Los Alamos National Laboratory accelerated tru waste workoff strategies
During 1996, the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) developed two transuranic (TRU) waste workoff strategies that were estimated to save $$270 - 340M through accelerated waste workoff and the elimination of a facility. The planning effort included a strategy to assure that LANL would have a significant quantity (3000+ drums) of TRU waste certified for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) beginning in April of 1998, when WIPP was projected to open. One of the accelerated strategies can be completed in less than ten years through a Total Optimization of Parameters Scenario ({open_quotes}TOPS{close_quotes}). {open_quotes}TOPS{close_quotes} fully utilizes existing LANL facilities and capabilities. For this scenario, funding was estimated to be unconstrained at $$23M annually to certify and ship the legacy inventory of TRU waste at LANL. With {open_quotes}TOPS{close_quotes} the inventory is worked off in about 8.5 years while shipping 5,000 drums per year at a total cost of $196M. This workoff includes retrieval from earthen cover and interim storage costs. The other scenario envisioned funding at the current level with some increase for TRUPACT II loading costs, which total $16M annually. At this funding level, LANL estimates it will require about 17 years to work off the LANL TRU legacy waste while shipping 2,500 drums per year to WIPP. The total cost will be $277M. This latter scenario decreases the time for workoff by about 19 years from previous estimates and saves an estimated $190M. In addition, the planning showed that a $70M facility for TRU waste characterization was not needed. After the first draft of the LANL strategies was written, Congress amended the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA) to accelerate the opening of WIPP to November 1997. Further, the No Migration Variance requirement for the WIPP was removed. This paper discusses the LANL strategies as they were originally developed. 1 ref., 3 figs., 2 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 475654
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR--96-4017; CONF-970335--28; ON: DE97001678
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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