require a singular, intensive leadership focus, along with a sustained, collective commitment to excellence and teamwork by the Department and its contractors. Major upgrades to Hanford's infrastructure will occur prior to startup. Supporting DFLAW operations requires significant integration between the DFLAW facilities - the Waste Treatment Plant, Hanford's tank farms, effluent treatment facilities, disposal facilities - and between all of the site contractors to achieve success. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2020

Calculating Potential Radiological Emissions for Waste Management Activities at INL - 20068

At Idaho National Laboratory (INL), work involving radionuclides is evaluated for potential emissions from a project in order to comply with the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) regulations, 40 CFR 61 Subpart H. Emission calculations are documented in an Air Permitting Applicability Determination (APAD) to analyze unmitigated and mitigated emissions and determine if an Application to Construct (ATC) or continuous monitoring is required. To calculate the unmitigated and mitigated emissions, a spreadsheet was developed to provide ease in determining potential emissions by providing the maximum operating temperature and the material being used. The spreadsheet aids in determining the potential emissions for research projects and waste management activities at Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) and other locations across the INL site. Furthermore, it can also be used for periodic confirmatory measurements (PCM) to justify low emissions. Elements that factor into the unmitigated and mitigated calculations include the amount of each radionuclide used (in curies or grams), specific activity (if amount is given in grams), the temperature the material is heated to in Celsius, the dose conversion factor which is derived from Clean Air Act Assessment Package - 1988 (CAP-88) modeling, and the number of HEPA filters used for mitigated measures. The main drivers for calculating the unmitigated emissions for a project are the amount used per radionuclide, the maximum operating temperature, and the location of the work. The maximum operating temperature determines the airborne release factor which is dependent on the physical state of the radionuclide. Prior to October 2017, if the radionuclide was heated to greater than 100 deg. C, the radionuclide was assumed to be a gas, which has the highest airborne release factor. This assumption would be overly conservative for radionuclides with high melting and boiling points, which provided a challenge to demonstrate low emissions. In October 2017, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved an alternative method for INL. This method allows the airborne release factor to be determined by using the melting point and 90% of the boiling point of the radionuclide. This methodology was included in the spreadsheet to allow unmitigated emission calculations for APADs to be completed more efficiently and effectively. Results show a reduction in time completing air emission calculations as well as lower total emissions across all facilities at INL. MFC annual emissions were reduced by 62% from the previous year and Research and Education Campus (REC) facilities were reduced by 38% due to implementation of the approved alternative method. Time spent on APADs, PCMs, and documentation for the annual NESHAP report was also reduced significantly. The spreadsheet provided in Table I provides the potential emission calculations for the 'Advanced Retrieval and Disposition Techniques for Remote Handled Mixed Low Level Waste (RH MLLW) at the Radioactive Scrap and Waste Facility (RSWF)' project. Calculations show the Potential Effective Dose Equivalent (PEDE) at RSWF to be 7.27 E-04 mrem/yr (7.27 E-09 Sv/yr) which is well below the 0.1 mrem/yr threshold. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2023

Follow-On Report of Analysis of Approaches to Supplemental Treatment of Low-Activity Waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (Volumes I & II)

The Hanford Site, in southeast Washington State, is preparing to disposition approximately 56,000,000 gallons (56 Mgal) of radioactive and chemically hazardous wastes currently stored in underground tanks at the site. Tank wastes will be divided into a high-activity fraction and a low-activity fraction for subsequent treatment and disposition. A waste processing and treatment facility, the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP), will include the high-level waste (HLW) vitrification facility (WTP HLW Vitrification Facility) for immobilizing the high-activity fraction and a low-activity waste (LAW) vitrification facility (WTP LAW Vitrification Facility) for immobilizing the low-activity fraction. Both facilities will use vitrification technology to immobilize the Hanford tank wastes in a glass waste form.

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DOE OSTI2021

Assembly Operations Welding Filter(s) in Drum Calculation

This calculation documents the estimation of temperature and pressure rise inside a 55-gal TRU waste drum with a HEPA filter containing Titanium and Tantalum fume dust based on operational history.

