Title: Management of Heavy Isotope in the DOE Complex

Abstract

Currently each Department Of Energy (DOE) Program office manages its own nuclear materials through activities such as production, processing, storage, transportation, and disposition. However, recognizing the need to strengthen its strategic approach to the integrated life-cycle management of nuclear materials, DOE established the Nuclear Materials Management Stewardship Initiative (NMMSI) in January 2000. The NMMSI's first visible product was the Integrated Nuclear Material Management Plan in which it was generally recommended that DOE take a cross-cutting look at managing its nuclear materials, and specifically recommended that four Nuclear Material Management Groups (NMMGs) be formed. These groups were established to facilitate management of nuclear materials for which DOE has or may have responsibility, including many presently not in DOE's direct control. One of these NMMGs, the Heavy Isotope Management Group (HIMG) was established at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Dec ember 2000, to facilitate management of (a) actinide and their decay products (except sealed sources) and (b) isotopically enriched stable and radioactive isotopes except uranium and lithium, but excluding thorium, uranium, spent fuel, and weapons or reactor grade plutonium which are addressed by other NMMGs. Despite its short duration and relatively limited funding, the HIMG has facilitated the disposition of heavy isotopesmore » from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). The primary disposition options have been to facilitate reuse of valuable heavy isotopes by matching custodians of unwanted materials with other users that seek such materials for new applications. This approach has the dual advantages of avoiding custodian disposal costs plus cost to the user of obtaining newly produced material. The HIMG has also prepared issue papers on neptunium and americium/curium that identify the resources, potential uses, and disposal pathways for the materials across the DOE Complex. In the future the HIMG expects to comprehensively identify the status of the U.S. heavy isotope inventory, prepare additional issue papers and plans charting the future of this inventory, and to facilitate execution of the plan.« less

Authors:

Canon, R; Croff, A; Boyd, L

Publication Date:

Wed Feb 27 00:00:00 EST 2002

Research Org.:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN; U. S. Department of Energy P. O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN (US)

Sponsoring Org.:

US Department of Energy (US)

OSTI Identifier:

829572

Resource Type:

Conference

Resource Relation:

Conference: Waste Management 2002 Symposium, Tucson, AZ (US), 02/24/2002--02/28/2002; Other Information: PBD: 27 Feb 2002

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; 38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY; ACTINIDES; DAUGHTER PRODUCTS; LIFE CYCLE; LITHIUM; MANAGEMENT; NEPTUNIUM; NUCLEAR MATERIALS MANAGEMENT; PLUTONIUM; PROCESSING; SEALED SOURCES; SPENT FUELS; STORAGE; THORIUM; URANIUM; WASTE MANAGEMENT; WEAPONS