Spent fuel performance in geologic repository environments
The performance assessment of the waste package is a current area of study in the United States program to develop a geologic repository for nuclear waste isolation. The waste package is presently envisioned as the waste form and its surrounding containers and possibly a packing material composed of crushed host rock or mixtures of that rock with clays. This waste package is tied to performance objectives set forth in regulatory criteria. It is the goal of the Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program (OCRWM) to obtain the necessary information on the waste package, in several geologic environments, to show that the waste package provides reasonable assurance of meeting established performance criteria. This paper discusses the United States program directed toward managing high-level radioactive waste, with emphasis on the current effort to define the behavior of irradiated spent fuel in repository environments. Spent fuel is of particular interest since it is expected to be the primary nuclear waste form disposed in a geologic repository. Current studies are directed toward understanding the rate and nature (such as valence state, colloid form if any, solid phase controlling solubility) of radionuclide release from the spent fuel. Due to the strong interactive effect of radiation, thermal fields, and waste package components on this release, current spent fuel studies are being conducted primarily in the presence of waste package components over a wide range of potential environments. 52 refs.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 6378155
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-14767; CONF-8704154-1; ON: DE87011155
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Spent fuel performance in geologic repository environments
Salt Repository Project. Technical progress report for the quarter, 1 April-30 June 1984
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12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
BRINES
CONTAINERS
COORDINATED RESEARCH PROGRAMS
DISSOLUTION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
FUELS
GROUND WATER
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LAWS
LEACHING
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACTS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
POLLUTION
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTOR MATERIALS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
REVIEWS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPENT FUELS
TIME DEPENDENCE
US EPA
US NRC
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE FORMS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
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