Technical safety appraisal of the West Valley Demonstration Project

Technical Report · Fri Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1989

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5392673· OSTI ID:5392673

This report presents the results of one in a series of Technical Safety Appraisals (TSAs) being conducted of DOE nuclear operations by the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health Office of Safety Appraisals TSAs are one of the ititiatives announced by the Secretary of Energy on September 18, 1985, to enhance the DOE environment, safety and health program. This report presents the results of a TSA of the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP). The appraisal was conducted by a team of exerts assembled by the DOE Office of Safety Appraisal and was conducted during onsite visits of June 26-30 and July 10-21, 1989. West Valley, about 30 miles south of Buffalo, New York is the location of the only commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing facility operated in the United States. Nuclear Fuels Services, Inc. (NFS) operated the plant from 1966 to 1972 and processed about 640 metric tons of spent reactor fuel. The reprocessing operation generated about 560,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste, which was transferred into underground tanks for storage. In 1972 NFS closed the plant and subsequently decided not to reopen it.

• Research Organization: USDOE Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health, Washington, DC (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/EH
• OSTI ID: 5392673
• Report Number(s): DOE/EH-0097; ON: DE90003490
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050800* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
052001 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Processing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
COMPLIANCE
CONSTRUCTION
CONTAINERS
DECOMMISSIONING
DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS
DESIGN
ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUEL REPROCESSING PLANTS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PROCESSING
RADIATION PROTECTION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTE PROCESSING
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTOR COMPONENTS
REGULATIONS
SAFETY ENGINEERING
SPENT FUEL ELEMENTS
STORAGE
TANKS
UNDERGROUND FACILITIES
VITRIFICATION
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE STORAGE
WASTES
WEST VALLEY PROCESSING PLANT