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DOE OSTI2019

Cameco Corporation's Approach to Legacy and Ongoing Waste Management Within the Fuel Services Division - 19124

Since 2011, a Fuel Services Division (FSD) employee has been dedicated to oversee divisional waste management with the goal of accelerating the recycle/disposal of accumulated legacy radioactive wastes stored at its Ontario operations in Blind River and Port Hope. The Blind River Refinery (BRR) and Port Hope Conversion Facility (PHCF) were previously owned by the federal Crown Corporation, Eldorado Nuclear, becoming part of Cameco in 1988 and Cameco Fuel Manufacturing (CFM), previously known as Zircatec Precision Industries, becoming part of Cameco in 2006. Accumulated legacy radioactive waste is stored at each of the facilities. This radioactive waste has accumulated from operations beginning in the 1930's in Port Hope and the 1980's in Blind River. Due to minimal commercially available outlets for the disposal and/or treatment of these wastes, the waste was managed onsite by storage in underutilized space in buildings, trailers and/or in the secured yard. This relatively low-cost practice meant that over decades, the inventory increased at an unsustainable rate until available space became a limiting factor. During this time, the labelling, inventory records, characterization details and other history of many of the waste materials was not maintained adequately. Due to the volume of waste that had accumulated, campaigns to address these deficiencies in information were not considered feasible, sustaining the issue of accumulation of low-level radioactive waste. Since 2011, FSD has completed annual campaigns to address the accumulated legacy waste, which has included processing of material for decontamination to meet the unrestricted release criteria under the Canadian Nuclear Substance and Radiation Devices Regulations (NSRDR), disposal of marginally contaminated wastes (<500 ppm uranium) at a permitted landfill in the United States, processing of contaminated materials to reduce the volume of low-level radioactive waste and disposal at a designated facility in Port Hope. In addition FSD has undertaken significant changes to radioactive waste management practices at each of the facilities. Multiple characterization techniques, including visual observation, review of process and other historical records, laboratory analysis and radiation scanning have been utilized in campaign planning to identify the scope and appropriate waste management technique(s) to reduce the inventory of stored material. This divisional waste management program has resulted in a significant change to how radioactive waste is generated, inventoried, characterized and managed within FSD and has increased the visibility within the leadership team of the opportunities and challenges of waste management, such as alignment with decommissioning planning, project planning and budgeting. The heightened awareness has led to better financial and physical resource planning to execute waste projects with a current projected elimination of the legacy waste within FSD by 2025. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Preliminary Long-term Safety Assessment for the Planned LLW Disposal Facility at Al-Tuwaitha, Iraq - 18142

Before 1991, Iraq had a significant nuclear program which encompassed ten nuclear sites spread out across the country. The largest nuclear site was located at the Al-Tuwaitha site near Baghdad where 18 nuclear facilities were concentrated. During the first Gulf War in 1991, all sites suffered significant damage from bombing and subsequent looting. Currently, the Ministry of Science and Technology is responsible for the ten heavily damaged nuclear sites and for the management of radioactive waste in Iraq in general. The task of decommissioning the damaged nuclear facilities and managing the resulting waste is being supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Commission (EC), and the United States (US). In the framework of its Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC), the EC has launched a cooperation project to support the planned construction of an engineered repository for short-lived low- and intermediate level waste for the safe disposal of radioactive waste resulting from the decommissioning activities, as well as for waste from the continuing use of radioisotopes in medicine and the oil and gas industry in the country. The main objectives of this project, which was awarded to a Consortium led by NUKEM Technologies Engineering Services GmbH and joined by DBE Technology GmbH of Germany and JAVYS a.s. of Slovakia, are the development of an initial conceptual level basic design and preliminary safety assessment report (PSAR) and the subsequent detailed engineering design and supporting pre-construction safety assessment report (PCSAR). The current paper focuses on the development of the PSAR. Special focus is given to the long-term calculations and difficulties associated with the limited data base in regard to site characterization as well as the expected inventory for the future repository. Because of the ongoing security concerns in Iraq, the Ministry of Science and Technology had already selected the Al-Tuwaitha Site as the best suited location for the planned surface repository at the start of the project. Although some site characterization work had already been carried out prior to the start of the project, certain data for modelling the geology and hydrology of the site are still lacking. Missing data have been compensated by conservative assumptions and the assessment of alternative scenarios. Consequently, for the development of the simplified GoldSim{sup R} computer model used to carry out the long-term calculations supporting the PSAR, existing site information was used and, as appropriate, amended or replaced by conservative assumptions. Due to the nature of the waste, data on the expected inventory are associated with large uncertainties. Although certain estimates related to the future volume of the waste exist, little to no information is available on the expected radionuclide vector and respective activities. Therefore, the long-term calculations were carried out for a generic inventory including a broad range of radionuclides that are to be expected as being important considering the kind of waste to be disposed of in the facility. Based on the results of these calculations, the maximum total capacity of the facility was estimated and converted into activity limits for individual radionuclides that will be integrated into the existing general WAC for the facility. Compliance with these WAC will then guarantee the safety of the repository in regard to potential radionuclide releases via the groundwater pathway. In parallel to the determination of activity limits for the WAC, long-term calculations were carried using different estimates for the expected total activity to determine the general suitability of the proposed technical solution of the repository for receiving the total amount of Iraqi radioactive waste principally acceptable for surface disposal. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Technical Evaluation of the Department of Energy Research and Development Activities in Underground Research Laboratories - 20287