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DOE OSTI2025

FY25 Task 5: Small-Scale Mixing

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site has 177 underground storage tanks that contain a complex and diverse mix of chemical and radioactive wastes from past nuclear fuel reprocessing and waste management operations. The strategy of the DOE Hanford Field Office is to retrieve this waste, ~20 vol% of which is in the form of insoluble undissolved solids (UDS) or sludge, and treat it via immobilization at the Hanford Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP). The diverse properties and characteristics of Hanford tank waste lead to major challenges related to its transport from the underground tanks to the WTP. These challenges, however, can be addressed by investigating the behavior of tank waste samples and simulant materials and evaluating their behavior against the capabilities of mixing and transport system designs that may be incorporated to retrieve and treat the waste.

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DOE OSTI2025

Comparison of microprecipitation methods for polonium source preparation for alpha spectrometry

Detection of radioactive isotopes of polonium is important for understanding natural processes, management and assessment of radioactive waste, and nuclear forensics applications. Further, the most common methods for preparation of polonium samples for alpha spectrometry are electrodeposition and spontaneous deposition which are time consuming. Here, we compare three approaches utilizing rapid microprecipitation from bismuth phosphate, copper sulfide, or tellurium alongside traditional spontaneous deposition methods. From these experiments, results show that copper sulfide microprecipitation recoveries are similar to spontaneous deposition on silver and less time consuming with an approximate five-fold decrease in preparation time, including in the presence of complex matrices like seawater.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2020

Panel Session 98B: Treatment of Low-Activity Tank Waste at Hanford: Considering the Alternatives

This panel focused on alternative treatment of the Hanford Low-Activity Tank Waste. Currently, Tank Waste at the Hanford Site is to be separated into low-activity (LAW) and high-level waste (HLW) fractions, and then vitrified to produce immobilized LAW glass for onsite disposal, and HLW glass for ultimate geologic disposal. This panel discussed several commissioned studies by the National Laboratories, National Academies, and General Accountability Office to evaluate the risks, costs, and benefits associated with considering options for immobilizing portions of the Hanford LAW waste forms. Panelists with presentations: Analysis of Supplemental Treatment Approaches for Low-Activity Waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Overview and Conclusions (Michael Stone); Analysis of Supplemental Treatment Approaches for Low-Activity Waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation: Disposal Performance Evaluation (Tom Brouns); National Academies Review of the Study on Supplemental Treatment Approaches of Low-Activity Waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (Charles Ferguson); GAO Observations on Immobilizing Low-Activity Waste at DoE's Hanford Site (David Trimble)

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DOE OSTI2024

International Collaboration Activities in Geologic Disposal Research (FY24 Progress Report)

This report describes the FY24 status of international collaboration regarding geologic disposal research in the Office of Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE). The mission of SFWST is to provide confidence in the safe long-term management of the nation’s spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste by reducing uncertainty and advancing technology for extended storage, transportation, and geologic disposal.

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DOE OSTI2020

INL Waste Management Program Assessment Report

This is an INL annual internal waste management program assessment report that will need to be sent to NNSS for review. The report includes a summary and completed checklists based on the NNSS Waste Acceptance Criteria.

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DOE OSTI2020

Geographic Information System Based Emergency Response Training Assessments for DOE Radioactive Materials Transport - 20027

Safety and security are priorities of U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) radioactive materials shipping campaigns. In the more than 70-year history of domestic transport of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), there has never been a transportation-related radiological injury. To support transportation planning, among the tools that DOE uses is the Stakeholder Tool for Assessing Radioactive Transportation (START). START contains geospatial data and transportation route analyses capabilities designed to support a range of DOE transportation planning initiatives. One of those functions is the capability to support emergency response planning and training for State and Tribal jurisdictions located on routes used for DOE shipments of radioactive materials. As part of the Department's commitment to public safety, DOE provides federally-funded radiological response training to emergency responders along DOE radioactive materials transportation corridors through its Transportation Emergency Preparedness Program (TEPP). START contains spatial data representing the locations and emergency-response capabilities of fire departments, police, hospitals, State emergency response centers, and where TEPP-trained personnel are based. The START tool supports State and Tribal users' ability to evaluate emergency-response coverage on active and potential DOE radioactive materials transport routes through their jurisdictions, provide expected response times to reach the scene of an incident, identify equipment available to support a response, and identify the number of response personnel and their respective training levels. In addition, START can be used to identify gaps in coverage along a transportation corridor where additional radiological emergency response training may be needed. This paper describes the data, features, and functionality DOE uses to provide a resource for emergency response training needs assessments for States and Tribes along active and potential routes for transporting radioactive materials, and illustrates its use. It also discusses future plans to integrate TEPP and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) radiological training data to provide a more comprehensive source of geospatial information on personnel who have received equivalent radiological response training. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2021

