Development of transportation systems for US transuranic waste - a historical perspective

Conference · Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1991 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:6679005

Banjac, V; Heger, A S ^[1]

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1. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque (United States)

Radioactive waste constitutes the largest portion of radioactive material by mass and by volume. The waste, classified in four waste forms, low-level waste, transuranic (TRU) waste, high-level waste, and spent fuel, will ultimately have to be shipped to a repository for permanent disposal. The only repository built and awaiting operational status in the United States is the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico, built by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the permanent disposal of defense TRU waste. The majority of TRU waste has been generated in DOE facilities, where it was packaged in drums and boxes and stored o-site. On-site storage involved limited transportation of the waste and, until 1970, direct on-site burial. Since 1974, TRU waste in the United States has been placed in retrievable on-site storage, involving little or no transportation, pending the startup of the WIPP repository. For TRU transportation to the WIPP, the DOE commenced the Transuranic Package Transporter-TRUPACT program in 1983. Emphasis was placed on contact handled (CH) TRU waste, which represents 98% of the total TRU waste inventory.

• OSTI ID: 6679005
• Report Number(s): CONF-921102--
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Journal Name: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States) Vol. 66; ISSN 0003-018X; ISSN TANSAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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