Consideration of Criticality in a Nuclear Waste Repository

Conference · Sun Sep 17 00:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:93677

Rechard, R. P. ^[1]; Sanchez, L. C. ^[1]; Stockman, C. T. ^[1]; Ramsey, Jr, J. L. ^[1]; Martell, M. ^[1]

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1. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

The preliminary criticality analysis that was done suggests that the possibility of achieving critical conditions cannot be easily ruled out without looking at the geochemical process of assembly or the dynamics of the operation of a critical assembly. The evaluation of a critical assembly requires an integrated, consistent approach that includes evaluating the following: (1) the alteration rates of the layers of the container and spent fuel, (2) the transport of fissile material or neutron absorbers, and (3) the assembly mechanisms that can achieve critical conditions. The above is a non-trivial analysis and preliminary work suggests that with the loading assumed, enough fissile mass will leach from the HEU multi-purpose canisters to support a criticality. In addition, the consequences of an unpressurized Oklo type criticality would be insignificant to the performance of an unsaturated, tuff repository.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 93677
• Report Number(s): SAND-95-1270C; CONF-9509100-4; ON: DE95014893; TRN: 95:018524
• Resource Relation: Conference: ICNC '95: 5. International Conference on Nuclear Criticality Safety, Albuquerque, NM (United States), 17-22 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
FISSILE MATERIALS
CRITICALITY
TUFF
RADIONUCLIDE MIGRATION
GEOCHEMISTRY
SPENT FUELS
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
LEACHING
Yucca Mountain Project
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Fissile Material
Spent Fuel
Probabilistic Risk Assessments (PRAs)
Performance Assessment (PA)
Waste Disposal Container
Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) Fuel
Excess Weapons Plutonium
Fissile Uranium
BRAGFLO_T
GASSNF
USACONC
NUTS
Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU)
Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport (MCNP)