Shallow land burial of solid low-level radioactive wastes - 30 years of experience at the Savannah River Plant
Solid radioactive wastes from production of nuclear materials at the Savannah River Plant (SRP) are buried in shallow trenches on a 79-hectare plot within the SRP site. The SRP burial ground, in use since 1953, has provided containment for about 370,000 m/sup 3/ of waste containing 10/sup 7/ Ci that have been buried through 1982. Site characteristics, operating practices, and monitoring results are described. Extensive field and laboratory studies aimed at developing a fundamental understanding of the soil/waste/water system of the SRP burial ground are discussed. Leaching and migration of buried radionuclides have been monitored by assays of soil cores and by periodic sampling of numerous groundwater wells. Except for tritium, none of the radionuclides have migrated significantly from the waste. Generally, traces of alpha and nonvolatile beta/gamma emitters that have entered the groundwater can be detected only by ultra-low-level radiochemical analyses. Current research efforts include: (1) migration of individual radionuclides such as /sup 60/Co, /sup 90/Sr, /sup 99/Tc, /sup 106/Ru, /sup 129/I, /sup 137/Cs, /sup 238/Pu, and /sup 239/Pu (plus nonradioactive materials such as mercury); (2) groundwater chemistry under buried waste, to determine fundamental transport mechanisms; (3) radionuclide migration from well characteized sources emplaced in lysimeters; (4) laboratory measurements of sorption on burial ground soil. In addition to ensuring continued safe operation, the ongoing waste migration studies provide technical guidance for site operations and decommissioning.
- Research Organization:
- Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-76SR00001
- OSTI ID:
- 6180981
- Report Number(s):
- DP-MS-82-61; CONF-830523-6; ON: DE83011609; TRN: 83-012891
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: International conference on radioactive waste management, Seattle, WA, USA, 16 May 1983
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CESIUM 137
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COBALT 60
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WATER CHEMISTRY
IODINE 129
PLUTONIUM 238
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RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
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