The WIPP RCRA Part B permit application for TRU mixed waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, J.E.

1995-01-01

In August 1993, the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) issued a draft permit for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to begin experiments with transuranic (TRU) mixed waste. Subsequently, the Department of Energy (DOE) decided to cancel the on-site test program, opting instead for laboratory testing. The Secretary of the NMED withdrew the draft permit in 1994, ordering the State's Hazardous and Radioactive Waste Bureau to work with the DOE on submittal of a revised permit application. Revision 5 of the WIPP's Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B Permit Application was submitted to the NMED in May 1995, focusing on disposal of 175,600 m 3 of TRU mixed waste over a 25 year span plus ten years for closure. A key portion of the application, the Waste Analysis Plan, shifted from requirements to characterize a relatively small volume of TRU mixed waste for on-site experiments, to describing a complete program that would apply to all DOE TRU waste generating facilities and meet the appropriate RCRA regulations. Waste characterization will be conducted on a waste stream basis, fitting into three broad categories: (1) homogeneous solids, (2) soil/gravel, and (3) debris wastes. Techniques used include radiography, visually examining waste from opened containers, radioassay, headspace gas sampling, physical sampling and analysis of homogeneous wastes, and review of documented acceptable knowledge. Acceptable knowledge of the original organics and metals used, and the operations that generated these waste streams is sufficient in most cases to determine if the waste has toxicity characteristics, hazardous constituents, polychlorinated biphenyls (PBCs), or RCRA regulated metals

Potential problems from shipment of high-curie content contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste to WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neill, R.H.; Channell, J.K.

1983-08-01

There are about 1000 drums of contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) wastes containing more than 100 Ci/drum of Pu-238 that are stored at the Savannah River Plant and at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Studies performed at DOE laboratories have shown that large quantities of gases are generated in stored drums containing 100 Ci of 238 Pu. Concentrations of hydrogen gas in the void space of the drums are often found to be high enough to be explosive. None of the analyses in the DOE WIPP Final Environmental Impact Statement, Safety Analysis Report, and Preliminary Transportation Analysis have considered the possibility that the generation of hydrogen gas by radiolysis may create an explosive or flammable hazard that could increase the frequency and severity of accidental releases of radionuclides during transportation or handling. These high 238 Pu concentration containers would also increase the estimated doses received by individuals and populations from transportation, WIPP site operations, and human intrusion scenarios even if the possibility of gas-enhanced releases is ignored. The WIPP Project Office has evaluated this effect on WIPP site operations and is suggesting a maximum limit of 140 239 Pu equivalent curies (P-Ci) per drum so that postulated accidental off-site doses will not be larger than those listed in the FEIS. The TRUPACT container, which is being designed for the transportation of CH-TRU wastes to WIPP, does not appear to meet the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations requiring double containment for the transportation of plutonium in quantities >20 Ci. A 20 alpha Ci/shipment limit would require about 200,000 shipments for the 4 million curies of alpha emitters slated for WIPP

Savannah River Certification Plan for newly generated, contact-handled transuranic waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wierzbicki, K.S.

1986-01-01

This Certification Plan document describes the necessary processes and methods for certifying unclassified, newly generated, contact-handled solid transuranic (TRU) waste at the Savannah River Plant and Laboratory (SRP, SRL) to comply with the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Waste Acceptance Criteria (WIPP-WAC). Section 2 contains the organizational structure as related to waste certification including a summary of functional responsibilities, levels of authority, and lines of communication of the various organizations involved in certification activities. Section 3 describes general plant operations and TRU waste generation. Included is a description of the TRU Waste classification system. Section 4 contains the SR site TRU Waste Quality Assurance Program Plan. Section 5 describes waste container procurement, inspection, and certification prior to being loaded with TRU waste. Certification of waste packages, after package closure in the waste generating areas, is described in Section 6. The packaging and certification of individual waste forms is described in Attachments 1-5. Included in each attachment is a description of controls used to ensure that waste packages meet all applicable waste form compliance requirements for shipment to the WIPP. 3 figs., 3 tabs

Repackaging SRS Black Box TRU Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swale, D. J.; Stone, K.A.; Milner, T. N.

2006-01-01

Historically, large items of TRU Waste, which were too large to be packaged in drums for disposal have been packaged in various sizes of custom made plywood boxes at the Savannah River Site (SRS), for many years. These boxes were subsequently packaged into large steel ''Black Boxes'' for storage at SRS, pending availability of Characterization and Certification capability, to facilitate disposal of larger items of TRU Waste. There are approximately 107 Black Boxes in inventory at SRS, each measuring some 18' x 12' x 7', and weighing up to 45,000 lbs. These Black Boxes have been stored since the early 1980s. The project to repackage this waste into Standard Large Boxes (SLBs), Standard Waste Boxes (SWB) and Ten Drum Overpacks (TDOP), for subsequent characterization and WIPP disposal, commenced in FY04. To date, 10 Black Boxes have been repackaged, resulting in 40 SLB-2's, and 37 B25 overpack boxes, these B25's will be overpacked in SLB-2's prior to shipping to WIPP. This paper will describe experience to date from this project

Use of Performance Assessment in Support of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Programmatic Activity Planning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BASABILVAZO, GEORGE; JOW, HONG-NIAN; LARSON, KURT W.; MARIETTA, MELVIN G.

1999-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the geologic (deep underground) disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. A Compliance Certification Application (CCA) of the WIPP for such disposal was submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October 1996, and was approved by EPA in May 1998. In June 1998, two separate, but related, lawsuits were filed, one against DOE and one against EPA. On March 22, 1999, the court ruled in favor of DOE, and on March 26, 1999, DOE formally began disposal operations at the WIPP for non-mixed (non-hazardous) TRU waste. Before the WIPP can begin receiving mixed (hazardous) TRU waste, a permit from the State of New Mexico for hazardous waste disposal needs to be issued. It is anticipated that the State of New Mexico will issue a hazardous waste permit by November 1999. It is further anticipated that the EPA lawsuit will be resolved by July 1999. Congress (Public Law 102-579, Section 8(f)) requires the WIPP project to be recertified by the EPA at least as frequently as once every five years from the first receipt of TRU waste at the WIPP site. As part of the DOE's WIPP project recertification strategy, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has used systems analysis and performance assessment to prioritize its scientific and engineering research activities. Two 1998 analyses, the near-field systems analysis and the annual sensitivity analysis, are discussed here. Independently, the two analyses arrived at similar conclusions regarding important scientific activities associated with the WIPP. The use of these techniques for the recent funding allocations at SNL's WIPP project had several beneficial effects. It increased the level of acceptance among project scientists that management had fairly and credibly compared alternatives when making prioritization decisions. It improved the ability of SNL and its project sponsor, the Carlsbad Area Office of the DOE, to

Los Alamos National Laboratory transuranic waste characterization and certification program - an overview of capabilities and capacity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogers, P.S.Z.; Sinkule, B.J.; Janecky, D.R.; Gavett, M.A.

1997-01-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has full capability to characterize transuranic (TRU) waste for shipment to and disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for its projected opening. LANL TRU waste management operations also include facilities to repackage both drums of waste found not to be certifiable for WIPP and oversized boxes of waste that must be size reduced for shipment to WIPP. All characterization activities and repackaging are carried out under a quality assurance program designed to meet Carlsbad Area Office (CAO) requirements. The flow of waste containers through characterization operations, the facilities used for characterization, and the electronic data management system used for data package preparation and certification of TRU waste at LANL are described

The Environmental Protection Agency's waste isolation pilot plant certification process: The steps leading to our decision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wene, C.; Kruger, M.

1999-01-01

On May 13, 1998, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its 'final certification decision' to certify that the U. S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) will comply with the radioactive waste disposal regulations set and the WIPP Compliance Criteria set forth at 40 CFR Parts 191 (US EPA, 1993) and 194 (US EPA, 1996) respectively. The WIPP will be the nation's first deep underground disposal facility for transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste generated as a result of defence activities. Since WIPP is a first-of-a-kind facility EPA's regulatory program contains an abundance of unique technical questions, as well as controversial policy considerations and legal issues. This paper presents the process that EPA undertook to reach its final decision. Oversight of the WIPP facility by EPA is governed by the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (WIPP LWA), passed initially by Congress in 1992 and amended in 1996. The LWA required EPA to evaluate whether the WIPP will comply with Subparts B and C of 40 CFR Part 191, known as the disposal regulations. The EPA's final certification of compliance will allow the emplacement of radioactive waste in the WIPP to begin, provided that all other applicable health and safety standards have been met. The certification also allows Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) to strip TRU waste from specific waste streams for disposal at the WIPP. However, the certification is subject to several conditions, most notably that EPA must approve site-specific waste characterisation measures and quality assurance plans before allowing sites other than LANL to ship waste for disposal at the WIPP

WIPP [Waste Isolation Pilot Plant] test phase plan: Performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-04-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for managing the disposition of transuranic (TRU) wastes resulting from nuclear weapons production activities of the United States. These wastes are currently stored nationwide at several of the DOE's waste generating/storage sites. The goal is to eliminate interim waste storage and achieve environmentally and institutionally acceptable permanent disposal of these TRU wastes. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico is being considered as a disposal facility for these TRU wastes. This document describes the first of the following two major programs planned for the Test Phase of WIPP: Performance Assessment -- determination of the long-term performance of the WIPP disposal system in accordance with the requirements of the EPA Standard; and Operations Demonstration -- evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of the DOE TRU waste management system's ability to emplace design throughput quantities of TRU waste in the WIPP underground facility. 120 refs., 19 figs., 8 tabs

Impact of dynamic certification requirements on the Nuclear Materials Technology Division's transuranic waste management program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balkey, J.J.; Montoya, A.J.; Wieneke, Ronald E.

2002-01-01

The issuance of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit in August of 2000, specifically the attachment I3 Waste Analysis Plan (WAP),had a profound impact upon transuranic (TRU) waste certification at Los Alamos National Laboratory's (LANL) Plutonium Facility. Program certification was lost until Laboratory internal program documents could be amended to meet the new WAP requirements, waste management personnel could be retrained to incorporate the changes into waste operations and the entire program successfully pass subsequent Carlsbad Field Ofice (CBFO) audit. This action resulted in the suspension of transuranic waste shipments from LANL to WIPP. In addition the changes unnecessarily increased the complexity of TRU waste program activities in waste handling.

WIPP 2004 Site Environmental Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None, None

2005-09-30

The mission of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is to safely and permanently dispose of transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste generated by the production of nuclear weapons and other activities related to the national defense of the United States (U.S.). In 2004, 8,839 cubic meters (m3) of TRU waste were emplaced at WIPP. From the first receipt of waste in March 1999 through the end of 2004, 25,809 m3 of TRU waste had been emplaced at WIPP. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) and Washington TRU Solutions LLC (WTS) are dedicated to maintaining high quality management of WIPP environmental resources. DOE Order 450.1, Environmental Protection Program; DOE Order 231.1A, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting; and DOE Order 5400.5, Radiation Protection of the Public and Environment, require that the environment at and near DOE facilities be monitored to ensure the safety and health of the public and the environment. This Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 2004 Site Environmental Report (SER) summarizes environmental data from 2004 that characterize environmental management performance and demonstrate compliance with applicable federal and state regulations. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1A, and Guidance for the Preparation of DOE Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs) for Calendar Year 2004 (DOE, 2005). The order and the guidance require that DOE facilities submit an annual SER to the DOE Headquarters Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health. The WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (HWFP) further requires that the SER be provided to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED).

WIPP 2004 Site Environmental Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The mission of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is to safely and permanently dispose of transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste generated by the production of nuclear weapons and other activities related to the national defense of the United States (U.S.). In 2004, 8,839 cubic meters (m3) of TRU waste were emplaced at WIPP. From the first receipt of waste in March 1999 through the end of 2004, 25,809 m3 of TRU waste had been emplaced at WIPP. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) and Washington TRU Solutions LLC (WTS) are dedicated to maintaining high quality management of WIPP environmental resources. DOE Order 450.1, Environmental Protection Program; DOE Order 231.1A, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting; and DOE Order 5400.5, Radiation Protection of the Public and Environment, require that the environment at and near DOE facilities be monitored to ensure the safety and health of the public and the environment. This Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 2004 Site Environmental Report (SER) summarizes environmental data from 2004 that characterize environmental management performance and demonstrate compliance with applicable federal and state regulations. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1A, and Guidance for the Preparation of DOE Annual Site Environmental Reports (ASERs) for Calendar Year 2004 (DOE, 2005). The order and the guidance require that DOE facilities submit an annual SER to the DOE Headquarters Office of the Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety, and Health. The WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (HWFP) further requires that the SER be provided to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED).

Transuranic (TRU) waste management at Savannah River - past, present and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Ambrosia, J.T.

1985-01-01

Defense TRU waste at Savannah River (SR) results from the Department of Energy's (DOE) national defense activities, including the operation of production reactors and fuel reprocessing plants and research and development activities. TRU waste is material declared as having negligible economic value, contaminated with alpha-emitting radionuclides of atomic number greater than 92, and half-lives longer than 20 years, in concentrations greater than 100 nCi/g. TRU waste has been retrievably stored at SR since 1974 awaiting disposal. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), now under construction in New Mexico, is a research and development facility for demonstrating the safe disposal of defense TRU waste, including that in storage at SR. The major objective of the TRU program at SR is to support the TRU National Program, which is dedicated to preparing waste for, and emplacing waste in, the WIPP. Thus, the SR Program also supports WIPP operations. The SR Site specific goals are to phase out the indefinite storage of TRU waste, which has been the mode of waste management since 1974, and to dispose of SR's Defense TRU waste

The WIPP transportation system: Demonstrated readiness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ward, T.R.; Spooner, R.

1991-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) has developed an integrated transportation system to transport transuranic (TRU) waste from ten widely-dispersed generator sites to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The system consists of a Type B container, a specially- designed trailer, a lightweight tractor, the DOE ''TRANSCOM'' vehicle tracking system, and uniquely qualified and highly-trained drivers. In June of 1989, the National Academy of Sciences reviewed the transportation system and concluded that: ''The system proposed for transportation of TRU waste to WIPP is safer than that employed for any other hazardous material in the United States today and will reduce risk to very low levels'' (emphasis added). The next challenge facing the DOE was demonstrating that this system was ready to transport the TRU waste to the WIPP site efficiently and in the safest manner possible. Not only did the DOE feel that is was necessary to convince itself that the system was safe, but also representatives of the 20 states through which it would travel

The WIPP transportation system: Demonstrated readiness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ward, T.R.; Spooner, R.

1991-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) has developed an integrated transportation system to transport transuranic (TRU) waste from ten widely-dispersed generator sites to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The system consists of a Type B container, a specially-designed trailer, a lightweight tractor, the DOE ''TRANSCOM'' vehicle tracing system, and uniquely qualified and highly-trained drivers. In June of 1989, the National Academy of Sciences reviewed the transportation system and concluded that: ''The system proposed for transportation of TRU waste to WIPP is safer than that employed for any other hazardous material in the United States today and will reduce risk to very low levels.'' The next challenge facing the DOE was demonstrating that this system was ready to transport the TRU waste to the WIPP site in the safest manner possible. Not only did the DOE feel that it was necessary to convince itself that the system was safe, but also representatives of the 23 states through which it traveled

Characterization optimization for the National TRU waste system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basabilvazo, George T.; Countiss, S.; Moody, D.C.; Jennings, S.G.; Lott, S.A.

2002-01-01

On March 26, 1999, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) received its first shipment of transuranic (TRU) waste. On November 26, 1999, the Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (HWFP) to receive mixed TRU waste at WIPP became effective. Having achieved these two milestones, facilitating and supporting the characterization, transportation, and disposal of TRU waste became the major challenges for the National TRU Waste Program. Significant challenges still remain in the scientific, engineering, regulatory, and political areas that need to be addressed. The National TRU Waste System Optimization Project has been established to identify, develop, and implement cost-effective system optimization strategies that address those significant challenges. Fundamental to these challenges is the balancing and prioritization of potential regulatory changes with potential technological solutions. This paper describes some of the efforts to optimize (to make as functional as possible) characterization activities for TRU waste.