Congress created the U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) in the 1987 Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act (Public Law 100-203) to evaluate the technical and scientific validity of activities undertaken by the Secretary of Energy to implement the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. Since 2012, DOE has collaborated in research conducted in several underground research laboratories (URLs) located in Europe and Asia. According to DOE, these international collaborations have been beneficial to its spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level waste radioactive (HLW) disposal research program, particularly after the termination of the Yucca Mountain repository program when DOE began generic research on alternative host rocks (crystalline, clay, and salt) and repository environments very different from those at Yucca Mountain. In accordance with its mandate, the NWTRB is reviewing the DOE research and development (R and D) activities related to URLs. The NWTRB's review is documented in a report to Congress and the Secretary of Energy that will be released in January 2020, and this paper summarizes the NWTRB review and findings. The NWTRB held a fact-finding meeting with DOE and subsequently held a workshop on international URL collaborations in April of 2019. Based on the presentations and discussions at the workshop and at the fact-finding meeting, as well as information from reports published by DOE and others, there are four principal findings related to DoE's URL-related R and D activities. First, DOE participation in URL-related international research greatly benefits the U.S. geologic disposal R and D program by furthering its understanding of generic and site-specific disposal issues relevant to alternative repository host rocks and environments. DOE-funded R and D activities also are benefiting the URL-related research of other countries, especially in the area of complex analytical and numerical model/software development. Second, the more developed repository programs in other countries have focused on creating and strengthening their safety cases and making them transparent to the public. Repository programs in other countries use URLs to explain the technical bases underlying their safety cases, periodically reassess knowledge gaps and define new activities to strengthen the technical bases, and demonstrate the technology that will allow implementation of the proposed safety concept. Third, countries with more developed geologic disposal programs have found domestic URLs essential to their repository programs. DOE needs domestic URLs to advance geologic disposal efforts over the next decades and further its ability to train the next generation of scientists, engineers, and skilled technical workers. Fourth, DoE's international URL collaborations have advanced its generic disposal R and D program, including development of modeling capabilities recognized internationally as state-of-the-art, but further work on its coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical models and URL- and laboratory-based research can strengthen its program. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

3rd Quarter Transportation Report FY2018

This report satisfies the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) commitment to prepare a quarterly summary report of waste shipments to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) in Area 5. This report summarizes the following types of shipments during the 3rd quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2018: Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLW), Mixed Low-Level Radioactive Waste (MLLW), Classified Non-Radioactive Waste (CNR,) and Classified Non-Radioactive Hazardous Waste (CNRH).

