A Fresh Look at Greater Confinement Boreholes for Greater-Than-Class C Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal
- U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Disposal Operations, Washington, DC (United States)
- Sandia National Laboratories1, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
The United States Federal government has responsibility for disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW) with concentrations of radionuclides that exceed limits established by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for Class C LLW. Since Greater-Than-Class-C (GTCC) LLW is from activities licensed by NRC or NRC Agreement States, a disposal facility by law must be licensed by NRC. The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) has the responsibility to site, design, construct, operate, decommission, and provide long-term care for GTCC LLW disposal facilities. On May 11, 2005, DOE issued an advance notice of intent to begin preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for GTCC LLW disposal. Since the initiation of the EIS, analysis has focused on compiling the inventory of commercial GTCC LLW and DOE GTCC-like wastes, reviewing disposal technologies, and other preliminary studies. One of the promising disposal technologies being considered is intermediate depth greater confinement boreholes. Greater confinement boreholes have been used effectively to safely dispose of long-lived radioactive waste at the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The DOE took a fresh look at global experiences with the use of greater confinement borehole disposal, including current considerations being given for future applications in the U.S., and concluded that the U.S. is positioned to benefit from international collaboration on borehole disposal technology, and could ultimately become a pilot project, if the technology is selected. (authors)
- Research Organization:
- WM Symposia, 1628 E. Southern Avenue, Suite 9 - 332, Tempe, AZ 85282 (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 21290833
- Report Number(s):
- INIS-US-09-WM-07234; TRN: US10V0158038244
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: WM'07: 2007 Waste Management Symposium - Global Accomplishments in Environmental and Radioactive Waste Management: Education and Opportunity for the Next Generation of Waste Management Professionals, Tucson, AZ (United States), 25 Feb - 1 Mar 2007; Other Information: Country of input: France; 14 refs
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Disposal of Greater Than Class C Low-Level Radioactive Waste in Andrews County, Texas - 16408
Modeling and Analysis of the Transport and Disposal of Beryllium Moderator Blocks and Greater than Class C (GTCC) Waste