WIPP Pecos Management Reports

Science.gov (United States)

These reviews and evaluations compiled by Pecos Management Services, Inc. encompass the current and future WIPP activities in the program areas of TRU waste characterization, transportation, and disposal.

The Advantages of Fixed Facilities in Characterizing TRU Wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

FRENCH, M.S.

2000-01-01

In May 1998 the Hanford Site started developing a program for characterization of transuranic (TRU) waste for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. After less than two years, Hanford will have a program certified by the Carlsbad Area Office (CAO). By picking a simple waste stream, taking advantage of lessons learned at the other sites, as well as communicating effectively with the CAO, Hanford was able to achieve certification in record time. This effort was further simplified by having a centralized program centered on the Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility that contains most of the equipment required to characterize TRU waste. The use of fixed facilities for the characterization of TRU waste at sites with a long-term clean-up mission can be cost effective for several reasons. These include the ability to control the environment in which sensitive instrumentation is required to operate and ensuring that calibrations and maintenance activities are scheduled and performed as an operating routine. Other factors contributing to cost effectiveness include providing approved procedures and facilities for handling hazardous materials and anticipated contingencies and performing essential evolutions, and regulating and smoothing the work load and environmental conditions to provide maximal efficiency and productivity. Another advantage is the ability to efficiently provide characterization services to other sites in the Department of Energy (DOE) Complex that do not have the same capabilities. The Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility is a state-of-the-art facility designed to consolidate the operations necessary to inspect, process and ship waste to facilitate verification of contents for certification to established waste acceptance criteria. The WRAP facility inspects, characterizes, treats, and certifies transuranic (TRU), low-level and mixed waste at the Hanford Site in Washington state. Fluor Hanford operates the $89

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 13 (Waste isolation pilot plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-10-01

The borehole WIPP-13 was drilled in the SW 1/4 section 17, T22S, R31E of eastern Eddy County during July and August, 1978, to investigate the nature of a resistivity anomaly. The stratigraphic section was normal, consisting of 13 feet of Quaternary deposits (including artificial fill for drill pad), 53 feet of the Triassic Santa Rosa Sandstone, 451 feet of Dewey Lake Red Beds, 269 feet of the Rustler Formation and 179 feet of the upper member of the Salado Formation. Consecutive cores were taken from 570 to 595, 656 to 729, and 827 to 878 feet. Cuttings were collected at 10-foot intervals throughout the rest of the hole. Geophysical logs were run to aid in interpretation of the stratigraphy. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic (TRU) defense wastes. Eventual conversion of the facility to a repository for TRU defense wastes is anticipated. The WIPP will also provide research facilities for interactions between high-level waste and salt

Development of a safe TRU transportation system (STRUTS) for DOE's TRU waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edling, D.A.; Hopkins, D.R.; Walls, H.C.

1978-01-01

Transportation, the link between TRU waste generation and WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Project) and a vital link in the overall TRU waste management program, must be addressed. The program must have many facets: ensuring public and carrier acceptance, formation of a functional and current transportation data base, systems integration, maximum utilization of existing technology, and effective implementation and integration of the transport system into current and planned operational systems

DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRU WASTE TRANSPORTATION FLEET--A SUCCESS STORY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devarakonda, Murthy; Morrison, Cindy; Brown, Mike

2003-01-01

Since March 1999, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located in southeastern New Mexico, has been operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO), as a repository for the permanent disposal of defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste. More than 1,450 shipments of TRU waste for WIPP disposal have been completed, and the WIPP is currently receiving 12 to 16 shipments per week from five DOE sites around the nation. One of the largest fleets of Type B packagings supports the transportation of TRU waste to WIPP. This paper discusses the development of this fleet since the original Certificate of Compliance (C of C) for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) was issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in 1989. Evolving site programs, closure schedules of major sites, and the TRU waste inventory at the various DOE sites have directed the sizing and packaging mix of this fleet. This paper discusses the key issues that guided this fleet development, including the following: While the average weight of a 55-gallon drum packaging debris could be less than 300 pounds (lbs.), drums containing sludge waste or compacted waste could approach the maximum allowable weight of 1,000 lbs. A TRUPACT-II shipment may consist of three TRUPACT-II packages, each of which is limited to a total weight of 19,250 lbs. Payload assembly weights dictated by ''as-built'' TRUPACT-II weights limit each drum to an average weight of 312 lbs when three TRUPACT-IIs are shipped. To optimize the shipment of heavier drums, the HalfPACT packaging was designed as a shorter and lighter version of the TRUPACT-II to accommodate a heavier load. Additional packaging concepts are currently under development, including the ''TRUPACT-III'' packaging being designed to address ''oversized'' boxes that are currently not shippable in the TRUPACT-II or HalfPACT due to size constraints. Shipment optimization is applicable not only to the addition of new

WIPP gets thumbs up; Ward Valley time runs out

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1996-01-01

Legislation passed in late September clears the way for the Department of Energy to begin shipment of national defense transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, NM, as early as November 1997. On September 23, President Clinton signed the Fiscal Year 1997 Defense Authorization Bill, which contained amendments to the 1992 WIPP Land Withdrawal Act. The implementation of the law will help the DOE in its cleanup sites nationwide, and will enhance public health and safety by providing for the disposal of the waste in a 2150-ft underground salt formation, far away from population centers. Key components of the legislation include the following: (1) The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will continue as primary regulator of WIPP. (2) The EPA will have one year to review the Compliance Certification Application, which the DOE was to submit by October 31, 1996. Upon EPA certification (expected in October 1997), the DOE will begin shipping transuranic waste in November 1997. (3) A six-month waiting period for waste shipments has been removed (previously, the DOE was required to wait 180 days after the Energy Secretary's decision to begin disposal operations). (4) New Mexico will receive $20 million immediately, and annually for 14 years, with the funds to be used for infrastructure and road improvements in the state

A methodology of uncertainty/sensitivity analysis for PA of HLW repository learned from 1996 WIPP performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Y. M.; Kim, S. K.; Hwang, Y. S.; Kang, C. H.

2002-01-01

The WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) is a mined repository constructed by the US DOE for the permanent disposal of transuranic (TRU) wastes generated by activities related to defence of the US since 1970. Its historical disposal operation began in March 1999 following receipt of a final permit from the State of NM after a positive certification decision for the WIPP was issued by the EPA in 1998, as the first licensed facility in the US for the deep geologic disposal of radioactive wastes. The CCA (Compliance Certification Application) for the WIPP that the DOE submitted to the EPA in 1966 was supported by an extensive Performance Assessment (PA) carried out by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), with so-called 1996 PA. Even though such PA methodologies could be greatly different from the way we consider for HLW disposal in Korea largely due to quite different geologic formations in which repository are likely to be located, a review on lots of works done through the WIPP PA studies could be the most important lessons that we can learn from in view of current situation in Korea where an initial phase of conceptual studies on HLW disposal has been just started. The objective of this work is an overview of the methodology used in the recent WIPP PA to support the US DOE WIPP CCA ans a proposal for Korean case

Los Alamos National Laboratory accelerated tru waste workoff strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosiewicz, S.T.; Triay, I.R.; Rogers, P.Z.; Christensen, D.V.

1997-01-01

During 1996, the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) developed two transuranic (TRU) waste workoff strategies that were estimated to save $270 - 340M through accelerated waste workoff and the elimination of a facility. The planning effort included a strategy to assure that LANL would have a significant quantity (3000+ drums) of TRU waste certified for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) beginning in April of 1998, when WIPP was projected to open. One of the accelerated strategies can be completed in less than ten years through a Total Optimization of Parameters Scenario (open-quotes TOPSclose quotes). open-quotes TOPSclose quotes fully utilizes existing LANL facilities and capabilities. For this scenario, funding was estimated to be unconstrained at $23M annually to certify and ship the legacy inventory of TRU waste at LANL. With open-quotes TOPSclose quotes the inventory is worked off in about 8.5 years while shipping 5,000 drums per year at a total cost of $196M. This workoff includes retrieval from earthen cover and interim storage costs. The other scenario envisioned funding at the current level with some increase for TRUPACT II loading costs, which total $16M annually. At this funding level, LANL estimates it will require about 17 years to work off the LANL TRU legacy waste while shipping 2,500 drums per year to WIPP. The total cost will be $277M. This latter scenario decreases the time for workoff by about 19 years from previous estimates and saves an estimated $190M. In addition, the planning showed that a $70M facility for TRU waste characterization was not needed. After the first draft of the LANL strategies was written, Congress amended the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA) to accelerate the opening of WIPP to November 1997. Further, the No Migration Variance requirement for the WIPP was removed. This paper discusses the LANL strategies as they were originally developed. 1 ref., 3 figs., 2 tabs

Characterizing cemented TRU waste for RCRA hazardous constituents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeamans, D.R.; Betts, S.E.; Bodenstein, S.A.

1996-01-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has characterized drums of solidified transuranic (TRU) waste from four major waste streams. The data will help the State of New Mexico determine whether or not to issue a no-migration variance of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) so that WIPP can receive and dispose of waste. The need to characterize TRU waste stored at LANL is driven by two additional factors: (1) the LANL RCRA Waste Analysis Plan for EPA compliant safe storage of hazardous waste; (2) the WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) The LANL characterization program includes headspace gas analysis, radioassay and radiography for all drums and solids sampling on a random selection of drums from each waste stream. Data are presented showing that the only identified non-metal RCRA hazardous component of the waste is methanol

Plans for Managing Hanford Remote Handled Transuranic (TRU) Waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MCKENNEY, D.E.

2001-01-01

The current Hanford Site baseline and life-cycle waste forecast predicts that approximately 1,000 cubic meters of remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste will be generated by waste management and environmental restoration activities at Hanford. These 1,000 cubic meters, comprised of both transuranic and mixed transuranic (TRUM) waste, represent a significant portion of the total estimated inventory of RH-TRU to be disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). A systems engineering approach is being followed to develop a disposition plan for each RH-TRU/TRUM waste stream at Hanford. A number of significant decision-making efforts are underway to develop and finalize these disposition plans, including: development and approval of a RH-TRU/TRUM Waste Project Management Plan, revision of the Hanford Waste Management Strategic Plan, the Hanford Site Options Study (''Vision 2012''), the Canyon Disposal Initiative Record-of-Decision, and the Hanford Site Solid (Radioactive and Hazardous) Waste Program Environmental Impact Statement (SW-EIS). Disposition plans may include variations of several options, including (1) sending most RH-TRU/TRUM wastes to WIPP, (2) deferrals of waste disposal decisions in the interest of both efficiency and integration with other planned decision dates and (3) disposition of some materials in place consistent with Department of Energy Orders and the regulations in the interest of safety, risk minimization, and cost. Although finalization of disposition paths must await completion of the aforementioned decision documents, significant activities in support of RH-TRU/TRUM waste disposition are proceeding, including Hanford participation in development of the RH TRU WIPP waste acceptance criteria, preparation of T Plant for interim storage of spent nuclear fuel sludge, sharing of technology information and development activities in cooperation with the Mixed Waste Focus Area, RH-TRU technology demonstrations and deployments, and

Terminating Safeguards on Excess Special Nuclear Material: Defense TRU Waste Clean-up and Nonproliferation - 12426

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayes, Timothy [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Carlsbad Operations Group (United States); Nelson, Roger [Department Of Energy, Carlsbad Operations Office (United States)

2012-07-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) manages defense nuclear material that has been determined to be excess to programmatic needs and declared waste. When these wastes contain plutonium, they almost always meet the definition of defense transuranic (TRU) waste and are thus eligible for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The DOE operates the WIPP in a manner that physical protections for attractiveness level D or higher special nuclear material (SNM) are not the normal operating condition. Therefore, there is currently a requirement to terminate safeguards before disposal of these wastes at the WIPP. Presented are the processes used to terminate safeguards, lessons learned during the termination process, and how these approaches might be useful for future defense TRU waste needing safeguards termination prior to shipment and disposal at the WIPP. Also described is a new criticality control container, which will increase the amount of fissile material that can be loaded per container, and how it will save significant taxpayer dollars. Retrieval, compliant packaging and shipment of retrievably stored legacy TRU waste has dominated disposal operations at WIPP since it began operations 12 years ago. But because most of this legacy waste has successfully been emplaced in WIPP, the TRU waste clean-up focus is turning to newly-generated TRU materials. A major component will be transuranic SNM, currently managed in safeguards-protected vaults around the weapons complex. As DOE and NNSA continue to consolidate and shrink the weapons complex footprint, it is expected that significant quantities of transuranic SNM will be declared surplus to the nation's needs. Safeguards termination of SNM varies due to the wide range of attractiveness level of the potential material that may be directly discarded as waste. To enhance the efficiency of shipping waste with high TRU fissile content to WIPP, DOE designed an

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant simulated RH TRU waste experiments: Data and interpretation pilot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molecke, M.A.; Argueello, G.J.; Beraun, R.

1993-04-01

The simulated, i.e., nonradioactive remote-handled transuranic waste (RH TRU) experiments being conducted underground in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) were emplaced in mid-1986 and have been in heated test operation since 9/23/86. These experiments involve the in situ, waste package performance testing of eight full-size, reference RH TRU containers emplaced in horizontal, unlined test holes in the rock salt ribs (walls) of WIPP Room T. All of the test containers have internal electrical heaters; four of the test emplacements were filled with bentonite and silica sand backfill materials. We designed test conditions to be ''near-reference'' with respect to anticipated thermal outputs of RH TRU canisters and their geometrical spacing or layout in WIPP repository rooms, with RH TRU waste reference conditions current as of the start date of this test program. We also conducted some thermal overtest evaluations. This paper provides a: detailed test overview; comprehensive data update for the first 5 years of test operations; summary of experiment observations; initial data interpretations; and, several status; experimental objectives -- how these tests support WIPP TRU waste acceptance, performance assessment studies, underground operations, and the overall WIPP mission; and, in situ performance evaluations of RH TRU waste package materials plus design details and options. We provide instrument data and results for in situ waste container and borehole temperatures, pressures exerted on test containers through the backfill materials, and vertical and horizontal borehole-closure measurements and rates. The effects of heat on borehole closure, fracturing, and near-field materials (metals, backfills, rock salt, and intruding brine) interactions were closely monitored and are summarized, as are assorted test observations. Predictive 3-dimensional thermal and structural modeling studies of borehole and room closures and temperature fields were also performed

The WIPP transportation system -- ''Safer than any other''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ward, T.R.; Spooner, R.

1991-01-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) has developed an integrated transportation system to transport transuranic (TRU) waste from ten widely dispersed generator sites to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The system consists of a Type B container, a specially designed trailer, a lightweight tractor, the DOE TRANSCOM satellite-based vehicle tracking system, and uniquely qualified and highly trained drivers. The DOE has demonstrated that this system is ready to transport the TRU waste to the WIPP site efficiently and safely. Since the system was put in place in November 1988, it has been repeatedly upgraded and enhanced to incorporate additional safety measures. In June of 1989, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) reviewed the transportation system and concluded that ''the system proposed for transportation of TRU waste to WIPP is safer than that employed for any other hazardous material in the United States today and will reduce risk to very low levels'' (emphasis added). The NAS conclusion was made before the DOE implemented the Enhanced Driver Training Course for carrier drivers. The challenge facing the DOE was to examine the transportation system objectively and determine what additional improvements could be made to further enhance safety

76 FR 33277 - Proposed Approval of the Central Characterization Project's Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-08

... disposal of TRU radioactive waste. As defined by the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA) of 1992 (Pub. L. 102... certification of the WIPP's compliance with disposal regulations for TRU radioactive waste [63 Federal Register... radioactive remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) waste characterization program implemented by the Central...

Documentation of acceptable knowledge for Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility TRU waste stream

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montoya, A.J.; Gruetzmacher, K.M.; Foxx, C.L.; Rogers, P.Z.

