Radioactive and nonradioactive waste intended for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Journal Article · Fri May 19 00:00:00 EDT 2000 · Reliability Engineering and System Safety (Special Journal Issue)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0951-8320(00)00027-2· OSTI ID:755559

SANCHEZ, LAWRENCE C; DREZ, P E; RATH, JONATHAN S; TRELLUE, H R

Transuranic (TRU) waste generated by the handling of plutonium in research on or production of US nuclear weapons will be disposed of in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This paper describes the physical and radiological properties of the TRU waste that will be deposited in the WIPP. This geologic repository will accommodate up to 175,564 m{sup 3} of TRU waste, corresponding to 168,485 m{sup 3} of contact-handled (CH-) TRU waste and 7,079 m{sup 3} of remote-handled (RH-) TRU waste. Approximately 35% of the TRU waste is currently packaged and stored (i.e., legacy) waste, with the remainder of the waste to be packaged or generated and packaged in activities before the year 2033, the closure time for the repository. These wastes were produced at 27 US Department of Energy (DOE) sites in the course of generating defense nuclear materials. The radionuclide and nonradionuclide inventories for the TRU wastes described in this paper were used in the 1996 WIPP Compliance Certification Application (CCA) performance assessment calculations by Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM).

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: US Department of Energy (US)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 755559
• Report Number(s): SAND2000-0444J; TRN: US0003615
• Journal Information: Reliability Engineering and System Safety (Special Journal Issue), Other Information: Submitted to Reliability Engineering and System Safety (Special Journal Issue); PBD: 19 May 2000
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES, AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
WIPP
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
ALPHA-BEARING WASTES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RADIOACTIVITY
NONRADIOACTIVE WASTES
INVENTORIES
SOURCE TERMS
COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION APPLICATION (CCA)
CONTACT-HANDLED (CH-) TRANSURANIC (TRU) WASTE
CONTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS
PEROFRMANCE ASSESSMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE
RADIONUCLIDE INVENTORY
RELEASE LIMITS
REMOTE-HANDLED (RH-) TRU
SOURCE TERM
WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT
40 CFR 191