Criticality Safety of High-Level Tank Waste

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

OSTI ID:95138

Rogers, Charles A. ^[1]

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1. Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)

Radioactive waste containing low concentrations of fissile isotopes is stored in underground storage tanks on the Hanford Site in Washington State. The goal of criticality safety is to ensure that this waste remains subcritical into the indefinite future without supervision. A large ratio of solids to plutonium provides an effective way of ensuring a low plutonium concentration. Since the first waste discharge, a program of audits and appraisals has ensured that operations are conducted according to limits and controls applied to them. In addition, a program of surveillance and characterization maintains watch over waste after discharge.

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Hanford Co., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP); USDOE Office of Environmental Restoration and Waste Management
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-87RL10930
• OSTI ID: 95138
• Report Number(s): WHC-SA-2748; CONF-9509100-16; ON: DE95013721; TRN: 95:018460
• 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
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
UNDERGROUND STORAGE
WASTE PELLETS
CRITICALITY
FISSILE MATERIALS
TANKS
SAFETY
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Radioactive Waste
Fissile Isotopes
Criticality Prevention Specifications (CPS)
Hanford Site Waste Tanks Limits
Track Radioactive Components (TRAC)
Plutonium