1998-03-01

Characterization of transuranic waste from the LANL Plutonium Facility for certification and transportation to WIPP includes the use of acceptable knowledge as specified in the WIPP Quality Assurance Program Plan. In accordance with a site specific procedure, documentation of acceptable knowledge for retrievably stored and currently generated transuranic waste streams is in progress at LANL. A summary overview of the TRU waste inventory is complete and documented in the Sampling Plan. This document also includes projected waste generation, facility missions, waste generation processes, flow diagrams, times, and material inputs. The second part of acceptable knowledge documentation consists of assembling more detailed acceptable knowledge information into auditable records and is expected to require several years to complete. These records for each waste stream must support final assignment of waste matrix parameters, EPA hazardous waste numbers, and radionuclide characterization. They must also include a determination whether waste streams are defense waste streams for compliance with the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act. The LANL Plutonium Facility's mission is primarily plutonium processing in basic special nuclear material (SNM) research activities to support national defense and energy programs. It currently has about 100 processes ranging from SNM recovery from residues to development of plutonium 238 heat sources for space applications. Its challenge is to characterize and certify waste streams from such diverse and dynamic operations using acceptable knowledge. This paper reports the progress on the certification of the first of these waste streams to the WIPP WAC

Basic data report for deepening of drillhole WIPP 13 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-10-01

WIPP 13 is a borehole drilled in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, in section 17, T22S,R31E, in order to investigate a subsurface seismic disturbed zone. The first 1035 ft of the borehole were drilled in July and August 1978. The deepening of WIPP 13 was performed in 1979 between August and October. This report documents the deepening of WIPP 13 to 3861.8 ft. Only rocks of the Permian, Salado and Castile Formations were penetrated in the deepening. Cores were obtained for some portions of the hole and cuttings were collected from some of the sections which were not cored (see Table 1). A suite of geophysical logs was run to provide information on lithology, structure and geochemistry. The WIPP is a demonstration facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste from defense programs. The WIPP will also provide a research facility to investigate the interactions between bedded salt and high level wastes

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 11 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-02-01

Seismic reflection data from petroleum industry sources showed anomalous reflectors in the Castile Formation over a small area about 3 miles north of the center of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site. Additional corroborative seismic reflection data were collected as part of WIPP investigations, and WIPP 11 was drilled to investigate the anomaly. WIPP 11 was drilled near the northwest corner of Section 9, T.22.S., R.31E. it penetrated, in descending order, sand dune deposits and the Gatuna Formation (29'), Santa Rosa Sandstone (132'), Dewey Lake Red Beds (502'), Rustler Formation (288'), Salado Formation (1379'), and most of the Castile Formation (1240'). Beds within the lower part of the Salado, and the upper anhydrite of the Castile, are thinner than normal; these beds are displaced upward structurally by the upper Castile halite which is highly thickened (about 968'). The lowest halite is thin (51') and the basal anhydrite was not completely penetrated. Subsequent seismic and borehole data has shown WIPP 11 to be in a structural complex now identified as the disturbed zone. The WIPP is a demonstration facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste from defense programs. The WIPP will also provide a research facility to investigate the interactions between bedded salt and high level waste, though there are no plans at this time to dispose of high level waste or spent fuel at WIPP

WASTE ISOLATION PILOT PLANT (WIPP): THE NATIONS' SOLUTION TO NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE AND DISPOSAL ISSUES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lopez, Tammy Ann [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2014-07-17

In the southeastern portion of my home state of New Mexico lies the Chihuahauan desert, where a transuranic (TRU), underground disposal site known as the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) occupies 16 square miles. Full operation status began in March 1999, the year I graduated from Los Alamos High School, in Los Alamos, NM, the birthplace of the atomic bomb and one of the nation’s main TRU waste generator sites. During the time of its development and until recently, I did not have a full grasp on the role Los Alamos was playing in regards to WIPP. WIPP is used to store and dispose of TRU waste that has been generated since the 1940s because of nuclear weapons research and testing operations that have occurred in Los Alamos, NM and at other sites throughout the United States (U.S.). TRU waste consists of items that are contaminated with artificial, man-made radioactive elements that have atomic numbers greater than uranium, or are trans-uranic, on the periodic table of elements and it has longevity characteristics that may be hazardous to human health and the environment. Therefore, WIPP has underground rooms that have been carved out of 2,000 square foot thick salt formations approximately 2,150 feet underground so that the TRU waste can be isolated and disposed of. WIPP has operated safely and successfully until this year, when two unrelated events occurred in February 2014. With these events, the safety precautions and measures that have been operating at WIPP for the last 15 years are being revised and improved to ensure that other such events do not occur again.

Analytical technology in support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villareal, R.

1994-01-01

The need for long-term disposal of defense-related transuranic (TRU) wastes became apparent as the DOE recognized the environmental consequences of maintaining waste storage facilities designed for short or interim storage periods, not long-term storage. In 1979, Congress authorized the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a research and development facility and full-scale pilot plant, to demonstrate the safe management, storage, and disposal of TRU wastes. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations governing disposal of TRU wastes in 40 CFR 191 require that TRU waste disposal systems be designed to limit migration of radionuclides to the accessible environment for 10,000 years based on performance assessment results. The actinide source-term waste test program (STTP) is an experiment designed to quantitatively measure the time-dependent concentrations of plutonium, uranium, neptunium, thorium, and americium in TRU wastes immersed in brines that simulate the chemistry that may occur in WIPP disposal rooms, partially or completely contacted with brines. The total concentration of each actinide in brine is the sum of its dissolved and colloidally suspended components, as determined by variables including pcH, oxidation-reduction potential (Eh), chelating and complexing agents, sorption capacity, and colloidal suspension capabilities. To determine the effect of influencing variables on the concentration of actinides in WIPP brines, several TRU waste types will be characterized and loaded into specially designed noncorrosive test containers filled with brine containing additives to enhance the action of each influencing variable. The test container brine and headspace gases will be analyzed

A facility design for repackaging ORNL CH-TRU legacy waste in Building 3525

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huxford, T.J.; Cooper, R.H. Jr.; Davis, L.E.; Fuller, A.B.; Gabbard, W.A.; Smith, R.B.; Guay, K.P.; Smith, L.C.

1995-07-01

For the last 25 years, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has conducted operations which have generated solid, contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste. At present the CH-TRU waste inventory at ORNL is about 3400 55-gal drums retrievably stored in RCRA-permitted, aboveground facilities. Of the 3400 drums, approximately 2600 drums will need to be repackaged. The current US Department of Energy (DOE) strategy for disposal of these drums is to transport them to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico which only accepts TRU waste that meets a very specific set of criteria documented in the WIPP-WAC (waste acceptance criteria). This report describes activities that were performed from January 1994 to May 1995 associated with the design and preparation of an existing facility for repackaging and certifying some or all of the CH-TRU drums at ORNL to meet the WIPP-WAC. For this study, the Irradiated Fuel Examination Laboratory (IFEL) in Building 3525 was selected as the reference facility for modification. These design activities were terminated in May 1995 as more attractive options for CH-TRU waste repackaging were considered to be available. As a result, this document serves as a final report of those design activities

Los Alamos National Laboratory TRU waste sampling projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeamans, D.; Rogers, P.; Mroz, E.

1997-01-01

The Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has begun characterizing transuranic (TRU) waste in order to comply with New Mexico regulations, and to prepare the waste for shipment and disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Sampling consists of removing some head space gas from each drum, removing a core from a few drums of each homogeneous waste stream, and visually characterizing a few drums from each heterogeneous waste stream. The gases are analyzed by GC/MS, and the cores are analyzed for VOC's and SVOC's by GC/MS and for metals by AA or AE spectroscopy. The sampling and examination projects are conducted in accordance with the ''DOE TRU Waste Quality Assurance Program Plan'' (QAPP) and the ''LANL TRU Waste Quality Assurance Project Plan,'' (QAPjP), guaranteeing that the data meet the needs of both the Carlsbad Area Office (CAO) of DOE and the ''WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria, Rev. 5,'' (WAC)

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 12 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-10-01

WIPP 12 is a borehole drilled in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, to investigate the stratigraphy, structure and lithology in the WIPP area. WIPP 12 was drilled in section 17, T22S,R31E, between November 9 and December 7, 1978. The hole was drilled to a depth of 2785.8 ft. It encountered from top to bottom, 16.2 ft of sand, 3 ft of Mescalero Caliche and 9.6 ft of the Gatuna Formation, all of Quaternary age; 138.2 ft of the Triassic Santa Rosa Formation, 483 ft of the Dewey Lake Red Beds, 326 ft of the Rustler Formation, 1771.5 ft of the Salado Formation, and 48.3 ft of the Castile Formation, all of Permian age. Cores or cuttings were obtained for the entire hole. A suite of geophysical logs, including neutron gamma and density curves, was run to the full depth of WIPP 12. The borehole demonstrated that the elevation of the top of the Castile is about 160' above the same horizon in ERDA 9. The WIPP is a demonstration facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste from defense programs. The WIPP will also provide a research facility to investigate the interactions between bedded salt and high level wastes

CHARACTERIZATION OF CURRENTLY GENERATED TRANUSRANIC WASTE AT THE LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY'S PLUTONIUM PRODUCTION FACILITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dodge, Robert L.; Montoya, Andy M.

2003-01-01

By the time the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) completes its Disposal Phase in FY 2034, the Department of Energy (DOE) will have disposed of approximately 109,378 cubic meters (m3) of Transuranic (TRU) waste in WIPP (1). If DOE adheres to its 2005 Pollution Prevention Goal of generating less than 141m3/yr of TRU waste, approximately 5000 m3 (4%) of that TRU waste will be newly generated (2). Because of the overwhelming majority (96%) of TRU waste destined for disposal at WIPP is legacy waste, the characterization and certification requirements were developed to resolve those issues related to legacy waste. Like many other DOE facilities Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has a large volume (9,010m3) of legacy Transuranic Waste in storage (3). Unlike most DOE facilities LANL will generate approximately 140m3 of newly generated TRU waste each year3. LANL's certification program was established to meet the WIPP requirements for legacy waste and does not take advantage of the fundamental differences in waste knowledge between newly generated and legacy TRU waste

TRU-ART: A cost-effective prototypical neutron imaging technique for transuranic waste certification systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horton, W.S.

1989-01-01

The certification of defense radioactive waste as either transuranic or low-level waste requires very sensitive and accurate assay instrumentation to determine the specific radioactivity within an individual waste package. An assay instrument that employs a new technique (TRU-ART), which can identify the location of the radioactive material within a waste package, was designed, fabricated, and tested to potentially enhance the certification of problem defense waste drums. In addition, the assay instrumentation has potential application in radioactive waste reprocessing and neutron tomography. The assay instrumentation uses optimized electronic signal responses from an array of boral- and cadmium-shielded polyethylene-moderated 3 H detector packages. Normally, thermal neutrons that are detected by 3 H detectors have very poor spatial dependency that may be used to determine the location of the radioactive material. However, these shielded-detector packages of the TRU-ART system maintain the spatial dependency of the radioactive material in that the point of fast neutron thermalization is immediately adjacent to the 3 H detector. The TRU-ART was used to determine the location of radioactive material within three mock-up drums (empty, peat moss, and concrete) and four actual waste drums. The TRU-ART technique is very analogous to emission tomography. The mock-up drum and actual waste drum data, which were collected by the TRU-ART, were directly input into a algebraic reconstruction code to produce three-dimensional isoplots. Finally, a comprehensive fabrication cost estimate of the fielded drum assay system and the TRU-ART system was determined, and, subsequently, these estimates were used in a cost-benefit analysis to compare the economic advantage of the respective systems

Los Alamos National Laboratory Develops ''Quick to WIPP'' Strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jones, R.; Allen, G.; Kosiewicz, S.; Martin, B.; LANL; Nunz, J.; Biedscheid, J.; Sellmer, T.; Willis, J.; Orban, J.; Liekhus, K.; Djordjevic, S.

2003-01-01

The Cerro Grande forest fire in May of 2000 and the terrorist events of September 11, 2001 precipitated concerns of the vulnerability of legacy contact-handled (CH), high-wattage transuranic (TRU) waste stored at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). An analysis of the 9,100 cubic meters of stored CH-TRU waste revealed that 400 cubic meters or 4.5% of the inventory represented 61% of the risk. The analysis further showed that this 400 cubic meters was contained in only 2,000 drums. These facts and the question ''How can the disposition of this waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) be accelerated?'' formed the genesis of LANL's Quick to WIPP initiative

The WIPP journey to waste receipt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnes, G.J.; Whatley, M.E.

1997-01-01

In the early 1970s the federal government selected an area in southeastern New Mexico containing large underground salt beds as potentially suitable for radioactive waste disposal. An extensive site characterization program was initiated by the federal government. This site became the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, better known as WIPP. It is now 1997, over two decades after the initial selection of the New Mexico site as a potential radioactive waste repository. Numerous scientific studies, construction activities, and environmental compliance documents have been completed. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has addressed all relevant issues regarding the safety of WIPP and its ability to isolate radioactive waste from the accessible environment. Throughout the last two decades up to the present time, DOE has negotiated through a political, regulatory, and legal maze with regard to WIPP. New regulations have been issued, litigation initiated, and public involvement brought to the forefront of the DOE decision-making process. All of these factors combined to bring WIPP to its present status--at the final stages of working through the licensing requirements for receipt of transuranic (TRU) waste for disposal. Throughout its history, the DOE has stayed true to Congress' mandates regarding WIPP. Steps taken have been necessary to demonstrate to Congress, the State of New Mexico, and the public in general, that the nation's first radioactive waste repository will be safe and environmentally sound. DOE's compliance demonstrations are presently under consideration by the cognizant regulatory agencies and DOE is closer than ever to waste receipt. This paper explores the DOE's journey towards implementing a permanent disposal solution for defense-related TRU waste, including major Congressional mandates and other factors that contributed to program changes regarding the WIPP project

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant TruDock crane system analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morris, B.C.; Carter, M.

1996-10-01

The WIPP TruDock crane system located in the Waste Handling Building was identified in the WIPP Safety Analysis Report (SAR), November 1995, as a potential accident concern due to failures which could result in a dropped load. The objective of this analysis is to evaluate the frequency of failure of the TruDock crane system resulting in a dropped load and subsequent loss of primary containment, i.e. drum failure. The frequency of dropped loads was estimated to be 9.81E-03/year or approximately one every 102 years (or, for the 25% contingency, 7.36E-03/year or approximately one every 136 years). The dominant accident contributor was the failure of the cable/hook assemblies, based on failure data obtained from NUREG-0612, as analyzed by PLG, Inc. The WIPP crane system undergoes a rigorous test and maintenance program, crane operation is discontinued following any abnormality, and the crane operator and load spotter are required to be trained in safe crane operation, therefore it is felt that the WIPP crane performance will exceed the data presented in NUREG-0612 and the estimated failure frequency is felt to be conservative

WIPP: a perspective from ten years of operating success - 16189

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregory, Phillip C.

