Criteria for greater confinement of radioactive wastes at arid western sites

Technical Report · Fri May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6489421· OSTI ID:6489421

Card, D H; Hunter, P H; Adam, J A; White, R B

This document provides a set of criteria and standards for greater confinement disposal (CCD) of low-level waste as an alternative to shallow land burial or deep geologic disposal for certain types of waste. The criteria and standards are discussed relative to seven major areas: radiation exposure protection, characterization of waste, transportation and handling, site selection, engineering, general facility requirements, and administration. The document addresses the objectives or goals of burial at intermediate depths to provide greater confinement, and its advantages and disadvantages compared to shallow land burial. Additionally, the document describes a generic greater confinement disposal facility (GCDF), and discusses as well as evaluates the various interrelating factors which must be considered in the selection of a viable site and in the development of GCDF design and performance criteria. Methods are developed for evaluating and ranking the importance of the factors based on health and safety, their potential impact on cost, and the uncertainty and/or difficulty in measurement and control of the factors. It also provides the methodology and analysis used to determine the various site-specific waste concentration acceptance standards (in the form of area disposal concentration limits) as well as design and engineering standards. It also illustrates the methodology used to determine the optimal or preferred depth of disposal under expected arid site conditions and alternative wet or irrigated site conditions. In addition, an example calculation demonstrates the application of the waste area concentration limits at an arid or humid GDF in determining the allowable waste inventory capacity of a particular site and the loading capacity of a waste disposal cell.

• Research Organization: Ford, Bacon and Davis Utah, Inc., Salt Lake City (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-76ID01570
• OSTI ID: 6489421
• Report Number(s): DOE/ID/01570-T20; NVO-234
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

052002* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
055000 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Safeguards
Inspection
& Accountability
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290600 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
98 NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT, SAFEGUARDS, AND PHYSICAL PROTECTION
COST
DESIGN
ENGINEERING
EVALUATION
HAZARDS
HEALTH HAZARDS
LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PERFORMANCE
RADIATION HAZARDS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
SAFETY
SITE SELECTION
SOLID WASTES
SPECIFICATIONS
STANDARDS
TRANSPORT
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES