A review and overview of nuclear waste management
An understanding of the status and issues in the management of radioactive wastes is based on technical information on radioactivity, radiation, biological hazard of radiation exposure, radiation standards, and methods of protection. The fission process gives rise to radioactive fission products and neutron bombardment gives activation products. Radioactive wastes are classified according to source: defense, commercial, industrial, and institutional; and according to physical features: uranium mill tailings, high-level, transuranic, and low-level. The nuclear fuel cycle, which contributes a large fraction of annual radioactive waste, starts with uranium ore, includes nuclear reactor use for electrical power generation, and ends with ultimate disposal of residues. The relation of spent fuel storage and reprocessing is governed by technical, economic, and political considerations. Waste has been successfully solidified in glass and other forms and choices of the containers for the waste form are available. Methods of disposal of high-level waste that have been investigated are transmutation by neutron bombardment, shipment to Antartica, deep-hole insertion, subseabed placement, transfer by rocket to an orbit in space, and disposal in a mined cavity. The latter is the favored method. The choices of host geological media are salt, basalt, tuff, and granite.
- Research Organization:
- North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
- OSTI ID:
- 60548
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-840229-
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 11. annual WATTec conference and exposition - shaping our energy future, Knoxville, TN (United States), 21-24 Feb 1984; Other Information: DN: Abstract only; PBD: 1984; Related Information: Is Part Of Shaping our energy future; PB: 34 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
BASALT
CLASSIFICATION
CONTAINERS
ECONOMICS
FISSION PRODUCTS
FUEL CYCLE
GLASS
GRANITES
MILL TAILINGS
NEUTRONS
POLITICAL ASPECTS
POWER GENERATION
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVITY
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SALT DEPOSITS
SOLIDIFICATION
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
TUFF
URANIUM ORES
Yucca Mountain Project