2009-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located 35 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA is the first and, to the author's knowledge, only facility in the world for the permanent disposal of defense related transuranic (TRU) waste. Soon after plutonium was first synthesized in 1940 by a team of scientists at the University of California Berkeley Laboratory, the need to find a permanent repository for plutonium contaminated waste was recognized due to the more than 24,000 year half-life of Plutonium-239 ( 239 Pu). In 1957 the National Academy of Sciences published a report recommending deep geological burial in bedded salt as a possible solution. However, more than 50 years passed before the solution was achieved when in 1999 WIPP received the first shipment of TRU waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory. Ten years later, more than 7,600 shipments of TRU waste have been disposed of in rooms mined in an ancient salt bed more than 2,000 feet underground. This paper provides a brief history of WIPP with an overview of the technical, regulatory, and political hurdles that had to be overcome before the idea of a permanent disposal facility became reality. The paper focuses primarily on the safe, uneventful transportation program that has moved 100,000- plus containers of TRU waste from various U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) generator and/or storage sites across the Unites States to southeastern New Mexico. (author)

WIPP conceptual design report. Addendum A. Design calculations for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-04-01

The design calculations for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) are presented. The following categories are discussed: general nuclear calculations; radwaste calculations; structural calculations; mechanical calculations; civil calculations; electrical calculations; TRU waste surface facility time and motion analysis; shaft sinking procedures; hoist time and motion studies; mining system analysis; mine ventilation calculations; mine structural analysis; and miscellaneous underground calculations

Repackaging of High Fissile TRU Waste at the Transuranic Waste Processing Center - 13240

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oakley, Brian; Heacker, Fred [WAI, TRU Waste Processing Center, 100 WIPP Road Lenoir City, TN 37771 (United States); McMillan, Bill [DOE, Oak Ridge Operations, Bldg. 2714, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 (United States)

2013-07-01

Twenty-six drums of high fissile transuranic (TRU) waste from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) operations were declared waste in the mid-1980's and placed in storage with the legacy TRU waste inventory for future treatment and disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Repackaging and treatment of the waste at the TRU Waste Packaging Center (TWPC) will require the installation of additional equipment and capabilities to address the hazards for handling and repackaging the waste compared to typical Contact Handled (CH) TRU waste that is processed at the TWPC, including potential hydrogen accumulation in legacy 6M/2R packaging configurations, potential presence of reactive plutonium hydrides, and significant low energy gamma radiation dose rates. All of the waste is anticipated to be repackaged at the TWPC and certified for disposal at WIPP. The waste is currently packaged in multiple layers of containers which presents additional challenges for repackaging activities due to the potential for the accumulation of hydrogen gas in the container headspace in quantities than could exceed the Lower Flammability Limit (LFL). The outer container for each waste package is a stainless steel 0.21 m{sup 3} (55-gal) drum which contains either a 0.04 m{sup 3} or 0.06 m{sup 3} (10-gal or 15-gal) 6M drum. The inner 2R container in each 6M drum is ∼12 cm (5 in) outside diameter x 30-36 cm (12-14 in) long and is considered to be a > 4 liter sealed container relative to TRU waste packaging criteria. Inside the 2R containers are multiple configurations of food pack cans, pipe nipples, and welded capsules. The waste contains significant quantities of high burn-up plutonium oxides and metals with a heavy weight percentage of higher atomic mass isotopes and the subsequent in-growth of significant quantities of americium. Significant low energy gamma radiation is expected to be present due to the americium in-growth. Radiation dose rates on inner containers are estimated

Determination of H2 Diffusion Rates through Various Closures on TRU Waste Bag-Out Bags

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noll, Phillip D. Jr.; Callis, E. Larry; Norman, Kirsten M.

1999-01-01

The amount of H 2 diffusion through twist and tape (horse-tail), wire tie, plastic tie, and heat sealed closures on transuranic (TRU) waste bag-out bags has been determined. H 2 diffusion through wire and plastic tie closures on TRU waste bag-out bags has not been previously characterized and, as such, TRU waste drums containing bags with these closures cannot be certified and/or shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Since wire ties have been used at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) from 1980 to 1991 and the plastic ties from 1991 to the present, there are currently thousands of waste drums that cannot be shipped to the WIPP site. Repackaging the waste would be prohibitively expensive. Diffusion experiments performed on the above mentioned closures show that the diffusion rates of plastic tie and horse-tail closures are greater than the accepted value presented in the TRU-PACT 11 Safety Analysis Report (SAR). Diffusion rates for wire tie closures are not statistically different from the SAR value. Thus, drums containing bags with these closures can now potentially be certified which would allow for their consequent shipment to WIPP

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant RH TRU waste preoperational checkout: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

This report documents the results of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Remote-Handled Transuranic (RH TRU) Waste Preoperational Checkout. The primary objective of this checkout was to demonstrate the process of handling RH TRU waste packages, from receipt through emplacement underground, using equipment, personnel, procedures, and methods to be used with actual waste packages. A further objective was to measure operational time lines to provide bases for confirming the WIPP design through put capability and for projecting operator radiation doses. Successful completion of this checkout is a prerequisite to the receipt of actual RH TRU waste. This checkout was witnessed in part by members of the Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) of the state of New Mexico. Further, this report satisfies a key milestone contained in the Agreement for Consultation and Cooperation with the state of New Mexico. 4 refs., 26 figs., 4 tabs

The 1996 performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, D.R.; Jow, H.N.; Marietta, M.G.; Chu, M.S.Y.; Shephard, L.E.; Helton, J.C.; Basabilvazo, G.

1998-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is under development by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the geologic disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste that has been generated at government defense installations in the United States. The WIPP is located in an area of low population density in southeastern New Mexico. Waste disposal will take place in excavated chambers in a bedded salt formation approximately 655 m below the land surface. This presentation describes a performance assessment (PA) carried out at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to support the Compliance Certification Application (CCA) made by the DOE to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October, 1996, for the certification of the WIPP for the disposal of TRU waste. Based on the CCA supported by the PA described in this presentation, the EPA has issued a preliminary decision to certify the WIPP for the disposal of TRU waste. At present (April 1998), it appears likely that the WIPP will be in operation by the end of 1998

Transuranic (TRU) Waste Phase I Retrieval Plan

CERN Document Server

McDonald, K M

2000-01-01

From 1970 to 1987, TRU and suspect TRU wastes at Hanford were placed in the SWBG. At the time of placement in the SWBG these wastes were not regulated under existing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations, since they were generated and disposed of prior to the effective date of RCRA at the Hanford Site (1987). From the standpoint of DOE Order 5820.2A1, the TRU wastes are considered retrievably stored, and current plans are to retrieve these wastes for shipment to WIPP for disposal. This plan provides a strategy for the Phase I retrieval that meets the intent of TPA milestone M-91 and Project W-113, and incorporates the lessons learned during TRU retrieval campaigns at Hanford, LANL, and SRS. As in the original Project W-113 plans, the current plan calls for examination of approximately 10,000 suspect-TRU drums located in the 218-W-4C burial ground followed by the retrieval of those drums verified to contain TRU waste. Unlike the older plan, however, this plan proposes an open-air retrieval ...

Basic data report for Drillhole WIPP 14 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-08-01

Borehole WIPP 14 is an exploratory well drilled in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, in section 9, T22S,R31E. The borehole was drilled to a depth of 1000.0 ft measured from ground level. It penetrated, from top to bottom, 15.4 ft of Quaternary sands, 125.6 ft of the Triassic Santa Rosa Sandstone, and in the Permian strata, 497.7 ft of the Dewey Lake Red Beds, 312.9 ft of the Rustler Formation and 48.4 ft of the Upper Salado Formation. Seven hundred feet of the well were cored, at consecutive and nonconsecutive 10-ft intervals to a depth of 925.5 ft. Cuttings were collected where core was not taken. Density, gamma ray neutron and caliper logs were run the full depth of the hole. The WIPP is a demonstration facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste from defense programs. The WIPP will also provide a research facility to investigate the interactions between bedded salt and high level wastes

Pretest characterization of WIPP experimental waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, J.; Davis, H.

1991-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, New Mexico, is an underground repository designed for the storage and disposal of transuranic (TRU) wastes from US Department of Energy (DOE) facilities across the country. The Performance Assessment (PA) studies for WIPP address compliance of the repository with applicable regulations, and include full-scale experiments to be performed at the WIPP site. These experiments are the bin-scale and alcove tests to be conducted by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Prior to conducting these experiments, the waste to be used in these tests needs to be characterized to provide data on the initial conditions for these experiments. This characterization is referred to as the Pretest Characterization of WIPP Experimental Waste, and is also expected to provide input to other programmatic efforts related to waste characterization. The purpose of this paper is to describe the pretest waste characterization activities currently in progress for the WIPP bin-scale waste, and to discuss the program plan and specific analytical protocols being developed for this characterization. The relationship between different programs and documents related to waste characterization efforts is also highlighted in this paper

Review of the draft supplement to the WIPP environmental impact statement DOE/EIS-0026-S-2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neill, R.H.; Channell, J.K.; Spiegler, P.; Chaturvedi, L.

1997-04-01

New Mexico Environmental Evaluation Group's (EEG) review of the WIPP Disposal Phase Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS-II) concentrated on the radiological aspects of the Proposed Action, including transportation. The alternatives were reviewed in less detail. Some calculations were checked, mostly for the Proposed Action. Because of time constraints, there was little review of Hazardous Chemicals, Economics, or other Environmental Assessments. SEIS-II was written as a pre-decision document with the Alternatives all plausible and eligible to be selected. Also, the inventory of TRU waste for disposal went well beyond that portion of TRU waste that has been historically considered to be the WIPP inventory. This broadened scope is probably appropriate for an EIS but it is confusing to the reviewer who is aware of the statutory limits of wastes that are allowed to come to WIPP at the present time. EEG has attempted to keep the broadened scope of SEIS-II in mind during their review. The more important issues discussed within are: alternatives; related documents; transportation; questionable assumptions; use of the 75th percentile values; family farm scenario and inhalation doses; modification of BRAGFLO volumes; emplacement of remotely handled TRU wastes; conversion error; and remotely handled TRU casks

Certification document for newly generated contact-handled transuranic waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Box, W.D.; Setaro, J.

1984-01-01

The US Department of Energy has requested that all national laboratories handling defense waste develop and augment a program whereby all newly generated contact-handled transuranic (TRU) waste be contained, stored, and then shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in accordance with the requirements set forth in WIPP-DOE-114. The program described in this report delineates how Oak Ridge National Laboratory intends to comply with these requirements and lists the procedures used by each generator to ensure that their TRU wastes are certifiable for shipment to WIPP

Pyrolysis/Steam Reforming Technology for Treatment of TRU Orphan Wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mason, J. B.; McKibbin, J.; Schmoker, D.; Bacala, P.

2003-01-01

Certain transuranic (TRU) waste streams within the Department of Energy (DOE) complex cannot be disposed of at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) because they do not meet the shipping requirements of the TRUPACT-II or the disposal requirements of the Waste Analysis Plan (WAP) in the WIPP RCRA Part B Permit. These waste streams, referred to as orphan wastes, cannot be shipped or disposed of because they contain one or more prohibited items, such as liquids, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), hydrogen gas, corrosive acids or bases, reactive metals, or high concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), etc. The patented, non-incineration, pyrolysis and steam reforming processes marketed by THOR Treatment Technologies LLC removes all of these prohibited items from drums of TRU waste and produces a dry, inert, inorganic waste material that meets the existing TRUPACT-II requirements for shipping, as well as the existing WAP requirements for disposal of TRU waste at WIPP. THOR Treatment Technologies is a joint venture formed in June 2002 by Studsvik, Inc. (Studsvik) and Westinghouse Government Environmental Services Company LLC (WGES) to further develop and deploy Studsvik's patented THORSM technology within the DOE and Department of Defense (DoD) markets. The THORSM treatment process is a commercially proven system that has treated over 100,000 cu. ft. of nuclear waste from commercial power plants since 1999. Some of this waste has had contact dose rates of up to 400 R/hr. A distinguishing characteristic of the THORSM process for TRU waste treatment is the ability to treat drums of waste without removing the waste contents from the drum. This feature greatly minimizes criticality and contamination issues for processing of plutonium-containing wastes. The novel features described herein are protected by issued and pending patents

Technical basis for external dosimetry at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradley, E.W.; Wu, C.F.; Goff, T.E.

1993-01-01

The WIPP External Dosimetry Program, administered by Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Waste Isolation Division, for the US Department of Energy (DOE), provides external dosimetry support services for operations at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Site. These operations include the receipt, experimentation with, storage, and disposal of transuranic (TRU) wastes. This document describes the technical basis for the WIPP External Radiation Dosimetry Program. The purposes of this document are to: (1) provide assurance that the WIPP External Radiation Dosimetry Program is in compliance with all regulatory requirements, (2) provide assurance that the WIPP External Radiation Dosimetry Program is derived from a sound technical base, (3) serve as a technical reference for radiation protection personnel, and (4) aid in identifying and planning for future needs. The external radiation exposure fields are those that are documented in the WIPP Final Safety Analysis Report

WIPP Regulatory Compliance Strategy and Management Plan for demonstrating compliance to long-term disposal standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-05-01

The primary purpose of this document is to provide a strategy by which the WIPP will demonstrate its ability to perform as a deep geologic repository. The document communicates the DOE's understanding of the regulations related to long-term repository performance; and provides the most efficient strategy that intergrates WIPP Project elements, ensures the sufficiency of information, and provides flexibility for changes in the TRU waste generation system to facilitate the disposal of defense-generated TRU wastes. In addition, this document forms a focal point between the DOE and its various external regulators as well as other stakeholders for the purpose of arriving at compliance decisions that consider all relevant input

WIPP fire hazards and risk analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-05-01

The purpose of this analysis was to conduct a fire hazards risk analysis of the Transuranic (TRU) contact-handled waste receipt, emplacement, and disposal activities at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The technical bases and safety envelope for these operations are defined in the approved WIPP Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR). Although the safety documentation for the initial phase of the Test Program, the dry bin scale tests, has not yet been approved by the Department of Energy (DOE), reviews of the draft to date, including those by the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Facility Safety (ACNFS), have concluded that the dry bin scale tests present no significant risks in excess of those estimated in the approved WIPP FSAR. It is the opinion of the authors and reviewers of this analysis, based on sound engineering judgment and knowledge of the WIPP operations, that a Fire Hazards and Risk Analysis specific to the dry bin scale test program is not warranted prior to first waste receipt. This conclusion is further supported by the risk analysis presented in this document which demonstrates the level of risk to WIPP operations posed by fire to be extremely low. 15 refs., 41 figs., 48 tabs

A comparison of real-time radiography results and visual characterization results with emphasis on WIPP WAC and TRAMPAC compliance issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hailey, S.M.

1994-01-01

Visual characterization provides a means of confirming the real-time radiography (RTR) certification process and process knowledge. RTR and visual characterization have been conducted on thirty-three drums containing transuranic (TRU) waste in support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Experimental Test Program (WETP) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Argonne National Laboratory - West (ANL-W) detected a small can of liquid in one of these drums during the visual examination, resulting in a WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria (WIPP-WAC) miscertification. The remaining thirty-two drums were certified correctly by the RTR system at the Stored Waste Examination Pilot Plant (SWEPP) for WIPP-WAC and TRUPACT-II Authorized Methods for Payload Control (TRAMPAC) requirements. TRAMPAC contains restrictions on the weights of specific materials allowed in the waste, based on the shipping category. Items on the restricted list for a given shipping category are allowed in quantities less than 1 percent of the weight of the waste. RTR can estimate the weights of certain broad categories in homogeneous waste forms, however, the capability to estimate weights at the 1 percent level is not presently realistic. Process knowledge forms the basis of conformance to these weight requirements. Visual characterization suggests process knowledge is not completely adequate at this level

Transuranic (TRU) Waste Phase I Retrieval Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MCDONALD, K.M.

1999-01-01

From 1970 to 1987, TRU and suspect TRU wastes at Hanford were placed in the SWBG. At the time of placement in the SWBG these wastes were not regulated under existing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations, since they were generated and disposed of prior to the effective date of RCRA at the Hanford Site (1987). From the standpoint of DOE Order 5820.2A', the TRU wastes are considered retrievably stored, and current plans are to retrieve these wastes for shipment to WIPP for disposal. This plan provides a strategy for the Phase I retrieval that meets the intent of TPA milestone M-91 and Project W-113, and incorporates the lessons learned during TRU retrieval campaigns at Hanford, LANL, and SRS. As in the original Project W-I13 plans, the current plan calls for examination of approximately 10,000 suspect-TRU drums located in the 218-W-4C burial ground followed by the retrieval of those drums verified to contain TRU waste. Unlike the older plan, however, this plan proposes an open-air retrieval scenario similar to those used for TRU drum retrieval at LANL and SRS. Phase I retrieval consists of the activities associated with the assessment of approximately 10,000 55-gallon drums of suspect TRU-waste in burial ground 218-W-4C and the retrieval of those drums verified to contain TRU waste. Four of the trenches in 218-W-4C (Trenches 1,4,20, and 29) are prime candidates for Phase I retrieval because they contain large numbers of suspect TRU drums, stacked from 2 to 5 drums high, on an asphalt pad. In fact, three of the trenches (Trenches 1,20, and 29) contain waste that has not been covered with soil, and about 1500 drums can be retrieved without excavation. The other three trenches in 218-W-4C (Trenches 7, 19, and 24) are not candidates for Phase I retrieval because they contain significant numbers of boxes. Drums will be retrieved from the four candidate trenches, checked for structural integrity, overpacked, if necessary, and assayed at the burial

Transuranic (TRU) Waste Phase I Retrieval Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MCDONALD, K.M.

