Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T12:13:41.396Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A Trade Study for Waste Concepts to Minimize HLW Volume

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Dirk Gombert
Affiliation:
[email protected], United States
Joe Carter
Affiliation:
[email protected], Savannah River Site, Process Engineering, Aiken, South Carolina, United States
Bill Ebert
Affiliation:
[email protected], Argonne National Laboratory, Material Science, Argonne, Illinois, United States
Steve Piet
Affiliation:
[email protected], Idaho National Laboratory, Reactor Physics & Analysis, Idaho Falls, Idaho, United States
Tim Trickel
Affiliation:
[email protected], North Carolina State University, Nuclear Engineering, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
John Vienna
Affiliation:
[email protected], Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Material Science, Richland, Washington, United States
Get access

Abstract

Advanced nuclear fuel reprocessing can partition wastes into groups of common chemistry. This enables new waste management strategies not possible with the plutonium, uranium extraction (PUREX) process alone. Combining all of the metallic fission products in an alloy and the balance as oxides in glass minimizes high level waste (HLW) volume. Implementing a waste management strategy using state-of-the-art combined waste forms and storage to allow radioactive decay and heat dissipation prior to placement in a repository makes it possible to place almost 10x the HLW equivalent of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in the same repository space. However, using generic costs based on preliminary studies for waste stabilization facilities and separations modules, this analysis shows that combining the non-actinide wastes and using only one glass waste form is the most cost-effective.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Vandegrift, G. F., Regalbuto, M. C., Aase, S., Bakel, A., Battisti, T. J., Bowers, D., Byrnes, J. P., Clark, M. A., Emery, J. W., Falkenberg, J. R., Gelis, A. V., Pereira, C., Hafenrichter, L., Tsai, Y., Quigley, K. J., and Vander Polet, M. H., “Designing and Demonstration of the UREX+ Process Using Spent Nuclear Fuel,” Atalante 2004, Nimes, France, June 21–25, 2004.Google Scholar
2. McDeavitt, S. M., Abraham, D. P., Park, J. Y., “Evaluation of stainless steel-zirconium alloys as high-level nuclear waste forms,” J. Nucl. Mater., 257(1) 2134 (1998).Google Scholar
3. Bauer, T. H., Johnson, S. G., and Snyder, C.T., “Modeling the Long-Term Degradation of a Metallic Waste Form,” American Nuclear Society Fifth Topical Meeting DOE Spent Nuclear Fuel and Fissile Material Management, Charleston, SC, USA, September 17–20, 2002.Google Scholar
4. Gombert, D. II, Carter, J., Cozzi, A., Jones, R., Matthern, G., Nutt, M., Priebe, S., and Sorenson, K., “Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Integrated Waste Management Strategy,” GNEP-WAST-WAST-AI-RT-2008–000214, Rev. 1, May 2008.Google Scholar
5. “Yucca Mountain Science and Engineering Report,” Rev. 1, U.S. DOE, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, DOE/RW-0539–1, February 2002.Google Scholar
6. “The Analysis of the Total System Life Cycle Cost of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program,” Rev. 0, U.S. DOE, Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, DOE/RW-0591, July 2008.Google Scholar
7. Shropshire, D. E., Williams, K. A., Smith, J. D., Hoffman, E. A., Reisman, A., Jacobson, J. J., Bjornard, T. A., Phillips, A. M., Schneider, E. A., Rothwell, G. S., Morton, J. D., and Cherry, R. S., “GNEP Economic Analysis Report, GNEP-SYSA-ECON-SS-RT-2008–000067, October 17, 2008.Google Scholar