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Knowledge Management in Nuclear Liabilities Regulation in the UK - 18155

Within the UK's nuclear safety regulator (Office for Nuclear Regulation; ONR) nuclear liabilities regulation addresses the safe management of radioactive waste, decommissioning and land quality through a facility's lifetime. Higher activity radioactive waste (HAW) could be stored on site for up to 150 years prior to disposal, Magnox decommissioning sites are planned to be in Care and Maintenance for up to 70 years and Sellafield decommissioning is not planned to be complete until after 2100. The long timescales over which decommissioning occurs and radioactive waste is managed is a challenge to maintaining a suitable level of knowledge to effectively and efficiently regulate nuclear liabilities activities. There is a danger that implicit knowledge accumulated over decades could be lost as people retire. Effective knowledge capture and transfer are key elements in maintaining a workforce with the capacity and capability to deliver high levels of nuclear safety, given the demographics of the UK nuclear industry. Maintenance of recorded information over long timescales with changing technologies is necessary to allow safe storage and disposal of waste and intelligent response to incidents. As the safety regulator, ONR's ability to influence improvement in nuclear safety relies on our inspectors having access to high quality knowledge. The ONR Strategy 2016-2020 [1,2] commits to continue to recruit, retain and develop staff so that we have a core workforce with the capacity and capability to deliver high quality, enabling nuclear regulation. Over the next 30 years, the UK plans to develop a geological disposal facility and UK EDF power stations will transition into decommissioning. The ONR Knowledge Management Strategy sets out the activities planned to maintain specialist knowledge to support staff development and build organisational resilience. Guidance on waste management is given in 'The management of higher activity radioactive waste on nuclear licensed sites' (referred to as the Joint Guidance [3]) published by ONR and the UK environmental regulators. It includes our expectations for managing information and records relating to radioactive waste, and introduces the concept of Radioactive Waste Management Cases (RWMCs). Our expectation is that knowledge and records must both be managed and transferred in such a way that future licensees are properly equipped to ensure that waste continues to be managed in a manner that prevents or minimises hazards to human health and the environment. RWMCs are an effective vehicle for demonstrating how the key elements of long-term safety and environmental performance will be delivered over the life cycle of the waste. They give a history of how the waste has been managed, capturing information and change over time. This paper will look at the challenges to managing knowledge in the UK nuclear industry, focusing on the safe management of radioactive waste, decommissioning and land quality. It will look at the problems faced by both licensees and ONR, drawing out common challenges. The paper will outline the approach taken within ONR to capture and communicate waste management and decommissioning knowledge and experience. Finally, it will look at how ONR regulates and influences how knowledge and records are dealt with in the industry to ensure safe nuclear liabilities management in the long term. (authors)

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Off-Gas Condensate and Cast Stone Analysis Results

A sample of off-gas condensate produced during a demonstration test of the direct-feed low-activity waste (DFLAW) Radioactive Waste Test Platform using waste retrieved from Hanford storage tank AP-105 waste was analyzed for major cations, anions, total cyanide, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) metals, selected radionuclides, and selected organic compounds. The remaining off-gas condensate was concentrated through evaporation and then used to produce Cast Stone waste forms. After the solid waste forms cured for 28 days, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Method 1311 (EPA 1992) Toxicity Characteristic Leach Procedure (TCLP) tests were conducted on two samples. The TCLP leachates were analyzed for RCRA metals, fluoride, and total cyanide. These chemical analyses were conducted to collect data on the waste form performance and to determine if the waste form will meet the disposal requirements of the Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS) Federal Waste Disposal Facility (FWF) in Texas (WCS 2015) and the Integrated Disposal Facility at Hanford. The radionuclide results in the off-gas condensate were used to estimate concentrations in the Cast Stone waste forms; these estimates were then compared to Class C limits (30 TAC 336.362 Appendix E). With the possible exception of U-232, all measured radionuclides were determined to be below their respective Class C limits. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to measure most of the radionuclides. It is not possible to differentiate the isotope measured at mass 232 between U 232 and Th-232 by mass spectroscopy. Class C limit comparisons were made by assuming two maximum possible scenarios; one in which all the isotope at mass 232 occurred as Th-232, and another assigning the entire mass contribution to U-232. If the isotope at mass 232 is all Th-232 then the waste form is well below its Class C limit; however, if the isotope at mass 232 is all U-232, then the Class C limit would be exceeded by more than a factor of 8. A chemical procedure to separate uranium from thorium followed by reanalysis by ICP-MS would be required to resolve this issue. A similar issue occurs at mass 238, which could be U-238 or Pu-238; however, in this case Pu-238 can be ruled out as a contributor to the isotope measured at mass 238 for the following reasons. Pu-238 has a half-life of 87.7 years and its daughter product (U-234) has a half-life of 2.5 × 105 years and a measured concentration of < 0.002 µg/L. If significant concentrations of Pu-238 were present in this waste, then the amount of measurable U 234 would have increased over the decades of storage in the Hanford tanks. Because this was not observed, it is concluded that the isotope measured at mass 238 is all U-238. A total of 68 organic compounds were targeted for analysis in the off-gas condensate. Of these compounds, only nine were measured above their respective minimum reportable concentration. These compounds were acenaphthene, acetone, n-butyl alcohol, p,p’-DDT, methyl ethyl ketone, nitrobenzene, o nitrophenol, pyridine, and toluene. Of the detectable compounds, only acenaphthene, acetone, o nitrophenol, and pyridine were above wastewater standards (40 CFR 268.48 - Universal Treatment Standards). None of the organic compounds exceeded the non-wastewater standards (40 CFR 268.48 - Universal Treatment Standards). Analysis of the TCLP leachates from the Cast Stone waste forms indicated that none of the analytes exceeded the Universal Treatment Standard and, in general, all were well below the standards.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