2000-01-01

From 1970 to 1987, TRU and suspect TRU wastes at Hanford were placed in the SWBG. At the time of placement in the SWBG these wastes were not regulated under existing Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations, since they were generated and disposed of prior to the effective date of RCRA at the Hanford Site (1987). From the standpoint of DOE Order 5820.2A1, the TRU wastes are considered retrievably stored, and current plans are to retrieve these wastes for shipment to WIPP for disposal. This plan provides a strategy for the Phase I retrieval that meets the intent of TPA milestone M-91 and Project W-113, and incorporates the lessons learned during TRU retrieval campaigns at Hanford, LANL, and SRS. As in the original Project W-113 plans, the current plan calls for examination of approximately 10,000 suspect-TRU drums located in the 218-W-4C burial ground followed by the retrieval of those drums verified to contain TRU waste. Unlike the older plan, however, this plan proposes an open-air retrieval scenario similar to those used for TRU drum retrieval at LANL and SRS. Phase I retrieval consists of the activities associated with the assessment of approximately 10,000 55-gallon drums of suspect TRU-waste in burial ground 218-W-4C and the retrieval of those drums verified to contain TRU waste. Four of the trenches in 218-W-4C (Trenches 1, 4, 20, and 29) are prime candidates for Phase I retrieval because they contain large numbers of suspect TRU drums, stacked from 2 to 5 drums high, on an asphalt pad. In fact, three of the trenches (Trenches 1 , 20, and 29) contain waste that has not been covered with soil, and about 1500 drums can be retrieved without excavation. The other three trenches in 218-W-4C (Trenches 7, 19, and 24) are not candidates for Phase I retrieval because they contain significant numbers of boxes. Drums will be retrieved from the four candidate trenches, checked for structural integrity, overpacked, if necessary, and assayed at the burial

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) integrated project management system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olona, D.; Sala, D.

1993-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico, is a research and development project of the Department of Energy (DOE), tasked with the mission of demonstrating the safe disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes. This unique project was authorized by Congress in 1979 in response to the national need for long-term, safe methods for disposing of radioactive by-products from our national defense programs. The WIPP was originally established in December of 1979, by Public Law 96-164, DOE National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980. Since the inception of the WIPP Project, work has continued to prepare the facility to receive TRU wastes. Studies continue to be conducted to demonstrate the safety of the WIPP facility in accordance with federal and state laws, state agreements, environmental regulations, and DOE Orders. The objectives of implementing an integrated project management system are to assure compliance with all regulatory and federal regulations, identify areas of concern, provide justification for funding, provide a management tool for control of program workscope, and establish a project baseline from which accountability and performance will be assessed. Program management and project controls are essential for the success of the WIPP Project. The WIPP has developed an integrated project management system to establish the process for the control of the program which has an expected total dollar value of $2B over the ten-year period from 1990-2000. The implementation of this project management system was motivated by the regulatory requirements of the project, the highly public environment in which the project takes place, limited funding and resources, and the dynamic nature of the project. Specific areas to be addressed in this paper include strategic planning, project organization, planning and scheduling, fiscal planning, and project monitoring and reporting

Remote-handled transuranic waste study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-10-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) was developed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) as a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes generated from the Nation's defense activities. The WIPP disposal inventory will include up to 250,000 cubic feet of TRU wastes classified as remote handled (RH). The remaining inventory will include contact-handled (CH) TRU wastes, which characteristically have less specific activity (radioactivity per unit volume) than the RH-TRU wastes. The WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA), Public Law 102-579, requires a study of the effect of RH-TRU waste on long-term performance. This RH-TRU Waste Study has been conducted to satisfy the requirements defined by the LWA and is considered by the DOE to be a prudent exercise in the compliance certification process of the WIPP repository. The objectives of this study include: conducting an evaluation of the impacts of RH-TRU wastes on the performance assessment (PA) of the repository to determine the effects of Rh-TRU waste as a part of the total WIPP disposal inventory; and conducting a comparison of CH-TRU and RH-TRU wastes to assess the differences and similarities for such issues as gas generation, flammability and explosiveness, solubility, and brine and geochemical interactions. This study was conducted using the data, models, computer codes, and information generated in support of long-term compliance programs, including the WIPP PA. The study is limited in scope to post-closure repository performance and includes an analysis of the issues associated with RH-TRU wastes subsequent to emplacement of these wastes at WIPP in consideration of the current baseline design. 41 refs

Westinghouse Hanford Company plan for certifying newly generated contact-handled transuranic waste for emplacement in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lipinski, R.M.; Sheehan, J.S.

1992-07-01

Westinghouse Hanford Company (Westinghouse Hanford) currently manages an interim storage site for Westinghouse Hanford and non-Westinghouse Hanford-generated transuranic (TRU) waste and operates TRU waste generating facilities within the Hanford Site in Washington State. Approval has been received from the Waste Acceptance Criteria Certification Committee (WACCC) and Westinghouse Hanford TRU waste generating facilities to certify newly generated contact-handled TRU (CH-TRU) solid waste to meet the Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC). This document describes the plan for certifying newly generated CH-TRU solid waste to meet the WAC requirements for storage at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site. Attached to this document are facility-specific certification plans for the Westinghouse Hanford TRU waste generators that have received WACCC approval. The certification plans describe operations that generate CH-TRU solid waste and the specific procedures by which these wastes will be certified and segregated from uncertified wastes at the generating facilities. All newly generated CH-TRU solid waste is being transferred to the Transuranic Storage and Assay Facility (TRUSAF) and/or a controlled storage facility. These facilities will store the waste until the certified TRU waste can be sent to the WIPP site and the non-certified TRU waste can be sent to the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility. All non-certifiable TRU waste will be segregated and clearly identified

The Revised WIPP Passive Institutional Controls Program - A Conceptual Plan - 13145

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patterson, Russ; Klein, Thomas; Van Luik, Abraham

2013-01-01

The Department of Energy/Carlsbad Field Office (DOE/CBFO) is responsible for managing all activities related to the disposal of TRU and TRU-mixed waste in the geologic repository, 650 m below the land surface, at WIPP, near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The main function of the Passive Institutional Controls (PIC's) program is to inform future generations of the long-lived radioactive wastes buried beneath their feet in the desert. For the first 100 years after cessation of disposal operations, the rooms are closed and the shafts leading underground sealed, WIPP is mandated by law to institute Active Institutional Controls (AIC's) with fences, gates, and armed guards on patrol. At this same time a plan must be in place of how to warn/inform the future, after the AIC's are gone, of the consequences of intrusion into the geologic repository disposal area. A plan was put into place during the 1990's with records management and storage, awareness triggers, permanent marker design concepts and testing schedules. This work included the thoughts of expert panels and individuals. The plan held up under peer review and met the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today the NEA is coordinating a study called the 'Preservation of Records, Knowledge and Memory (RK and M) Across Generations' to provide the international nuclear waste repository community with a guide on how a nuclear record archive programs should be approached and developed. CBFO is cooperating and participating in this project and will take what knowledge is gained and apply that to the WIPP program. At the same time CBFO is well aware that the EPA and others are expecting DOE to move forward with planning for the future WIPP PIC's program; so a plan will be in place in time for WIPP's closure slated for the early 2030's. The DOE/CBFO WIPP PIC's program in place today meets the regulatory criteria, but complete feasibility of implementation is questionable, and may not be in conformance

Waste acceptance criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-04-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC), DOE/WIPP-069, was initially developed by a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Steering Committee to provide performance requirements to ensure public health and safety as well as the safe handling of transuranic (TRU) waste at the WIPP. This revision updates the criteria and requirements of previous revisions and deletes those which were applicable only to the test phase. The criteria and requirements in this document must be met by participating DOE TRU Waste Generator/Storage Sites (Sites) prior to shipping contact-handled (CH) and remote-handled (RH) TRU waste forms to the WIPP. The WIPP Project will comply with applicable federal and state regulations and requirements, including those in Titles 10, 40, and 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The WAC, DOE/WIPP-069, serves as the primary directive for assuring the safe handling, transportation, and disposal of TRU wastes in the WIPP and for the certification of these wastes. The WAC identifies strict requirements that must be met by participating Sites before these TRU wastes may be shipped for disposal in the WIPP facility. These criteria and requirements will be reviewed and revised as appropriate, based on new technical or regulatory requirements. The WAC is a controlled document. Revised/changed pages will be supplied to all holders of controlled copies

WIPP Magnesium Oxide (MgO) - Planned Change Request

Science.gov (United States)

On April 10, 2006, the DOE submitted a planned change request pertaining to the amount of MgO emplaced in the WIPP repository. MgO is an engineered barrier that DOE included as part of the original WIPP Certification Decision.

Hanford Tank Waste to WIPP - Maximizing the Value of our National Repository Asset

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tedeschi, Allan R.; Wheeler, Martin

2013-11-11

Preplanning scope for the Hanford tank transuranic (TRU) waste project was authorized in 2013 by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of River Protection (ORP) after a project standby period of eight years. Significant changes in DOE orders, Hanford contracts, and requirements at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) have occurred during this time period, in addition to newly implemented regulatory permitting, re-evaluated waste management strategies, and new commercial applications. Preplanning has identified the following key approaches for reactivating the project: qualification of tank inventory designations and completion of all environmental regulatory permitting; identifying program options to accelerate retrieval of key leaking tank T-111; planning fully compliant implementation of DOE Order 413.3B, and DOE Standard 1189 for potential on-site treatment; and re-evaluation of commercial retrieval and treatment technologies for better strategic bundling of permanent waste disposal options.

Hanford Tank Waste to WIPP - Maximizing the Value of our National Repository Asset

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tedeschi, Allan R.; Wheeler, Martin

2013-01-01

Preplanning scope for the Hanford tank transuranic (TRU) waste project was authorized in 2013 by the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of River Protection (ORP) after a project standby period of eight years. Significant changes in DOE orders, Hanford contracts, and requirements at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) have occurred during this time period, in addition to newly implemented regulatory permitting, re-evaluated waste management strategies, and new commercial applications. Preplanning has identified the following key approaches for reactivating the project: qualification of tank inventory designations and completion of all environmental regulatory permitting; identifying program options to accelerate retrieval of key leaking tank T-111; planning fully compliant implementation of DOE Order 413.3B, and DOE Standard 1189 for potential on-site treatment; and re-evaluation of commercial retrieval and treatment technologies for better strategic bundling of permanent waste disposal options

The PEACE PIPE: Recycling nuclear weapons into a TRU storage/shipping container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Floyd, D.; Edstrom, C.; Biddle, K.; Orlowski, R.; Geinitz, R.; Keenan, K.; Rivera, M.

1997-01-01

This paper describes results of a contract undertaken by the National Conversion Pilot Project (NCPP) at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) to fabricate stainless steel ''pipe'' containers for use in certification testing at Sandia National Lab, Albuquerque to qualify the container for both storage of transuranic (TRU) waste at RFETS and other DOE sites and shipping of the waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP). The paper includes a description of the nearly ten-fold increase in the amount of contained plutonium enabled by the product design, the preparation and use of former nuclear weapons facilities to fabricate the components, and the rigorous quality assurance and test procedures that were employed. It also describes how stainless steel nuclear weapons components can be converted into these pipe containers, a true ''swords into plowshare'' success story

2002 WIPP Environmental Monitoring Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2002-09-30

DOE Order 5400.1, General Environmental Protection Program, requires each DOE | facility to prepare an environmental management plan (EMP). This document is | prepared for WIPP in accordance with the guidance contained in DOE Order 5400.1; DOE Order 5400.5, Radiation Protection of the Public and Environment; applicable sections of Environmental Regulatory Guide for Radiological Effluent Monitoring and Environmental Surveillance (DOE/EH-0173T; DOE, 1991); and the Title 10 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 834, ''Radiation Protection of the Public and Environment'' (draft). Many sections of DOE Order 5400.1 have been replaced by DOE Order 231.1, which is the driver for the annual Site Environmental Report (SER) and the guidance source for preparing many environmental program documents. The WIPP Project is operated by Westinghouse TRU Solutions (WTS) for the DOE. This plan defines the extent and scope of WIPP's effluent and environmental | monitoring programs during the facility's operational life and also discusses WIPP's quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program as it relates to environmental monitoring. In addition, this plan provides a comprehensive description of environmental activities at WIPP including: A summary of environmental programs, including the status of environmental monitoring activities A description of the WIPP Project and its mission A description of the local environment, including demographics An overview of the methodology used to assess radiological consequences to the public, including brief discussions of potential exposure pathways, routine and accidental releases, and their consequences Responses to the requirements described in the Environmental Regulatory Guide for Radiological Effluent Monitoring and Environmental Surveillance.

Extraction of Tc(VII) and Re(VII) on TRU resin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Guerin, Nicolas; Riopel, Remi; Kramer-Tremblay, Sheila [Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Chalk River, ON (Canada). Radiobiology and Health Branch; De Silva, Nimal; Cornett, Jack [Ottawa Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences; Dai, Xiongxin [China Institute for Radiation Protection, Beijing (China)

2017-06-01

TRU resin can be used to rapidly and selectively extract Tc(VII) and Re(VII). The retention capacity curves of Tc(VII) and Re(VII) for HNO{sub 3}, HCl, H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} and H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} solutions were studied and prepared. Tc(VII) and Re(VII) were simultaneously extracted in 2 M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} and 1.5 M H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} and were effectively separated from Mo(VI) and Ru(III). Tc(VII) and Re(VII) remained strongly bonded to the resin even after washing using a large volume of 2 M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} at a relatively high flow rate. Also, they were both completely eluted from the resin using 15 mL of near boiling water, an eluent directly compatible for ICP-MS instrument measurements.

Technical evaluation of WIPP by the New Mexico environmental evaluation group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neill, R.

1988-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a repository under construction in southeastern New Mexico for the disposal of 14.1 million curies of defense transuranic (TRU) waste. The US Department of Energy (DOE) plans to start storing waste in the underground facility in October 1988 for a 5-yr research and demonstration period. Since the State of New Mexico had a number of concerns in 1978 regarding the impact on health and safety of the proposed WIPP facility for disposal of radioactive waste, the DOE agreed to fund an independent technical review and evaluation of the planned repository, resulting in the creation of the Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG). This full-time multidisciplinary group has published 39 major reports to date, testified before the New Mexico Legislature and the US Congress, and has disseminated the results of analyses to DOE, the governor, the legislature, the Congress, the scientific community, and the general public. While the disposal of radioactive defense mill tailings and defense high-level wastes are both subject to US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing, Congress specifically chose not to have defense TRU waste disposal licensed by the NRC. This has placed a heavy burden on EEG as the only full-time technical review agency on WIPP, but without regulatory authority

WIPP's Hazardous Waste Facility Permit Renewal Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Most, W.A.; Kehrman, R.F.

2009-01-01

Hazardous waste permits issued by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) have a maximum term of 10-years from the permit's effective date. The permit condition in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's (WIPP) Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (HWFP) governing renewal applications, directs the Permittees to submit a permit application 180 days prior to expiration of the Permit. On October 27, 1999, the Secretary of the NMED issued to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), the owner and operator of WIPP, and to Washington TRU Solutions LLC (WTS), the Management and Operating Contractor and the cooperator of WIPP, a HWFP to manage, store, and dispose hazardous waste at WIPP. The DOE and WTS are collectively known as the Permittees. The HWFP is effective for a fixed term not to exceed ten years from the effective date of the Permit. The Permittees may renew the HWFP by submitting a new permit application at least 180 calendar days before the expiration date, of the HWFP. The Permittees are not proposing any substantial changes in the Renewal Application. First, the Permittees are seeking the authority to dispose of Contact-Handled and Remote-Handled TRU mixed waste in Panel 8. Panels 4 through 7 have been approved in the WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit as it currently exists. No other change to the facility or to the manner in which hazardous waste is characterized, managed, stored, or disposed is being requested. Second, the Permittees also seek to include the Mine Ventilation Rate Monitoring Plan, as Attachment Q in the HWFP. This Plan has existed as a separate document since May 2000. The NMED has requested that the Plan be submitted as part of the Renewal Application. The Permittees have been operating to the Mine Ventilation Rate Monitoring Plan since the Plan was submitted. Third, some information submitted in the original WIPP RCRA Part B Application has been updated, such as demographic information. The Permittees will submit this information in the

Environmental management assessment of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), Carlsbad, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-07-01

This document contains the results of the Environmental Management Assessment of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This Assessment was conducted by EH-24 from July 19 through July 30, 1993 to advise the Secretary of Energy of the adequacy of management systems established at WIPP to ensure the protection of the environment and compliance with Federal, state, and DOE environmental requirements. The mission of WIPP is to demonstrate the safe disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. During this assessment, activities and records were reviewed and interviews were conducted with personnel from the management and operating contractors. This assessment revealed that WIPP's environmental safety and health programs are satisfactory, and that all levels of the Waste Isolation Division (WID) management and staff consistently exhibit a high level of commitment to achieve environmental excellence

WIPP - Pre-Licensing and Operations: Developer and Regulator Perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peake, Tom; Patterson, R.

