TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - One Step at a Time: The Staged Development of Geologic Repositories for High-Level Radioactive Waste SN - DO - 10.17226/10611 PY - 2003 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10611/one-step-at-a-time-the-staged-development-of-geologic PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Compared to other large engineering projects, geologic repositories for high-level waste present distinctive challenges because: 1) they are first-of-a-kind, complex, and long-term projects that must actively manage hazardous materials for many decades: 2) they are expected to hold these hazardous materials passively safe for many millennia after repository closure; and 3) they are widely perceived to pose serious risks. As is the case for other complex projects, repository programs should proceed in stages. One Step at a Time focuses on a management approach called "adaptive staging" as a promising means to develop geologic repositories for high-level radioactive waste such as the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Adaptive staging is a learn-as-you-go process that enables project managers to continuously reevaluate and adjust the program in response to new knowledge and stakeholder input. Advice is given on how to implement staging during the construction, operation, closure, and post-closure phases of a repository program. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Conceptual Models of Flow and Transport in the Fractured Vadose Zone SN - DO - 10.17226/10102 PY - 2001 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10102/conceptual-models-of-flow-and-transport-in-the-fractured-vadose-zone PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Fluid flow and solute transport within the vadose zone, the unsaturated zone between the land surface and the water table, can be the cause of expanded plumes arising from localized contaminant sources. An understanding of vadose zone processes is, therefore, an essential prerequisite for cost-effective contaminant remediation efforts. In addition, because such features are potential avenues for rapid transport of chemicals from contamination sources to the water table, the presence of fractures and other channel-like openings in the vadose zone poses a particularly significant problem, Conceptual Models of Flow and Transport in the Fractured Vadose Zone is based on the work of a panel established under the auspices of the U.S. National Committee for Rock Mechanics. It emphasizes the importance of conceptual models and goes on to review the conceptual model development, testing, and refinement processes. The book examines fluid flow and transport mechanisms, noting the difficulty of modeling solute transport, and identifies geochemical and environmental tracer data as important components of the modeling process. Finally, the book recommends several areas for continued research. ER - TY - BOOK AU - Transportation Research Board AU - National Research Council TI - Going the Distance?: The Safe Transport of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste in the United States SN - DO - 10.17226/11538 PY - 2006 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/11538/going-the-distance-the-safe-transport-of-spent-nuclear-fuel PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - This new report from the National Research Council's Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board (NRSB) and the Transportation Research Board reviews the risks and technical and societal concerns for the transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the United States. Shipments are expected to increase as the U.S. Department of Energy opens a repository for spent fuel and high-level waste at Yucca Mountain, and the commercial nuclear industry considers constructing a facility in Utah for temporary storage of spent fuel from some of its nuclear waste plants. The report concludes that there are no fundamental technical barriers to the safe transport of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive and the radiological risks of transport are well understood and generally low. However, there are a number of challenges that must be addressed before large-quantity shipping programs can be implemented successfully. Among these are managing "social" risks. The report does not provide an examination of the security of shipments against malevolent acts but recommends that such an examination be carried out. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Ground Water at Yucca Mountain: How High Can It Rise? SN - DO - 10.17226/2013 PY - 1992 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/2013/ground-water-at-yucca-mountain-how-high-can-it-rise PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The site of a proposed repository for high-level radioactive waste from the nation's nuclear power plants is not at risk of ground water infiltration, concludes this important book. Yucca Mountain, located about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has been proposed as the site for permanent underground disposal of high-level radioactive waste from the nation's civilian nuclear power plants. To resolve concerns raised by a Department of Energy (DOE) staff scientist concerning the potential for ground water to rise 1,000 feet to the level proposed for the repository, DOE requested this study to evaluate independently the past history and future potential of large upward excursions of the ground water beneath Yucca Mountain. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Technical Bases for Yucca Mountain Standards SN - DO - 10.17226/4943 PY - 1995 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/4943/technical-bases-for-yucca-mountain-standards PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Conflict and Security Issues AB - The United States currently has no place to dispose of the high-level radioactive waste resulting from the production of the nuclear weapons and the operation of nuclear electronic power plants. The only option under formal consideration at this time is to place the waste in an underground geologic repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. However, there is strong public debate about whether such a repository could protect humans from the radioactive waste that will be dangerous for many thousands of years. This book shows the extent to which our scientific knowledge can guide the federal government in developing a standard to protect the health of the public from wastes in such a repository at Yucca Mountain. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is required to use the recommendations presented in this book as it develops its standard. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites SN - DO - 10.17226/9949 PY - 2000 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9949/long-term-institutional-management-of-us-department-of-energy-legacy-waste-sites PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - It is now becoming clear that relatively few U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) waste sites will be cleaned up to the point where they can be released for unrestricted use. "Long-term stewardship" (activities to protect human health and the environment from hazards that may remain at its sites after cessation of remediation) will be required for over 100 of the 144 waste sites under DOE control (U.S. Department of Energy, 1999). After stabilizing wastes that remain on site and containing them as well as is feasible, DOE intends to rely on stewardship for as long as hazards persist—in many cases, indefinitely. Physical containment barriers, the management systems upon which their long-term reliability depends, and institutional controls intended to prevent exposure of people and the environment to the remaining site hazards, will have to be maintained at some DOE sites for an indefinite period of time. The Committee on Remediation of Buried and Tank Wastes finds that much regarding DOE's intended reliance on long-term stewardship is at this point problematic. The details of long-term stewardship planning are yet to be specified, the adequacy of funding is not assured, and there is no convincing evidence that institutional controls and other stewardship measures are reliable over the long term. Scientific understanding of the factors that govern the long-term behavior of residual contaminants in the environment is not adequate. Yet, the likelihood that institutional management measures will fail at some point is relatively high, underscoring the need to assure that decisions made in the near term are based on the best available science. Improving institutional capabilities can be expected to be every bit as difficult as improving scientific and technical ones, but without improved understanding of why and how institutions succeed and fail, the follow-through necessary to assure that long-term stewardship remains effective cannot reliably be counted on to occur. Long-Term Institutional Management of U.S. Department of Energy Legacy Waste Sites examines the capabilities and limitations of the scientific, technical, and human and institutional systems that compose the measures that DOE expects to put into place at potentially hazardous, residually contaminated sites. ER - TY - BOOK TI - Comments on Proposed Radiation Protection Standards for Yucca Mountain, Nevada DO - 10.17226/9729 PY - 1999 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9729/comments-on-proposed-radiation-protection-standards-for-yucca-mountain-nevada PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English ER - TY - BOOK TI - Review of U.S. Department of Energy Technical Basis Report for Surface Characteristics, Preclosure Hydrology, and Erosion DO - 10.17226/9233 PY - 1995 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9233/review-of-us-department-of-energy-technical-basis-report-for-surface-characteristics-preclosure-hydrology-and-erosion PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Earth Sciences ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Safety in the Underground Construction and Operation of the Exploratory Studies Facility at Yucca Mountain SN - DO - 10.17226/4897 PY - 1995 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/4897/safety-in-the-underground-construction-and-operation-of-the-exploratory-studies-facility-at-yucca-mountain PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Engineering and Technology AB - Yucca Mountain, located on the Nevada Test Site, is being considered as a potential repository site for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. To determine the suitability of Yucca Mountain as a repository, the Department of Energy constructed an underground Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) where tests and experiments will be performed. This book addresses safety issues which will impact the construction and operation of the ESF and other similar underground facilities. The authors discuss proactive strategies for underground safety management with an emphasis on planning for safety, safety regulations, and the enforcement of such regulations. Also included are illustrations of successful approaches in creating a safe environment for those who work underground. ER - TY - BOOK TI - Principles and Operational Strategies for Staged Repository Systems: Progress Report DO - 10.17226/10329 PY - 2002 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10329/principles-and-operational-strategies-for-staged-repository-systems-progress-report PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Milton Levenson A2 - Kevin D. Crowley TI - Research Reactor Aluminum Spent Fuel: Treatment Options for Disposal SN - DO - 10.17226/6099 PY - 1998 