Assembly Operations Welding Filter(s) in Drum Calculation

This calculation documents the estimation of temperature and pressure rise inside a 55-gal TRU waste drum with a HEPA filter containing Titanium and Tantalum fume dust based on operational history. Actual Titanium values are believed to be less than 10g on any given filter. Actual Tantalum values are believed to be less than 1g on any given filter

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DOE OSTI2023

Data Steward Team Wall-to-Wall Inventory Status Update October - December 2023 [Slides]

7 Wall-to-wall inventories were completed between October 2 – December 11, 2023. The team viewed 12 technical areas. A total of 280 containers were verified against current WCATS data. We worked with WMCs team to schedule for all waste throughout WFO FOD. WMCs are doing an incredible job with keeping up with all their locations; The team only found one discrepancy that was resolved the same day, and The WMC also took the time to explain their process on how containers are labeled with closure days and why it was labeled as such.

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DOE OSTI2020

Lessons Learned in the Development of Industry Guidance - 20279

The availability of industry guidance on different aspects of waste management forms a valuable reference for waste practitioners. The guidance typically details the principles, processes and practices that should be consulted during each stage of the relevant activities. It also includes relevant regulatory and international requirements, appropriate case studies and examples of best practices to illustrate technical concepts and make the information available to the reader in an accessible manner. Over recent years Wood have developed (or are developing) a number of industry guidance documents on a range of topics including Solid Waste Characterization, Routine Water Quality Monitoring on Nuclear Sites: Pipeline Characterization: Determining Background Radioactivity for Land Quality Assessment: Interim Storage and Aqueous Waste Management. This talk provides an overview of lessons learned along the way including: - the importance of stakeholder engagement through the process: - how to identify 'good practice'; - the importance of iterative development; and - the selection of illustrative and informative case studies. (authors)

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DOE OSTI2024

Preliminary Analysis of Advanced Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage, Transportation, and Disposal

Due to increased interest in advanced reactor deployment and their associated potential new fuel cycles, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Spent Fuel and Waste Science and Technology (SFWST) program has begun to evaluate the possible implications of long term management and final disposition of the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) generated. Safely managing and dispositioning this SNF, along with any other associated radioactive waste, is the primary focus of this initial preliminary assessment. This paper summarizes efforts to evaluate the characteristics and packaging options for three types of advanced reactor SNF forms: (1) tristructural isotropic (TRISO), (2) metallic, and (3) irradiated fuel salt presented in the report titled “Storage, Transportation, and Disposal of Advanced Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste”. TRISO and metallic SNF and their associated waste streams were emphasized because of the near-term anticipated demonstrations of X-energy’s Xe-100 and TerraPower and GE Hitachi’s Natrium advanced reactors. Preliminary information on spent fuel salts discharged from molten-salt reactors (MSRs) was also examined to provide a baseline for future efforts. All calculations and assumptions were based on publicly available information. This paper identifies several different reactors that produce either TRISO or metallic SNF as well as a few of the reactor and fuel characteristics used for the assessments. Based on these characteristics, calculations were performed to determine the applicability of packaging SNF into existing canister designs. The evaluations included geometric (e.g., dimension, volume) and mass/weight considerations, known operational approaches and loading procedures, physical and chemical considerations/conditions for storage environments, and as-loaded radiation, thermal, and criticality analyses to identify constraints on storage, transportation, and disposal. Gaps in publicly available data pertaining to reactor operation and/or fuel composition provide increased uncertainty in some evaluations. Additionally, uncertainty in packaging and SNF management operations provide additional uncertainty. However, preliminary conclusions can still be assessed through this work and are presented in this paper.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2022

ALDWP NET- TA-55 Waste Management Item #53780 [Slides]

Waste is a Product. It must be manufactured in complete compliance with the customers’ (WIPP, various LLW sites) specification. Programmatic, facility, and maintenance personnel originate the waste. NPI-6 is the waste generator (key legal term). Our customers are the waste originators.

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