Nuclear Waste Management Systems Issues Related to Transportation Cask Design: At-Reactor Spent Fuel Storage, Monitored Retrievable Storage and Modal Mix

Technical Report · Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6021909· OSTI ID:6021909

Hoskins, Raymond E. ^[1]

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1. Consulting Engineer, Chattanooga, TN (United States)

This report provides background information on nuclear waste transportation issues for an upcoming review of waste shipping cask designs. The focus of this report is related issues pertaining to at-reactor storage, monitored retrievable storage, and the mix of spent fuel transportation modes (railroad, highway and waterways) that will determine impacts of spent fuel transportation to a geologic repository. Part 1 traces the evolution of the civilian radioactive waste management program from its inception through passage of the 1987 amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) of 1982. It emphasizes the factors that will influence the configuration of the transportation system for high-level nuclear waste and related cask design. Part 2 deals with at-reactor storage of wastes. Options for at-reactor storage of waste include expanding pool storage, consolidation and compaction of wastes in pool storage, and various forms of dry storage. Storage needs at-reactor are estimated, and storage options are evaluated on the basis of their ability to meet those needs. Part 3 deals with the MRS facility. The status of the MRS is reviewed starting with the 1987 Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act. Studies of the MRS by the State of Tennessee and DOE are reviewed. Alternatives to the MRS, such as the Integrated No-MRS waste management system configuration are discussed. The activities of the MRS Review Commission are also reviewed. Part 4 deals with transportation of wastes from reactors to the MRS or final disposal facility. Road, rail and water transport are evaluated, as are mixtures of different modes. The implications of transportation mode on cask design are discussed, as is the potential for transportation system optimization. The last section applies the as-low-as-reasonably-achievable (ALARA) standard to the problem of radioactive waste transportation.

• Research Organization: Nevada Nuclear Waste Project Office, Carson City, NV (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: FG08-85NV10461
• OSTI ID: 6021909
• Report Number(s): NWPO-TN--003-90; ON: DE91011014
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050900* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Transport
Handling
& Storage
052002 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
42 ENGINEERING
420204 -- Engineering-- Shipping Containers
ALARA
CASKS
COMPLIANCE
CONTAINERS
DESIGN
DRY STORAGE
ENERGY SOURCES
FUEL RACKS
FUEL STORAGE POOLS
FUELS
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
LAND TRANSPORT
LAWS
MANAGEMENT
MARITIME TRANSPORT
MATERIALS
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
MONITORED RETRIEVABLE STORAGE
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACTS
OPTIMIZATION
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE STORAGE
REACTOR MATERIALS
RISK ASSESSMENT
SPENT FUEL CASKS
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
SPENT FUELS
STORAGE
SUPPORTS
TRANSPORT
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE STORAGE
WASTE TRANSPORTATION