Environmental site description for a Uranium Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (U-AVLIS) production plant at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant site
Uranium enrichment in the United States has utilized a diffusion process to preferentially enrich the U-235 isotope in the uranium product. In the 1970s, the US Department of Energy (DOE) began investigating more efficient and cost-effective enrichment technologies. In January 1990, the Secretary of Energy approved a plan for the demonstration and deployment of the Uranium Atomic Vapor Laser isotope Separation (U-AVLIS) technology with the near-term goal to provide the necessary information to make a deployment decision by November 1992. Initial facility operation is anticipated for 1999. A programmatic document for use in screening DOE sites to locate a U-AVLIS production plant was developed and implemented in two parts. The first part consisted of a series of screening analyses, based on exclusionary and other criteria, that identified a reasonable number of candidate sites. The final evaluation, which included sensitivity studies, identified the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP) site, the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PGDP) site, and the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) site as having significant advantages over the other sites considered. This environmental site description (ESD) provides a detailed description of the PORTS site and vicinity suitable for use in an environmental impact statement (EIS). This report is based on existing literature, data collected at the site, and information collected by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) staff during site visits. The organization of the ESD is as follows. Topics addressed in Sec. 2 include a general site description and the disciplines of geology, water resources, biotic resources, air resources, noise, cultural resources, land use. Socioeconomics, and waste management. Identification of any additional data that would be required for an EIS is presented in Sec. 3.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab., IL (United States). Environmental Assessment and Information Sciences Div.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 5113908
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/EAIS/TM-57; ON: DE92001601
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
LASER ISOTOPE SEPARATION
PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
AIR QUALITY
GEOLOGY
GROUND WATER
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
SOILS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WATER RESOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANTS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
ISOTOPE SEPARATION PLANTS
MANAGEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RESOURCES
SEPARATION PROCESSES
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
WATER
053000* - Nuclear Fuels- Environmental Aspects
050500 - Nuclear Fuels- Uranium Enrichment