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/6099/research-reactor-aluminum-spent-fuel-treatment-options-for-disposal PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - 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. ER - TY - BOOK TI - Electrometallurgical Techniques for DOE Spent Fuel Treatment: An Assessment of Waste Form Development and Characterization DO - 10.17226/9694 PY - 1999 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9694/electrometallurgical-techniques-for-doe-spent-fuel-treatment-an-assessment-of PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council A2 - Glenn Schweitzer A2 - Kelly Robbins TI - Setting the Stage for International Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facilities: International Workshop Proceedings SN - DO - 10.17226/12191 PY - 2008 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/12191/setting-the-stage-for-international-spent-nuclear-fuel-storage-facilities PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - In May 2003, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the National Academies organized an international workshop in Moscow on the scientific issues relevant to the establishment and operation of an international spent nuclear fuel storage facility in Russia. Given the broad international interest in this topic, the academies organized a second international workshop on important issues that were not on the agenda or were not adequately discussed at the first workshop. These issues included international monitoring at the facility, transportation requirements, liability and insurance concerns, and status of Russian legislation and regulations that are important in locating and operating a facility. Relevant experience from Europe, the United States, and Asia was also considered in this 2005 workshop. This book contains the papers presented at the 2005 workshop sessions, as well as proceedings from the 2003 workshop. Together they provide an overview of the issues, and useful background for those organizations and individuals involved in further development of an international spent nuclear fuel storage facility in Russia. ER - TY - BOOK TI - Preparing for the 21st Century: The Environment and the Human Future DO - 10.17226/9536 PY - 1997 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9536/preparing-for-the-21st-century-the-environment-and-the-human-future PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Radioactive Waste Repository Licensing: Synopsis of a Symposium SN - DO - 10.17226/1974 PY - 1992 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/1974/radioactive-waste-repository-licensing-synopsis-of-a-symposium PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - This book recounts the issues raised and the viewpoints aired at a recent symposium on repository licensing. It summarizes the problems surrounding the setting of an Environmental Protection Agency standard for the release of radionuclides and the regulatory problems inherent in meeting such a standard. Symposium participants came from a variety of federal agencies and advisory groups, state governments, public interest groups, engineering firms, national laboratories, and foreign and international organizations. The book illustrates the strong feeling in the radioactive waste disposal community that changes must be made if the United States is to fulfill its promise of safe management of current and future nuclear waste. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Nuclear Wastes: Technologies for Separations and Transmutation SN - DO - 10.17226/4912 PY - 1996 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/4912/nuclear-wastes-technologies-for-separations-and-transmutation PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Disposal of radioactive waste from nuclear weapons production and power generation has caused public outcry and political consternation. Nuclear Wastes presents a critical review of some waste management and disposal alternatives to the current national policy of direct disposal of light water reactor spent fuel. The book offers clearcut conclusions for what the nation should do today and what solutions should be explored for tomorrow. The committee examines the currently used "once-through" fuel cycle versus different alternatives of separations and transmutation technology systems, by which hazardous radionuclides are converted to nuclides that are either stable or radioactive with short half-lives. The volume provides detailed findings and conclusions about the status and feasibility of plutonium extraction and more advanced separations technologies, as well as three principal transmutation concepts for commercial reactor spent fuel. The book discusses nuclear proliferation; the U.S. nuclear regulatory structure; issues of health, safety and transportation; the proposed sale of electrical energy as a means of paying for the transmutation system; and other key issues. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Disposition of High-Level Radioactive Waste Through Geological Isolation: Development, Current Status, and Technical and Policy Challenges SN - DO - 10.17226/9674 PY - 1999 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9674/disposition-of-high-level-radioactive-waste-through-geological-isolation-development PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - During the next several years, decisions are expected to be made in several countries on the further development and implementation of the geological disposition option. The Board on Radioactive Waste Management (BRWM) of the U.S. National Academies believes that informed and reasoned discussion of relevant scientific, engineering and social issues can—and should—play a constructive role in the decision process by providing information to decision makers on relevant technical and policy issues. A BRWM-initiated project including a workshop at Irvine, California on November 4-5, 