2014-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a disposal system for defense-related transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste. Developed by the Department of Energy (DOE), WIPP is located in Southeastern New Mexico: radioactive waste is disposed of 2,150 feet underground in an ancient layer of salt with a total capacity of 6.2 million cubic feet of waste. Congress authorized the development and construction of WIPP in 1980 for the express purpose of providing a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive wastes resulting from the defense activities and programs of the United States. This paper makes a historical review of the site development, site operations (waste disposal operations started in 1999), communications between US EPA and DOE, the chronology of pre-licensing and pre-operations, the operational phase and the regulatory challenges, and the lessons learned after 12 years of operations

Stored Transuranic Waste Management Program at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clements, T.L.

1996-01-01

Since 1970, INEL has provided interim storage capacity for transuranic (TRU)-contaminated wastes generated by activities supporting US national defense needs. About 60% of the nation's current inventory of TRU-contaminated waste is stored at INEL, awaiting opening of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the designated federal repository. A number of activities are currently underway for enhancing current management capabilities, conducting projects that support local and national TRU management activities, and preparing for production-level waste retrieval, characterization, examination, certification, and shipment of untreated TRU waste to WIPP in April 1998. Implementation of treatment capability is planned in 2003 to achieve disposal of all stored TRU-contaminated waste by a target date of December 31, 2015, but no later than December 31, 2018

Review of a site developer's geo-scientific data and site-characterisation information to support repository certification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peake, R.T.; Byrum, C.; Ghose, S.

2007-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico is a first-of-a-kind deep geologic facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste from weapons production in the United States. In 1993, Congress authorised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement WIPP-site-specific compliance criteria based on the general safety and environmental standards in EPA's high-level and transuranic radioactive waste regulations [1]. EPA published its site-specific regulations [2] in 1996 and certified WIPP to open in 1998. This regulatory framework set the stage for balancing diverse input data, provided a structure for document development, provided a mechanism for interaction between EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE), and provided a guide to support our review of WIPP's safety assessment. EPA's involvement continues during WIPP's operational phase. Confidence in repository site geo-scientific data enhances the regulator's ability to make a credible and defensible certification (licensing) decision and to communicate the basis for the decision to the public. Lack of confidence in the data can lead to lack of credibility about site suitability. Clear regulations and specific quality standards can enhance the quality of site-characterisation documentation and assist the regulator in its approval process of the site. In EPA's regulations, documentation is required on numerous issues, and EPA supplemented this with guidance. High-quality documentation is essential, especially for EPA. In the certification process for WIPP, the documentation in the record and our written interpretation of the record was what was used in legal proceedings that followed EPA's certification of WIPP. EPA and DOE had frequent and generally open communication. During formal regulatory proceedings, all communication had to be documented. Some decisions were made at the staff level, but major decisions were typically addressed and resolved through correspondence

Transporting transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Risk and cost perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biwer, B. M.; Gilette, J. L.; Poch, L. A.; Suermann, J. F.

1999-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is an authorized US Department of Energy (DOE) research and development facility constructed near the city of Carlsbad in southeastern New Mexico. The facility is intended to demonstrate the safe disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste resulting from US defense activities. Under the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act of 1992 (LWA), federal lands surrounding the WIPP facility were withdrawn from all public use and the title of those lands was transferred to the Secretary of Energy. The DOE's TRU waste is stored, and in some cases is still being generated, at 10 large-quantity and 13 small-quantity sites across the US. After applicable certification requirements have been met, the TRU waste at these sites will be sent to the WIPP to initiate the disposal phase of the facility, which according to current planning is projected to last for approximately 35 years

HANFORD SITE RIVER PROTECTION PROJECT (RPP) TRANSURANIC (TRU) TANK WASTE IDENTIFICATION and PLANNING FOR REVRIEVAL TREATMENT and EVENTUAL DISPOSAL AT WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KRISTOFZSKI, J.G.; TEDESCHI, R.; JOHNSON, M.E.; JENNINGS, M

2006-01-01

The CH2M HILL Manford Group, Inc. (CHG) conducts business to achieve the goals of the Office of River Protection (ORP) at Hanford. As an employee owned company, CHG employees have a strong motivation to develop innovative solutions to enhance project and company performance while ensuring protection of human health and the environment. CHG is responsible to manage and perform work required to safely store, enhance readiness for waste feed delivery, and prepare for treated waste receipts for the approximately 53 million gallons of legacy mixed radioactive waste currently at the Hanford Site tank farms. Safety and environmental awareness is integrated into all activities and work is accomplished in a manner that achieves high levels of quality while protecting the environment and the safety and health of workers and the public. This paper focuses on the innovative strategy to identify, retrieve, treat, and dispose of Hanford Transuranic (TRU) tank waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

IMPLEMENTING HEAT SEALED BAG RELIEF and HYDROGEN and METANE TESTING TO REDUCE THE NEED TO REPACK HANFORD TRANSURANIC (TRU) WASTE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MCDONALD, K.M.

2005-01-01

The Department of Energy's site at Hanford has a significant quantity of drums containing heat-sealed bags that required repackaging under previous revisions of the TRUPACT-II Authorized Methods for Payload Control (TRAMPAC) before being shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Since glovebox repackaging is the most rate-limiting and resource-intensive step for accelerating Hanford waste certification, a cooperative effort between Hanford's TRU Program and the WIPP site significantly reduced the number of drums requiring repackaging. More specifically, recent changes to the TRAMPAC (Revision 19C), allow relief for heat-sealed bags having more than 390 square inches of surface area. This relief is based on data provided by Hanford on typical Hanford heat-sealed bags, but can be applied to other sites generating transuranic waste that have waste packaged in heat-sealed bags. The paper provides data on the number of drums affected, the attendant cost savings, and the time saved. Hanford also has a significant quantity of high-gram drums with multiple layers of confinement including heat-scaled bags. These higher-gram drums are unlikely to meet the decay-heat limits required for analytical category certification under the TRAMPAC. The combination of high-gram drums and accelerated reprocessing/shipping make it even more difficult to meet the decay-heat limits because of necessary aging requirements associated with matrix depletion. Hydrogen/methane sampling of headspace gases can be used to certify waste that does not meet decay-heat limits of the more restrictive analytical category using the test category. The number of drums that can be qualified using the test category is maximized by assuring that the detection limit for hydrogen and methane is as low as possible. Sites desiring to ship higher-gram drums must understand the advantages of using hydrogen/methane sampling and shipping under the test category. Headspace gas sampling, as specified by the WIPP

9+ years of disposal experience at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rempe, Norbert T.; Nelson, Roger A.

2008-01-01

With almost a decade of operating experience, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has established an enviable record by clearly demonstrating that a deep geologic repository for unconditioned radioactive waste in rock salt can be operated safely and in compliance with very complex regulations. WIPP has disposed of contact-handled transuranic (TRU) waste since 1999 and remote-handled TRU waste since 2007. Emplacement methods range from directly stacking unshielded 0.21-4.5 m 3 containers inside disposal rooms to remotely inserting highly radioactive 0.89 m 3 canisters into horizontally drilled holes (shield plugs placed in front of canisters protect workers inside active disposal rooms). More than 100 000 waste containers have been emplaced, and one-third of WIPP's authorized repository capacity of 175,000 m 3 has already been consumed. Principal surface operations are conducted in the waste handling building, which is divided into CH and RH waste handling areas. Four vertical shafts extend from the surface to the disposal horizon, 655 m below the surface in a 1000 m thick sequence of Permian bedded salt. The waste disposal area of about 0.5 km 2 is divided into ten panels, each consisting of seven rooms. Vertical closure (creep) rates in disposal rooms range up to 10 cm per year. While one panel is being filled with waste, the next one is being mined. Mined salt is raised to the surface in the salt shaft, and waste is lowered down the waste shaft. Both of these shafts also serve as principal access for personnel and materials. Underground ventilation is divided into separate flow paths, allowing simultaneous mining and disposal. A filter building near the exhaust shaft provides the capability to filter the exhaust air (in reduced ventilation mode) through HEPA filters before release to the atmosphere. WIPP operations have not exposed employees or the public to radiation doses beyond natural background variability. They consistently meet or exceed regulatory

WIPP Compliance Certification Application calculations parameters. Part 1: Parameter development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howarth, S.M.

1997-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeast New Mexico has been studied as a transuranic waste repository for the past 23 years. During this time, an extensive site characterization, design, construction, and experimental program was completed, which provided in-depth understanding of the dominant processes that are most likely to influence the containment of radionuclides for 10,000 years. Nearly 1,500 parameters were developed using information gathered from this program; the parameters were input to numerical models for WIPP Compliance Certification Application (CCA) Performance Assessment (PA) calculations. The CCA probabilistic codes frequently require input values that define a statistical distribution for each parameter. Developing parameter distributions begins with the assignment of an appropriate distribution type, which is dependent on the type, magnitude, and volume of data or information available. The development of the parameter distribution values may require interpretation or statistical analysis of raw data, combining raw data with literature values, scaling of lab or field data to fit code grid mesh sizes, or other transformation. Parameter development and documentation of the development process were very complicated, especially for those parameters based on empirical data; they required the integration of information from Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) code sponsors, parameter task leaders (PTLs), performance assessment analysts (PAAs), and experimental principal investigators (PIs). This paper, Part 1 of two parts, contains a discussion of the parameter development process, roles and responsibilities, and lessons learned. Part 2 will discuss parameter documentation, traceability and retrievability, and lessons learned from related audits and reviews

WIPP: Lessons learned for state/DOE consultation and cooperation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neill, R.H.

1986-01-01

WIPP is intended to be a repository for permanent disposal of 6,200,000 cu ft of transuranic waste generated from the nation's defense programs. The waste is not fixed, up to 1% can be respirable and it is stored in conventional 17-C Type A Carbon steel drums with a design life of 20 years. (Storage began in 1970). The waste form is not fused in an insoluble glass matrix and there is no commitment by DOE for getters. The question arises of the need and desirability to perform experiments with high level wastes at WIPP. The original purpose in the Oct 1980 WIPP FIES stated ''...the experiments are not so much concerned with the WIPP itself, as they are with planning future high level waste repositories. They are to answer technical questions about the disposal of high level waste in bedded salt and to provide a valid demonstration of the concepts involved.'' The purpose of this paper is to provide information for RH TRU disposal and to generate scientific knowledge that may be helpful to others and not to demonstrate high level waste disposal

Complications Associated with Long-Term Disposition of Newly-Generated Transuranic Waste: A National Laboratory Perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orchard, B.J.; Harvego, L.A.; Carlson, T.L.; Grant, R.P.

2009-01-01

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is a multipurpose national laboratory delivering specialized science and engineering solutions for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Sponsorship of INL was formally transferred to the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE) by Secretary Spencer Abraham in July 2002. The move to NE, and designation as the DOE lead nuclear energy laboratory for reactor technology, supports the nation's expanding nuclear energy initiatives, placing INL at the center of work to develop advanced Generation IV nuclear energy systems; nuclear energy/hydrogen coproduction technology; advanced nuclear energy fuel cycle technologies; and providing national security answers to national infrastructure needs. As a result of the Laboratory's NE mission, INL generates both contact-handled and remote-handled transuranic (TRU) waste from ongoing operations. Generation rates are relatively small and fluctuate based on specific programs and project activities being conducted; however, the Laboratory will continue to generate TRU waste well into the future in association with the NE mission. Currently, plans and capabilities are being established to transfer INL's contact-handled TRU waste to the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Plant (AMWTP) for certification and disposal to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Remote-handled TRU waste is currently placed in storage at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC). In an effort to minimize future liabilities associated with the INL NE mission, INL is evaluating and assessing options for the management and disposition of all its TRU waste on a real-time basis at time of generation. This paper summarizes near-term activities to minimize future re handling of INL's TRU waste, as well as, potential complications associated with the long-term disposition of newly-generated TRU waste. Potential complications impacting the disposition of INL newly-generated TRU waste include, but are not limited to: (1

An HVAC [heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning] fault-tree analysis for WIPP [Waste Isolation Pilot Plant] integrated risk assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirby, P.N.; Iacovino, J.M.

1990-01-01

In order to evaluate the public health risk of potential radioactive releases from operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a probabilistic risk assessment of waste-handling operations was conducted. One major aspect of this risk assessment involved fault-tree analysis of the plant heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems, which constitute the final barrier between waste-handling operations and the environment. The WIPP site is designed to receive and store two types of waste: contact-handled transuranic (CH TRU) wastes to be shipped in 208-ell drums and remote-handled (RH) TRU wastes to be shipped in shielded casks. The identification of accident sequences for CH waste operations revealed no identified accidents that could release significant radioactive particulates to the environment without a failure in the HVAC systems. When the HVAC fault-tree results were combined with other critical system fault trees and the analysis of waste-handling accident sequences, the approximation of the overall WIPP plant risk due to airborne releases was determined to be 2.6 x 10 -7 fatalities per year for the population within a 50-mile radius of the WIPP site. This risk was demonstrated to be well below the risk of fatality from other voluntary and involuntary activities for the population within the vicinity of the WIPP

Savannah River Site Operating Experience with Transuranic (TRU) Waste Retrieval

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stone, K.A.; Milner, T.N.

2006-01-01

Drums of TRU Waste have been stored at the Savannah River Site (SRS) on concrete pads from the 1970's through the 1980's. These drums were subsequently covered with tarpaulins and then mounded over with dirt. Between 1996 and 2000 SRS ran a successful retrieval campaign and removed some 8,800 drums, which were then available for venting and characterization for WIPP disposal. Additionally, a number of TRU Waste drums, which were higher in activity, were stored in concrete culverts, as required by the Safety Analysis for the Facility. Retrieval of drums from these culverts has been ongoing since 2002. This paper will describe the operating experience and lessons learned from the SRS retrieval activities. (authors)

Successes and Experiences of the WIPP Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chu, Margaret S.Y.; Weart, Wendell D.

2000-01-01

In May 1998, the US Environmental Agency (EPA) certified the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as being in compliance with all of the applicable regulations governing the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel, high-level waste, and transuranic radioactive waste. The WIPP, a transuranic waste repository, is the first deep geologic repository in the US to have successfully demonstrated regulatory compliance with long-term radioactive waste disposal regulations and be certified to receive wastes. Many lessons were learned throughout the 25-year history of the WIPP--from site selection to the ultimate successful certification. The experiences and lessons learned from the WIPP may be of general interest to other repository programs in the world. The lessons learned include all facets of a repository program: programmatic, managerial, regulatory, technical, and social. This paper addresses critical issues that arose during the 25 years of WIPP history and how they influenced the program

RH-TRU Waste Content Codes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions

2007-07-01

limits based on a 10-day shipping period (rather than the standard 60-day shipping period) may be used as specified in an approved content code. Requests for new or revised content codes may be submitted to the WIPP RH-TRU Payload Engineer for review and approval, provided all RH-TRAMPAC requirements are met.

Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The purpose of this document is to summarize the waste acceptance criteria applicable to the transportation, storage, and disposal of contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These criteria serve as the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) primary directive for ensuring that CH-TRU waste is managed and disposed of in a manner that protects human health and safety and the environment.The authorization basis of WIPP for the disposal of CH-TRU waste includes the U.S.Department of Energy National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear EnergyAuthorization Act of 1980 (reference 1) and the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA;reference 2). Included in this document are the requirements and associated criteriaimposed by these acts and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA,reference 3), as amended, on the CH-TRU waste destined for disposal at WIPP.|The DOE TRU waste sites must certify CH-TRU waste payload containers to thecontact-handled waste acceptance criteria (CH-WAC) identified in this document. Asshown in figure 1.0, the flow-down of applicable requirements to the CH-WAC istraceable to several higher-tier documents, including the WIPP operational safetyrequirements derived from the WIPP CH Documented Safety Analysis (CH-DSA;reference 4), the transportation requirements for CH-TRU wastes derived from theTransuranic Package Transporter-Model II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT Certificates ofCompliance (references 5 and 5a), the WIPP LWA (reference 2), the WIPP HazardousWaste Facility Permit (reference 6), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) Compliance Certification Decision and approval for PCB disposal (references 7,34, 35, 36, and 37). The solid arrows shown in figure 1.0 represent the flow-down of allapplicable payload container-based requirements. The two dotted arrows shown infigure 1.0 represent the flow-down of summary level requirements only; i.e., the sitesmust reference the regulatory source

Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-12-29

The purpose of this document is to summarize the waste acceptance criteria applicable to the transportation, storage, and disposal of contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These criteria serve as the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) primary directive for ensuring that CH-TRU waste is managed and disposed of in a manner that protects human health and safety and the environment.The authorization basis of WIPP for the disposal of CH-TRU waste includes the U.S.Department of Energy National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear EnergyAuthorization Act of 1980 (reference 1) and the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA;reference 2). Included in this document are the requirements and associated criteriaimposed by these acts and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA,reference 3), as amended, on the CH-TRU waste destined for disposal at WIPP.|The DOE TRU waste sites must certify CH-TRU waste payload containers to thecontact-handled waste acceptance criteria (CH-WAC) identified in this document. Asshown in figure 1.0, the flow-down of applicable requirements to the CH-WAC istraceable to several higher-tier documents, including the WIPP operational safetyrequirements derived from the WIPP CH Documented Safety Analysis (CH-DSA;reference 4), the transportation requirements for CH-TRU wastes derived from theTransuranic Package Transporter-Model II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT Certificates ofCompliance (references 5 and 5a), the WIPP LWA (reference 2), the WIPP HazardousWaste Facility Permit (reference 6), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) Compliance Certification Decision and approval for PCB disposal (references 7,34, 35, 36, and 37). The solid arrows shown in figure 1.0 represent the flow-down of allapplicable payload container-based requirements. The two dotted arrows shown infigure 1.0 represent the flow-down of summary level requirements only; i.e., the sitesmust reference the regulatory source

The Advancement of Public Awareness, Concerning TRU Waste Characterization, Using a Virtual Document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, T. B.; Burns, T. P.; Estill, W. G.; Riggs, M. J.; Taggart, D. P.; Punjak, W. A.

2002-01-01

Building public trust and confidence through openness is a goal of the DOE Carlsbad Field Office for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The objective of the virtual document described in this paper is to give the public an overview of the waste characterization steps, an understanding of how waste characterization instrumentation works, and the type and amount of data generated from a batch of drums. The document is intended to be published on a web page and/or distributed at public meetings on CDs. Users may gain as much information as they desire regarding the transuranic (TRU) waste characterization program, starting at the highest level requirements (drivers) and progressing to more and more detail regarding how the requirements are met. Included are links to: drivers (which include laws, permits and DOE Orders); various characterization steps required for transportation and disposal under WIPP's Hazardous Waste Facility Permit; physical/chemical basis for each characterization method; types of data produced; and quality assurance process that accompanies each measurement. Examples of each type of characterization method in use across the DOE complex are included. The original skeleton of the document was constructed in a PowerPoint presentation and included descriptions of each section of the waste characterization program. This original document had a brief overview of Acceptable Knowledge, Non-Destructive Examination, Non-Destructive Assay, Small Quantity sites, and the National Certification Team. A student intern was assigned the project of converting the document to a virtual format and to discuss each subject in depth. The resulting product is a fully functional virtual document that works in a web browser and functions like a web page. All documents that were referenced, linked to, or associated, are included on the virtual document's CD. WIPP has been engaged in a variety of Hazardous Waste Facility Permit modification activities. During the

Waste Disposition Issues and Resolutions at the TRU Waste Processing Center at Oak Ridge TN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gentry, R.

2009-01-01

This paper prepared for the Waste Management Conference 2009 provides lessons learned from the Transuranic (TRU) Waste Processing Center (TWPC) associated with development of approaches used to certify and ensure disposition of problematic TRU wastes at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site. The TWPC is currently processing the inventory of available waste TRU waste at the Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL). During the processing effort several waste characteristics were identified/discovered that did not conform to the normal standards and processes for disposal at WIPP. Therefore, the TWPC and ORNL were challenged with determining a path forward for this problematic, special case TRU wastes to ensure that they can be processed, packaged, and shipped to WIPP. Additionally, unexpected specific waste characteristics have challenged the project to identify and develop processing methods to handle problematic waste. The TWPC has several issues that have challenged the projects ability to process RH Waste. High Neutron Dose Rate resulting from both Californium and Curium in the waste stream challenge the RH-TRU 72-B limit for dose rate measured from the side of the package under normal conditions of transport, as specified in Chapter 5.0 of the RH-TRU 72-B SAR (i.e., ≤10 mrem/hour at 2 meters). Difficult to process waste in the hot cell has introduced processing and handling difficulties included problems associated with the disposition of prohibited items that fall out of the waste stream such as liquids, aerosol cans, etc. Lastly, multiple waste streams require characterization and AK challenge the ability to generate dose-to curie models for the waste. Repackaging is one solution to the high neutron dose rate issue. In parallel, an effort is underway to request a change to the TRAMPAC requirements to allow shielding in the drum or canister to reduce the impact of the high neutron dose rates. Due diligence on supporting AK efforts is important in ensuring adequate

Performance Demonstration Program Plan for Nondestructive Assay of Drummed Wastes for the TRU Waste Characterization Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

Each testing and analytical facility performing waste characterization activities for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) participates in the Performance Demonstration Program (PDP) to comply with the Transuranic Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WAC) (DOE/WIPP-02-3122) and the Quality Assurance Program Document (QAPD) (CBFO-94-1012). The PDP serves as a quality control check for data generated in the characterization of waste destined for WIPP. Single blind audit samples are prepared and distributed to each of the facilities participating in the PDP. The PDP evaluates analyses of simulated headspace gases, constituents of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and transuranic (TRU) radionuclides using nondestructive assay (NDA) techniques.

In-Situ Testing and Performance Assessment of a Redesigned WIPP Panel Closure - 13192

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klein, Thomas [URS-Professional Solutions, 4021 National Parks Highway Carlsbad, NM 88220 (United States); Patterson, Russell [Department of Energy-Carlsbad Field Office, 4021 National Parks Highway Carlsbad, NM 88220 (United States); Camphouse, Chris; Herrick, Courtney; Kirchner, Thomas; Malama, Bwalya; Zeitler, Todd [Sandia National Laboratories-Carlsbad, 4100 National Parks Highway Carlsbad, NM 88220 (United States); Kicker, Dwayne [SM Stoller Corporation-Carlsbad, 4100 National Parks Highway Carlsbad, NM (United States)

2013-07-01

There are two primary regulatory requirements for Panel Closures at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the nation's only deep geologic repository for defense related Transuranic (TRU) and Mixed TRU waste. The Federal requirement is through 40 CFR 191 and 194, promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The state requirement is regulated through the authority of the Secretary of the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) under the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act (HWA), New Mexico Statutes Annotated (NMSA) 1978, chap. 74-4-1 through 74-4-14, in accordance with the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (HWMR), 20.4.1 New Mexico Annotated Code (NMAC). The state regulations are implemented for the operational period of waste emplacement plus 30 years whereas the federal requirements are implemented from the operational period through 10,000 years. The 10,000 year federal requirement is related to the adequate representation of the panel closures in determining long-term performance of the repository. In Condition 1 of the Final Certification Rulemaking for 40 CFR Part 194, the EPA required a specific design for the panel closure system. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) has requested, through the Planned Change Request (PCR) process, that the EPA modify Condition 1 via its rulemaking process. The DOE has also requested, through the Permit Modification Request (PMR) process, that the NMED modify the approved panel closure system specified in Permit Attachment G1. The WIPP facility is carved out of a bedded salt formation 655 meters below the surface of southeast New Mexico. Condition 1 of the Final Certification Rulemaking specifies that the waste panels be closed using Option D which is a combination of a Salado mass concrete (SMC) monolith and an isolation/explosion block wall. The Option D design was also accepted as the panel closure of choice by the NMED. After twelve years of waste handling

Summary of research and development activities in support of waste acceptance criteria for WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunter, T.O.

1979-11-01

The development of waste acceptance criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is summarized. Specifications for acceptable waste forms are included. Nine program areas are discussed. They are: TRU characterization, HLW interactions, thermal/structural interactions, nuclide migration, permeability, brine migration, borehole plugging, operation/design support, and instrumentation development. Recommendations are included

The effect of vibration on alpha radiolysis of transuranic (TRU) waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zerwekh, A.; Kosiewicz, S.; Warren, J.

1993-01-01

This paper reports on previously unpublished scoping work related to the potential for vibration to redistribute radionuclides on transuranic (TRU) waste. If this were to happen, the amount of gases generated, including hydrogen, could be increased above the undisturbed levels. This could be an important consideration for transport of TRU wastes either at DOE sites or from them to a future repository, e.g., the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These preliminary data on drums of real waste seem to suggest that radionuclide redistribution does not occur. However improvements in the experimental methodology are suggested to enhance safety of future experiments on real wastes as well as to provide more rigorous data

The legal, regulatory and safety basis for opening WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dials, G.E.

1997-01-01

Current laws in the United States of America direct the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to site, design, operate, and decommission a deep geological repository for safe disposal of transuranic radioactive waste (TRUW) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site. In 1993, the DOE established the Carlsbad Area Office (CAO) to integrate the nation's management of TRUW and to open the WIPP site for safe disposal of TRUW in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. The CAO submitted the final Compliance Certification Application (CCA) in 1996, and is on schedule to open WIPP in November 1997, about three years earlier than scheduled before the establishment of the CAO. The performance assessment (PA) embodied in the CCA demonstrates that WIPP meets the EPA's regulatory requirements for radioactive releases for the 10,000 year regulatory period in both the undisturbed and disturbed (human intrusion) scenarios. Detailed planning, compliance-based research and development (R and D), teamwork among project participants and early and open iterative interactions with the regulators, oversight groups and other interested parties in the certification/permitting process are key components of the progress in the safe disposal of long-lived radioactive wastes. (author)

An evaluation of the proposed tests with radioactive waste at WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaturvedi, L.; Silva, M.

1992-01-01

This paper discusses the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) a planned repository for permanent disposal of transuranic (TRU) radiative waste that has resulted from the defense activities of the U.S. Government over the past 50 years. Only the waste that is currently stored in an easily retrievable mode at ten U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories around the country will be shipped to WIPP. The waste consists of various kinds of trash including paper, rubber, rags and metal that is contaminated with radionuclides with very long half-lives. The decision to dispose of the waste permanently will be made based on projections of the behavior of the waste and the repository of 10,000 years or more. DOE has proposed shipping a limited amount of waste to WIPP for a five year Test Phase to demonstrating compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Standard for long-term isolation

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Part B Permit Application [for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)]. Chapter E, Appendix E1, Chapter L, Appendix L1: Volume 12, Revision 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Project was authorized by the US Department of Energy 5 (DOE) National Security and Military Applications of the Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-164). Its legislative mandate is to provide a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive waste resulting from national defense programs and activities. To fulfill this mandate, the WIPP facility has been designed to perform scientific investigations of the behavior of bedded salt as a repository medium and the interactions between the soft and radioactive wastes. In 1991, DOE proposed to initiate a experimental Test Phase designed to demonstrate the performance of the repository. The Test Phase activities involve experiments using transuranic (TRU) waste typical of the waste planned for future disposal at the WIPP facility. Much of this TRU waste is co-contaminated with chemical constituents which are defined as hazardous under HWMR-7, Pt. II, sec. 261. This waste is TRU mixed waste and is the subject of this application. Because geologic repositories, such as the WIPP facility, are defined under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) as land disposal facilities, the groundwater monitoring requirements of HWMR-7, PLV, Subpart X, must be addressed. HWMR-7, Pt. V, Subpart X, must be addressed. This appendix demonstrates that groundwater monitoring is not needed in order to demonstrate compliance with the performance standards; therefore, HWMR-7, Pt.V, Subpart F, will not apply to the WIPP facility.

Analysis of long-term impacts of TRU waste remaining at generator/storage sites for No Action Alternative 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buck, J.W.; Bagaasen, L.M.; Bergeron, M.P.; Streile, G.P.

1997-09-01

This report is a supplement to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Disposal-Phase Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS-II). Described herein are the underlying information, data, and assumptions used to estimate the long-term human-health impacts from exposure to radionuclides and hazardous chemicals in transuranic (TRU) waste remaining at major generator/storage sites after loss of institutional control under No Action Alternative 2. Under No Action Alternative 2, TRU wastes would not be emplaced at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) but would remain at generator/storage sites in surface or near-surface storage. Waste generated at smaller sites would be consolidated at the major generator/storage sites. Current TRU waste management practices would continue, but newly generated waste would be treated to meet the WIPP waste acceptance criteria. For this alternative, institutional control was assumed to be lost 100 years after the end of the waste generation period, with exposure to radionuclides and hazardous chemicals in the TRU waste possible from direct intrusion and release to the surrounding environment. The potential human-health impacts from exposure to radionuclides and hazardous chemicals in TRU waste were analyzed for two different types of scenarios. Both analyses estimated site-specific, human-health impacts at seven major generator/storage sites: the Hanford Site (Hanford), Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), and Savannah River Site (SRS). The analysis focused on these seven sites because 99 % of the estimated TRU waste volume and inventory would remain there under the assumptions of No Action Alternative 2

TRU Waste Sampling Program: Volume I. Waste characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clements, T.L. Jr.; Kudera, D.E.

1985-09-01

Volume I of the TRU Waste Sampling Program report presents the waste characterization information obtained from sampling and characterizing various aged transuranic waste retrieved from storage at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The data contained in this report include the results of gas sampling and gas generation, radiographic examinations, waste visual examination results, and waste compliance with the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-Waste Acceptance Criteria (WIPP-WAC). A separate report, Volume II, contains data from the gas generation studies

Los Alamos controlled air incinerator upgrade for TRU/mixed waste operations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vavruska, J.S.; Borduin, L.C.; Hutchins, D.A.; Warner, C.L.; Thompson, T.K.

1989-01-01

The Los Alamos Controlled Air Incinerator (CAI) is undergoing a major process upgrade to accept Laboratory-generated transuranic (TRU) and TRU mixed wastes on a production basis. In the interim,prior to the scheduled 1992 operation of a new on-site LLW/mixed waste incinerator, the CAI will also be accepting solid and liquid low-level mixed wastes. This paper describes major modifications that have been made to the process to enhance safety and ensure reliability for long-term, routine waste incineration operations. The regulatory requirements leading to operational status of the system are also briefly described. The CAI was developed in the mid-1970s as a demonstration system for volume reduction of TRU combustible solid wastes. It continues as a successful R and D system well into the 1980s during which incineration tests on a wide variety of radioactive and chemical waste forms were performed. In 1985, a DOE directive required Los Alamos to reduce the volume of its TRU waste prior to ultimate placement in the geological repository at the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP). With only minor modifications to the original process flowsheet, the Los Alamos CAI was judged capable of conversion to a TRU waste operations mode. 9 refs., 1 fig

TRU waste-sampling program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, J.L.; Zerwekh, A.

