Sealed source and device removal and consolidation feasibility study. National Low-Level Waste Management Program

Technical Report · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:10154827

Ward, J E; Carter, J G; Meyers, R L ^[1]

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1. Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)

The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of removing Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) sealed sources from their containment device and consolidating them for transport to a storage or disposal facility. A sealed source is a sealed capsule containing a radioactive material that is placed in a device providing radioactive containment. It is used in the medical, industrial, research, and food-processing communities for calibrating, measuring, gauging, controlling processes, and testing. This feasibility study addresses the key operational, safety, regulatory, and financial requirements of the removal/consolidation process. This report discusses the process to receive, handle, repackage, and ship these sources to an interim or dedicated storage facility until a final disposal repository can be built and become operational ({approximately} c. 2010). The study identifies operational and facility requirements to perform this work. Hanford, other DOE facilities, and private hot-cell facilities were evaluated to determine which facilities could perform this work. The personnel needed, design and engineering, facility preparation, process waste disposal requirements, and regulatory compliance were evaluated to determine the cost to perform this work. Cost requirements for items that will have to meet future changing regulatory requirements for transportation, transportation container design and engineering, and disposal were not included in this study. The cost associated with in-process consolidation of the sealed sources reported in this study may have not been modified for inflation and were based on 1992 dollars. This study shows that sealed source consolidation is possible with minimal personnel exposure, and would reduce the risk of radioactive releases to the environment. An initial pilot-scale operation could evaluate the possible methods to reduce the cost and consolidate sources.

• Research Organization: EG and G Idaho, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 10154827
• Report Number(s): DOE/LLW-166; ON: DE93013696
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: Feb 1993
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
SEALED SOURCES
REMOVAL
MATERIALS HANDLING
STORAGE
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
PERSONNEL
DESIGN
ENGINEERING
NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACTS
AMENDMENTS
COMPLIANCE
COST
052000
050900
WASTE MANAGEMENT
TRANSPORT, HANDLING, AND STORAGE