An Approach for Setting Priorities for Experimental Studies in Support of Safety Assessments - 19393

Many experiments have been conducted, in both academia and industry, to support the understanding of the disposal of radioactive waste. For the disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) into radioactive waste repositories, it is important to develop an approach to tackle which datasets are able to directly underpin safety assessments, and what future research experiments could address the gaps in this understanding. In this paper, we present an approach to identify which future experiments should be considered to underpin safety assessments for disposals of LLW in a near-surface repository. The approach involves 6-steps: define the disposal problem (e.g. the disposal of LLW in engineered vaults); determine what key processes may affect the disposal of the waste; establish the assumptions underpinning the key processes; determine how sensitive the key process parameters are to variation; determine whether key data are available and assess the quality of that data with respect to the disposal problem; and determine attributes for experiments needed to supply missing key data. We show, in this paper, how this approach can be used to develop a better understanding of C-14 gas generation, under varying degrees of groundwater saturation, for the disposal of LLW into engineered vaults, in the near-surface. Furthermore, we have developed an approach that identifies the types of experiments and their attributes to aid researchers to help select appropriate types of experiments to underpin safety assessments. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Analysis of Exposure during Transportation of Waste to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) - 20445

Safety is a priority for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Environmental Management (EM) Nevada Program. This commitment to safety is integrated into requirements and work procedures at DOE sites across the U.S. that generate low-level radioactive waste, mixed low-level radioactive waste, and classified waste that is transported to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) for permanent disposal. Generators of this waste are responsible for ensuring it is packaged and transported in a safe and compliant manner. These generators and their contracted commercial carriers must comply with U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations; the Nevada National Security Site Waste Acceptance Criteria (NNSSWAC); and other applicable federal, state, and local regulations and requirements. This includes packaging and shipping the waste to meet DOT regulatory radiation dose limits to ensure public safety during transportation. NNSS waste generators have a solid safety record for complying with these stringent regulations as demonstrated by the fact that no shipments exceeding DOT dose rate limits were received at the NNSS Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) during FY 2014 through FY 2018. A 2005 study conducted by the Desert Research Institute validated shipments to the NNSS comply with DOT radiation dose limits. In response to recent Nevada stakeholder requests for an updated study, an analysis was conducted to verify and provide evidence that the public continues to be safe from exposure to radioactive waste shipment to the NNSS. Radiation exposure from radioactive waste shipments in transit to the NNSS was evaluated. Three studies were performed: 1. Confirm compliance of waste shipments to the DOT radiation limits using dose rate surveys taken at the generator site and at the disposal site. 2. Estimate the dose to the public from waste shipments using the dosimetry results for disposal site personnel by comparing time of exposure for various individuals/scenarios. 3. Estimate the truck driver dose using the receipt dose rate surveys and time of exposure, and from dosimetry results. Study 1 confirmed compliance with the DOT dose rate limits for a sample of waste shipments (123 of 1,038) received during fiscal year (FY) 2017. Study 2 showed that the average annual radiation equivalent dose for disposal site personnel during FY 2017 was approximately 6.7% [0.415 mSv (41.5 millirem)] of the annual average dose that a person living in the U.S. receives from all sources [6.2 mSv (620 mrem)]. Maximum dose to a member of the public, a person resting/sleeping in an adjacent truck at a rest area to a waste shipment, was 0.0166 mSv (1.66 mrem), which is less than the dose received from a person taking a round trip from the east coast to the west coast of the continental U.S. on an airplane [0.07 mSv (7 mrem) per round trip]. Study 3 showed that the truck driver who made the most shipments of radioactive waste to the NNSS, who drove the most hours (estimated time of exposure 2,520 hours), during FY 2017 had a total dose of 0.15 mSv (15 mrem), which was obtained from their personal dosimeter. The annual dose recorded for disposal site personnel, the dose estimates for the public, and the truck driver dose were all a small percentage of the average radiation dose a person receives from all sources (e.g., background and medical radiation). At these levels, risk should only be described qualitatively. Radiation exposure from radioactive waste shipments to the NNSS were shown to be compliant with the DOT dose rate limits, safe, and very low (i.e., within background levels). (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2019