1999, and subsequent National Academies' report to be published in spring, 2000, are intended to provide such information to national policy makers both in the U.S. and abroad. To inform national policies, it is essential that experts from the physical, geological, and engineering sciences, and experts from the policy and social science communities work together. Some national programs have involved social science and policy experts from the beginning, while other programs have only recently recognized the importance of this collaboration. An important goal of the November workshop is to facilitate dialogue between these communities, as well as to encourage the sharing of experiences from many national programs. The workshop steering committee has prepared this discussion for participants at the workshop. It should elicit critical comments and help identify topics requiring in-depth discussion at the workshop. It is not intended as a statement of findings, conclusions, or recommendations. It is rather intended as a vehicle for stimulating dialogue among the workshop participants. Out of that dialogue will emerge the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the National Academies' report. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Disposition of High-Level Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel: The Continuing Societal and Technical Challenges SN - DO - 10.17226/10119 PY - 2001 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/10119/disposition-of-high-level-waste-and-spent-nuclear-fuel-the PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - Focused attention by world leaders is needed to address the substantial challenges posed by disposal of spent nuclear fuel from reactors and high-level radioactive waste from processing such fuel. The biggest challenges in achieving safe and secure storage and permanent waste disposal are societal, although technical challenges remain. Disposition of radioactive wastes in a deep geological repository is a sound approach as long as it progresses through a stepwise decision-making process that takes advantage of technical advances, public participation, and international cooperation. Written for concerned citizens as well as policymakers, this book was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and waste management organizations in eight other countries. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Electrometallurgical Techniques for DOE Spent Fuel Treatment: Final Report SN - DO - 10.17226/9883 PY - 2000 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9883/electrometallurgical-techniques-for-doe-spent-fuel-treatment-final-report PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies AB - The Committee on Electrometallurgical Techniques for DOE Spent Fuel Treatment was formed in September 1994 in response to a request made to the National Research Council (NRC) by the U.S. Department of Energy DOE. DOE requested an evaluation of electrometallurgical processing technology proposed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for the treatment of DOE spent nuclear fuel. Electrometallurgical treatment of spent reactor fuel involves a set of operations designed to remove the remaining uranium metal and to incorporate the radioactive nuclides into well defined and reproducible waste streams. Over the course of the committee's operating life, this charge has remained constant. Within the framework of this overall charge, the scope of the committee's work—as defined by its statement of task—has evolved in response to further requests from DOE, as well as technical accomplishments and regulatory and legal considerations. As part of its task, the committee has provided periodic assessments of ANL's R&D program on the electrometallurgical technology. Electrometallurgical Techniques for DOE Spent Fuel Treatment assesses the viability of electrometallurgical technology for treating DOE spent nuclear fuel and monitors the scientific and technical progress of the ANL program on electrometallurgical technology, specifically within the context of ANL's demonstration project on electrometallurgical treatment of EBR-II SNF. This report evaluates ANL's performance relative to the success criteria for the demonstration project, which have served as the basis for judging the efficacy of using electrometallurgical technology for the treatment of EBR-II spent nuclear fuel. It also addresses post-demonstration activities related to ANL's electrometallurgical demonstration project, and makes related recommendations in this area. ER - TY - BOOK AU - National Research Council TI - Waste Forms Technology and Performance: Final Report SN - DO - 10.17226/13100 PY - 2011 UR - https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/13100/waste-forms-technology-and-performance-final-report PB - The National Academies Press CY - Washington, DC LA - English KW - Environment and Environmental Studies KW - Engineering and Technology AB - The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management (DOE-EM) is responsible for cleaning up radioactive waste and environmental contamination resulting from five decades of nuclear weapons production and testing. A major focus of this program involves the retrieval, processing, and immobilization of waste into stable, solid waste forms for disposal. Waste Forms Technology and Performance, a report requested by DOE-EM, examines requirements for waste form technology and performance in the cleanup program. The report provides information to DOE-EM to support improvements in methods for processing waste and selecting and fabricating waste forms. Waste Forms Technology and Performance places particular emphasis on processing technologies for high-level radioactive waste, DOE's most expensive and arguably most difficult cleanup challenge. The report's key messages are presented in ten findings and one recommendation. ER -