Underground collocation of nuclear power plant reactors and repository to facilitate the post-renaissance expansion of nuclear power

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2008

OSTI ID:960834

Myers, Carl W ^[1]; Elkins, Ned Z ^[1]

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1. Los Alamos National Laboratory

Underground collocation of nuclear power reactors and the nuclear waste management facilities supporting those reactors, termed an underground nuclear park (UNP), appears to have several advantages compared to the conventional approach to siting reactors and waste management facilities. These advantages include the potential to lower reactor capital and operating cost, lower nuclear waste management cost, and increase margins of physical security and safety. Envirorunental impacts related to worker health, facility accidents, waste transportation, and sabotage and terrorism appear to be lower for UNPs compared to the current approach. In-place decommissioning ofUNP reactors appears to have cost, safety, envirorunental and waste disposal advantages. The UNP approach has the potential to lead to greater public acceptance for the deployment of new power reactors. Use of the UNP during the post-nuclear renaissance time frame has the potential to enable a greater expansion of U.S. nuclear power generation than might otherwise result. Technical and economic aspects of the UNP concept need more study to determine the viability of the concept.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 960834
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-08-07452; LA-UR-08-7452; TRN: US1002646
• Resource Relation: Conference: Waste Management - 2009 ; March 1, 2009 ; Phoenix, Arizona
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
ACCIDENTS
CAPITAL
COST
DECOMMISSIONING
ECONOMICS
NUCLEAR PARKS
NUCLEAR POWER
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
OPERATING COST
POWER REACTORS
PROFITS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTORS
SABOTAGE
SAFETY
SECURITY
UNDERGROUND
USES
VIABILITY
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE TRANSPORTATION