Special Analysis: 2016-002, Analysis of Cover Erosion and Enhanced Infiltration at Pit 25, TA-54 Area G

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) generates radioactive waste as a result of various activities. Operational waste is generated from a wide variety of research and development activities including nuclear weapons development, energy production, and medical research. Environmental restoration, and decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) waste is generated as contaminated sites and facilities at LANL undergo cleanup or remediation. The majority of this waste is low-level radioactive waste (LLW) and is disposed of at the Technical Area 54 (TA-54), Area G disposal facility. U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 435.1 (DOE, 2001) requires that radioactive waste be managed in a manner that protects public health and safety, and the environment. To comply with this order, DOE field sites must prepare site-specific radiological performance assessments for LLW disposal facilities that accept waste after September 26, 1988. Furthermore, sites are required to conduct composite analyses that account for the cumulative impacts of all waste that has been (or will be) disposed of at the facilities and other sources of radioactive material that may interact with the facilities.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

Addressing the Legacy Waste Challenge - IAEA Activities in Support of Member States - 16304

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) promotes the safe and peaceful uses of nuclear energy including the safe management of radioactive waste. Although safe and effective radioactive waste processing technologies and practices are well established and widespread, the issue of legacy waste remains a challenge for many IAEA member states. The primary source of the world-wide legacy waste inventory has its origins in past nuclear weapons programs and associated research and development activities. Other sources include historical waste in old storage and disposal facilities that were either never intended to be a permanent end-state or are no longer considered adequate from a safety perspective. Additionally, many IAEA member states with less advanced nuclear energy programs, often have small inventories of legacy radioactive waste arising from medical, research and industrial activities but lack the processing capabilities to put these wastes into a safe form for storage and disposal. These wastes have the potential to create a safety and environmental hazard and pose a radioactive waste management challenge for many reasons including lack of characterization data and process knowledge, waste package degradation, or the presence of hazardous or mixed waste components. The Waste Technology Section (WTS) within the Department of Nuclear Energy at the IAEA has an extensive program of activities to support the safe retrieval, processing, storage and disposal of radioactive waste including legacy waste. These include publications, co-ordinated research projects, technical co-operation activities, and information exchange forums including workshops, technical meetings and virtual networks. This paper will present an overview of recent IAEA activities and accomplishments aimed as assisting member states with addressing their legacy waste inventories. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

4th Quarter and Annual Transportation Report FY2018

This report satisfies the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Field Office (NNSA/NFO) commitment to prepare a quarterly summary of waste shipments to the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) in Area 5. This report summarizes the fourth quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2018 and serves as an annual report for the following types of shipments: Low-Level Radioactive Waste (LLW); Mixed Low-Level Radioactive Waste (MLLW); Classified Non-Radioactive (CNR) Waste; Classified Non-Radioactive Hazardous (CNRH) Waste; Tabular summaries are provided that include the following: Number and external volume of LLW, MLLW, and CNR/CNRH shipments; Waste generators for LLW, MLLW, and CNR/CNRH shipments to and on the NNSS; Carriers for LLW, MLLW, and CNR/CNRH shipments to and on the NNSS; Waste generator shipments by quarter; Highway routes used by carriers; Incident and accident data applicable to LLW, MLLW, and CNR/CNRH shipments. In this report, shipments are accounted for upon arrival at the NNSS, while disposal volumes are accounted for upon waste burial. Volume reports showing cubic feet (ft 3 ) generated using the Low-Level Waste Information System may vary slightly due to rounding conventions for conversions from cubic meters to cubic feet. Shipments are transported by motor carriers that are either identified on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Motor Carrier Evaluation Program (MCEP) list, have been evaluated in a manner similar to the MCEP process, or are government vehicles. Government vehicles are not evaluated using the MCEP process but are fully compliant with all transportation regulations and requirements.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2016

International Approaches for Nuclear Waste Disposal in Geological Formations: Report on Fifth Worldwide Review

An important issue for present and future generations is the final disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Over the past over forty years, the development of technologies to isolate both spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and other high-level nuclear waste (HLW) generated at nuclear power plants and from production of defense materials, and low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste (LILW) in underground rock and sediments has been found to be a challenging undertaking. Finding an appropriate solution for the disposal of nuclear waste is an important issue for protection of the environment and public health, and it is a prerequisite for the future of nuclear power. The purpose of a deep geological repository for nuclear waste is to provide to future generations, protection against any harmful release of radioactive material, even after the memory of the repository may have been lost, and regardless of the technical knowledge of future generations. The results of a wide variety of investigations on the development of technology for radioactive waste isolation from 19 countries were published in the First Worldwide Review in 1991 (Witherspoon, 1991). The results of investigations from 26 countries were published in the Second Worldwide Review in 1996 (Witherspoon, 1996). The results from 32 countries were summarized in the Third Worldwide Review in 2001 (Witherspoon and Bodvarsson, 2001). The last compilation had results from 24 countries assembled in the Fourth Worldwide Review (WWR) on radioactive waste isolation (Witherspoon and Bodvarsson, 2006). Since publication of the last report in 2006, radioactive waste disposal approaches have continued to evolve, and there have been major developments in a number of national geological disposal programs. Significant experience has been obtained both in preparing and reviewing cases for the operational and long-term safety of proposed and operating repositories. Disposal of radioactive waste is a complex issue, not only because of the nature of the waste, but also because of the detailed regulatory structure for dealing with radioactive waste, the variety of stakeholders involved, and (in some cases) the number of regulatory entities involved.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Canadian Regulatory Framework for Waste Management and Decommissioning - 19373

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) licences, monitors and inspects all nuclear facilities and activities in Canada, including radioactive waste management and decommissioning, in order to assure the protection of the health, safety and security of persons and the environment. This paper will discuss the Canadian regulatory framework as it applies to all radioactive waste management and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. The Government of Canada's Radioactive Waste Policy Framework specifies that the Government of Canada is responsible for developing policy and for regulating and overseeing radioactive waste producers and owners and that, in accordance with the 'polluter pays' principle, waste owners are responsible for the funding, organization, management and operation of the facilities required to safely manage their wastes over the short- and long-terms. The CNSC's regulatory approach for radioactive waste stems from the Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA) and identifies the need for long-term management of radioactive and hazardous waste arising from licensed activities and indicates that, when making regulatory decisions about the management of radioactive waste, the CNSC will seek to achieve its objectives by considering certain key principles in the context of the facts and circumstances of each case. These principles cover the concepts of waste minimization in all phases of a facility's life cycle, hazard assessment, future impacts of the waste, and transborder effects. As a facility life cycle regulator, all nuclear facilities are required to keep decommissioning plans up to date throughout the life cycle of a licensed activity. In addition, the CNSC requires that all licensees implement financial guarantees to cover the cost of decommissioning work resulting from the licensed activities. A preliminary decommissioning plan must be filed with the CNSC as early as possible in the life cycle of the activity or facility and must be reviewed and updated at a minimum every five years. Under the CNSC's non-prescriptive approach to regulation, the applicant proposes a waste management or decommissioning approach, supported by scientifically defensible benchmarks. The CNSC then assesses the proposal against existing regulatory requirements to ensure the health, safety and security of the public and the protection of the environment. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Studies on Oxidation Treatment of Spent Ion-Exchange Resins (2) - 17330

Ion-exchange resins used in nuclear power plants adsorb radioactive nuclides, like Co-60, Ni-63 and so on. The large amounts of spent ion-exchange resins must be stored. In Japan, the volume reduction of spent ion-exchange resins, which have been categorized as low-level radioactive waste with relatively high radioactivity (hereinafter called 'Level 1'), are required by methods other than incineration. In this study, to reduce the amount of Level 1, a method for the removal of radioactive nuclides involving oxidation with O{sub 3}, H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, and Fe{sup 2+} ions (hereinafter called 'radical oxidation') was investigated. Radicals generated with O{sub 3}, H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, and Fe{sup 2+} ions oxidized and dissolved resins and radioactive nuclides in the liquid phase at ordinary pressures and temperatures less than 100 deg. C. Then the dissolved radioactive nuclides were separated by coprecipitation with iron ions. In this study, using radical oxidation and coprecipitation with iron ions, Level 1 spent ion-exchange resins were separated into a small amount of Level 1 and other comparatively low radioactive wastes. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2020

Innovative Projects on RW Recycling from the French 'Investments for the Future' Program - 20023

The extent and duration of French dismantling operations require to anticipate at the earliest possible stage the management of the large volumes of radioactive waste that will be generated, and to engage collectively in sustainable innovation processes. To anticipate all constraints and requirements related to radioactive waste management and secure the long-term compatibility with waste disposals, the French State has decided to give to Andra, within the 'Investissements d'Avenir' program, an endowment to support innovation at all steps of radioactive waste life cycle with a special emphasis on the dismantling process. Currently, some 30 R and D projects dealing with the optimization of dismantling radioactive waste management are underway. They aim at providing strong innovations in terms of characterization, processing, conditioning and disposal of post dismantling radioactive waste. A specific focus will be made on those dealing with radioactive waste and radionuclides recycling. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Optimization of Post Dismantling Radwaste Management: a French Innovative Initiative - 18013

The extent and duration of French dismantling operations require the proactive management of the large volumes of radioactive waste to be generated, and that sustainable, innovation processes be engaged. This approach should associate not only the waste producers and dismantling sites operators but also organizations responsible for the safety and waste disposal. The final goal is that all constrains and requirements related to radioactive waste management are anticipated prior to the design stages. While considering those objectives, The French State has decided to give Andra, within the 'Investissements d'Avenir' program, an endowment to support innovation at all steps of radioactive waste life cycle with a special emphasis on the dismantling process. Currently, some 30 R and D projects dealing with the optimization of post dismantling radioactive waste management are underway. They aim at providing strong innovations in terms of characterization, processing, conditioning and disposal of post dismantling radioactive waste. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2018

Decommissioning Concept of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facility - 18255

As the Korean Nuclear Safety Act was revised, it is urgent to prepare a decommissioning plan for the nuclear fuel cycle facilities operated by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, KAERI. First, the basic concepts necessary for dismantling each facility and the order of dismantling for each dismantling work were determined. In this paper, we consider the disassembly order of the nuclear fuel cycle facilities such as the post irradiation fuel examination facility, the research reactor fuel production facility, the radioactive waste treatment facility, the radioactive waste form examination facility. The decommissioning plan for the research nuclear fuel cycle facilities will be based on the abovementioned dismantling basic concept and disassembly sequences. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
DOE OSTI2017

Proposal of a Categorization of the Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources with a View to Safe - 17285

In the Nuclear and Energy Research Institute (IPEN-CNEN/Brazil) many works to improve and develop characterization of radioactive waste techniques have been deployed by the Radioactive Waste Management Department (IPEN-CNEN/SP). In this line, this work aims to suggest a new categorization of sealed sources, which considers their activities, as suggested by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but also the time required for the activity to decrease to a safe value. We considered the sealed sources categorization system suggested by the IAEA and we applied such categorization system to various sources currently stored by institutes of Brazilian Nuclear and Energy Commission (CNEN). Then, we also applied the categorization system defined herein, it follows that the categorization system presented by the IAEA has many applications and their use should not be abandoned. However, since the new proposed categorization systems allow to differentiate sources that in the IAEA system are in the same category, they can help define the long-term management of radioactive waste. (authors)

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