1985-08-01

As part of a TRU waste-sampling program, Los Alamos National Laboratory retrieved and examined 44 drums of 238 Pu- and 239 Pu-contaminated waste. The drums ranged in age from 8 months to 9 years. The majority of drums were tested for pressure, and gas samples withdrawn from the drums were analyzed by a mass spectrometer. Real-time radiography and visual examination were used to determine both void volumes and waste content. Drum walls were measured for deterioration, and selected drum contents were reassayed for comparison with original assays and WIPP criteria. Each drum tested at atmospheric pressure. Mass spectrometry revealed no problem with 239 Pu-contaminated waste, but three 8-month-old drums of 238 Pu-contaminated waste contained a potentially hazardous gas mixture. Void volumes fell within the 81 to 97% range. Measurements of drum walls showed no significant corrosion or deterioration. All reassayed contents were within WIPP waste acceptance criteria. Five of the drums opened and examined (15%) could not be certified as packaged. Three contained free liquids, one had corrosive materials, and one had too much unstabilized particulate. Eleven drums had the wrong (or not the most appropriate) waste code. In many cases, disposal volumes had been inefficiently used. 2 refs., 23 figs., 7 tabs

Test Plan Addendum No. 1: Waste Isolation Pilot Plant bin-scale CH TRU waste tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molecke, M.A.; Lappin, A.R.

1990-12-01

This document is the first major revision to the Test Plan: WIPP Bin-Scale CH TRU Waste Tests. Factors that make this revision necessary are described and justified in Section 1, and elaborated upon in Section 4. This addendum contains recommended estimates of, and details for: (1) The total separation of waste leaching/solubility tests from bin-scale gas tests, including preliminary details and quantities of leaching tests required for testing of Levels 1, 2, and 3 WIPP CH TRU wastes; (2) An initial description and quantification of bin-scale gas test Phase 0, added to provide a crucial tie to pretest waste characterization representatives and overall test statistical validation; (3) A revision to the number of test bins required for Phases 1 and 2 of the bin gas test program, and specification of the numbers of additional bin tests required for incorporating gas testing of Level 2 wastes into test Phase 3. Contingencies are stated for the total number of test bins required, both positive and negative, including the supporting assumptions, logic, and decision points. (4) Several other general test detail updates occurring since the Test Plan was approved and published in January, 1990. Possible impacts of recommended revisions included in this Addendum on WIPP site operations are called out and described. 56 refs., 12 tabs

Actinide Solubility and Speciation in the WIPP [PowerPoint

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reed, Donald T.

2015-01-01

The presentation begins with the role and need for nuclear repositories (overall concept, international updates (Sweden, Finland, France, China), US approach and current status), then moves on to the WIPP TRU repository concept (design, current status--safety incidents of February 5 and 14, 2014, path forward), and finally considers the WIPP safety case: dissolved actinide concentrations (overall approach, oxidation state distribution and redox control, solubility of actinides, colloidal contribution and microbial effects). The following conclusions are set forth: (1) International programs are moving forward, but at a very slow and somewhat sporadic pace. (2) In the United States, the Salt repository concept, from the perspective of the long-term safety case, remains a viable option for nuclear waste management despite the current operational issues/concerns. (3) Current model/PA prediction (WIPP example) are built on redundant conservatisms. These conservatisms are being addressed in the ongoing and future research to fill existing data gaps--redox control of plutonium by Fe(0, II), thorium (analog) solubility studies in simulated brine, contribution of intrinsic and biocolloids to the mobile concentration, and clarification of microbial ecology and effects.

Actinide Solubility and Speciation in the WIPP [PowerPoint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Reed, Donald T. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2015-11-02

The presentation begins with the role and need for nuclear repositories (overall concept, international updates (Sweden, Finland, France, China), US approach and current status), then moves on to the WIPP TRU repository concept (design, current status--safety incidents of February 5 and 14, 2014, path forward), and finally considers the WIPP safety case: dissolved actinide concentrations (overall approach, oxidation state distribution and redox control, solubility of actinides, colloidal contribution and microbial effects). The following conclusions are set forth: (1) International programs are moving forward, but at a very slow and somewhat sporadic pace. (2) In the United States, the Salt repository concept, from the perspective of the long-term safety case, remains a viable option for nuclear waste management despite the current operational issues/concerns. (3) Current model/PA prediction (WIPP example) are built on redundant conservatisms. These conservatisms are being addressed in the ongoing and future research to fill existing data gaps--redox control of plutonium by Fe(0, II), thorium (analog) solubility studies in simulated brine, contribution of intrinsic and biocolloids to the mobile concentration, and clarification of microbial ecology and effects.

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2008-01-16

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

Regulatory basis for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant performance assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howard, Bryan A.; Crawford, M.B.; Galson, D.A.; Marietta, Melvin G.

2000-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the first operational repository designed for the safe disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste from the defense programs of the US Department of Energy (DOE). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for certifications and regulation of the WIPP facility for the radioactive components of the waste. The EPA has promulgated general radioactive waste disposal standards at 40 CFR Part 191. and WIPP-specific criteria to implement and interpret the generic disposal standards at 40 CFR Part 194. In October 1996. the DOE submitted its Compliance Certification Application (CCA) to the EPA to demonstrate compliance with the disposal standards at Subparts B and C of 40 CFR Part 191. This paper summarizes the development of the overall legal framework for radioactive waste disposal at the WIPP, the parallel development of the WIPP performance assessment (PA), and how the EPA disposal standards and implementing criteria formed the basis for the CCA WIPP PA. The CCA resulted in a certification in May 1998 by the EPA of the WIPP'S compliance with the EPA's disposal standard, thus enabling the WIPP to begin radioactive waste disposal

Hanford to WIPP - What a Trip: The Road from Hanford is now Open

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

FRENCH, M.S.

2001-01-01

The road leading from Hanford's Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WJPP) in New Mexico developed a few bumps and detours over the past year, but it has now been successfully traversed. There were challenges obtaining Carlsbad Area Office and New Mexico Department of Ecology certification of the Hanford characterization program. After months of work, when initial certification appeared imminent, the issuance of the WIPP Hazardous Waste Permit changed the Waste Analysis Plan (WAP) required for characterizing waste for acceptance at WIPP. After a ceremony dedicating the ''Washington'' room at WIPP, the inaugural shipment from WRAP to WIPP was scheduled for June 2000. This first shipment was planned based on shipping a number of containers that had been characterized before the issuance of the WIPP Mixed Waste Permit. However, the New Mexico Department of Ecology initially declined to accept the characterization data generated before the permit was issued, necessitating revision to the planned shipment. Because of the difficulties inherent in scheduling the TRUPACT-II transport and coordination with all of the states through which the shipment would pass, it was decided to proceed with the first shipment in early July with only the drums that had been characterized after Hanford compliance with the new WIPP WAP requirements had been certified. Following the initial shipment, previously certified containers were recertified using a process approved through negotiation with the New Mexico Environment Department, and additional full shipments have been successfully completed. This paper will present an overview of the challenges overcome and lessons learned in obtaining certification, coordination with the involved states, and eventual successful1 implementation of a routine shipping program

RH-TRU Waste Content Codes (RH-Trucon)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

on a 10-day shipping period (rather than the standard 60-day shipping period) may be used as specified in an approved content code. Requests for new or revised content codes may be submitted to the WIPP RH-TRU Payload Engineer for review and approval, provided all RH-TRAMPAC requirements are met.

RH-TRU Waste Content Codes (RH-TRUCON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

on a 10-day shipping period (rather than the standard 60-day shipping period) may be used as specified in an approved content code. Requests for new or revised content codes may be submitted to the WIPP RH-TRU Payload Engineer for review and approval, provided all RH-TRAMPAC requirements are met.

RH-TRU Waste Content Codes (RH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2007-08-01

limits based on a 10-day shipping period (rather than the standard 60-day shipping period) may be used as specified in an approved content code. Requests for new or revised content codes may be submitted to the WIPP RH-TRU Payload Engineer for review and approval, provided all RH-TRAMPAC requirements are met.

RH-TRU Waste Content Codes (RH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions

2007-05-30

limits based on a 10-day shipping period (rather than the standard 60-day shipping period) may be used as specified in an approved content code. Requests for new or revised content codes may be submitted to the WIPP RH-TRU Payload Engineer for review and approval, provided all RH-TRAMPAC requirements are met.

Shipment and Disposal of Solidified Organic Waste (Waste Type IV) to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Amico, E. L; Edmiston, D. R.; O'Leary, G. A.; Rivera, M. A.; Steward, D. M.

2006-01-01

In April of 2005, the last shipment of transuranic (TRU) waste from the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site to the WIPP was completed. With the completion of this shipment, all transuranic waste generated and stored at Rocky Flats was successfully removed from the site and shipped to and disposed of at the WIPP. Some of the last waste to be shipped and disposed of at the WIPP was waste consisting of solidified organic liquids that is identified as Waste Type IV in the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC) document. Waste Type IV waste typically has a composition, and associated characteristics, that make it significantly more difficult to ship and dispose of than other Waste Types, especially with respect to gas generation. This paper provides an overview of the experience gained at Rocky Flats for management, transportation and disposal of Type IV waste at WIPP, particularly with respect to gas generation testing. (authors)

CSER-98-002: Criticality analysis for the storage of special nuclear material sources and standards in the WRAP facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

GOLDBERG, H.J.

1999-01-01

The Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility will store uranium and transuranic (TRU) sources and standards for certification that WRAP meets the requirements of the Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). In addition, WRAP must meet internal requirements for testing and validation of measuring instruments for nondestructive assay (NDA). In order to be certified for WIPP, WRAP will participate in the NDA Performance Demonstration Program (PDP). This program is a blind test of the NDA capabilities for TRU waste. It is intended to ensure that the NDA capabilities of this facility satisfy the requirements of the quality assurance program plan for the WIPP. The PDP standards have been provided by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for this program. These standards will be used in the WRAP facility

Systematic evaluation of options to avoid generation of noncertifiable transuranic (TRU) waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boak, J.M.; Kosiewicz, S.T.; Triay, I.; Gruetzmacher, K.; Montoya, A.

1998-03-01

At present, >35% of the volume of newly generated transuranic (TRU) waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory is not certifiable for transport to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Noncertifiable waste would constitute 900--1,000 m 3 of the 2,600 m 3 of waste projected during the period of the Environmental Management (EM) Accelerated Cleanup: Focus on 2006 plan (DOE, 1997). Volume expansion of this waste to meet thermal limits would increase the shipped volume to ∼5,400 m 3 . This paper presents the results of efforts to define which TRU waste streams are noncertifiable at Los Alamos, and to prioritize site-specific options to reduce the volume of certifiable waste over the period of the EM Accelerated Cleanup Plan. A team of Los Alamos TRU waste generators and waste managers reviewed historic generation rates and thermal loads and current practices to estimate the projected volume and thermal load of TRU waste streams for Fiscal Years 1999--2006. These data defined four major problem TRU waste streams. Estimates were also made of the volume expansion that would be required to meet the permissible wattages for all waste. The four waste streams defined were: (1) 238 Pu-contaminated combustible waste from production of Radioactive Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) with 238 Pu activity which exceeds allowable shipping limits by 10--100X. (2) 241 Am-contaminated cement waste from plutonium recovery processes (nitric and hydrochloric acid recovery) are estimated to exceed thermal limits by ∼3X. (3) 239 Pu-contaminated combustible waste, mainly organic waste materials contaminated with 239 Pu and 241 Am, is estimated to exceed thermal load requirements by a factor of ∼2X. (4) Oversized metal waste objects, (especially gloveboxes), cannot be shipped as is to WIPP because they will not fit in a standard waste box or drum

A sensitivity analysis of the WIPP disposal room model: Phase 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Labreche, D.A.; Beikmann, M.A. [RE/SPEC, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Osnes, J.D. [RE/SPEC, Inc., Rapid City, SD (United States); Butcher, B.M. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1995-07-01

The WIPP Disposal Room Model (DRM) is a numerical model with three major components constitutive models of TRU waste, crushed salt backfill, and intact halite -- and several secondary components, including air gap elements, slidelines, and assumptions on symmetry and geometry. A sensitivity analysis of the Disposal Room Model was initiated on two of the three major components (waste and backfill models) and on several secondary components as a group. The immediate goal of this component sensitivity analysis (Phase I) was to sort (rank) model parameters in terms of their relative importance to model response so that a Monte Carlo analysis on a reduced set of DRM parameters could be performed under Phase II. The goal of the Phase II analysis will be to develop a probabilistic definition of a disposal room porosity surface (porosity, gas volume, time) that could be used in WIPP Performance Assessment analyses. This report documents a literature survey which quantifies the relative importance of the secondary room components to room closure, a differential analysis of the creep consolidation model and definition of a follow-up Monte Carlo analysis of the model, and an analysis and refitting of the waste component data on which a volumetric plasticity model of TRU drum waste is based. A summary, evaluation of progress, and recommendations for future work conclude the report.

Independent technical review of the Bin and Alcove test programs at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-12-01

This Independent Technical Review (ITR) assessed the need for and technical validity of the proposed Bin and Alcove test programs using TRU-waste at the WIPP site. The ITR Team recommends that the planned Bin and Alcove tests be abandoned, and that new activities be initiated in support of the WIPP regulatory compliance processes. Recommendations in this report offer an alternate path for expeditiously attaining disposal certification and permitting

CH-TRU Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes 'shipping categories' that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the 'General Case,' which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Close-Proximity Shipments' (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-10-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

Draft Title 40 CFR 191 compliance certification application for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Volume 3: Appendix BIR Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Transuranic Waste Baseline Inventory Report (WTWBIR) establishes a methodology for grouping wastes of similar physical and chemical properties, from across the US Department of Energy (DOE) transuranic (TRU) waste system, into a series of ''waste profiles'' that can be used as the basis for waste form discussions with regulatory agencies. The majority of this document reports TRU waste inventories of DOE defense sites. An appendix is included which provides estimates of commercial TRU waste from the West Valley Demonstration Project. The WIPP baseline inventory is estimated using waste streams identified by the DOE TRU waste generator/storage sites, supplemented by information from the Mixed Waste Inventory Report (MWIR) and the 1994 Integrated Data Base (IDB). The sites provided and/or authorized all information in the Waste Stream Profiles except the EPA (hazardous waste) codes for the mixed inventories. These codes were taken from the MWIR (if a WTWBIR mixed waste stream was not in MWIR, the sites were consulted). The IDB was used to generate the WIPP radionuclide inventory. Each waste stream is defined in a waste stream profile and has been assigned a waste matrix code (WMC) by the DOE TRU waste generator/storage site. Waste stream profiles with WMCs that have similar physical and chemical properties can be combined into a waste matrix code group (WMCG), which is then documented in a site-specific waste profile for each TRU waste generator/storage site that contains waste streams in that particular WMCG

WIPP shaft seal system parameters recommended to support compliance calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hurtado, L.D.; Knowles, M.K.; Kelley, V.A.; Jones, T.L.; Ogintz, J.B.; Pfeifle, T.W.

1997-12-01

The US Department of Energy plans to dispose of transuranic waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which is sited in southeastern New Mexico. The WIPP disposal facility is located approximately 2,150 feet (650 m) below surface in the bedded halite of the Salado Formation. Prior to initiation of disposal activities, the Department of Energy must demonstrate that the WIPP will comply with all regulatory requirements. Applicable regulations require that contaminant releases from the WIPP remain below specified levels for a period of 10,000 years. To demonstrate that the WIPP will comply with these regulations, the Department of Energy has requested that Sandia National Laboratories develop and implement a comprehensive performance assessment of the WIPP repository for the regulatory period. This document presents the conceptual model of the shaft sealing system to be implemented in performance assessment calculations conducted in support of the Compliance Certification Application for the WIPP. The model was developed for use in repository-scale calculations and includes the seal system geometry and materials to be used in grid development as well as all parameters needed to describe the seal materials. These calculations predict the hydrologic behavior of the system. Hence conceptual model development is limited to those processes that could impact the fluid flow through the seal system

WIPP shaft seal system parameters recommended to support compliance calculations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hurtado, L.D.; Knowles, M.K. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kelley, V.A.; Jones, T.L.; Ogintz, J.B. [INTERA Inc., Austin, TX (United States); Pfeifle, T.W. [RE/SPEC, Inc., Rapid City, SD (United States)

1997-12-01

The US Department of Energy plans to dispose of transuranic waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which is sited in southeastern New Mexico. The WIPP disposal facility is located approximately 2,150 feet (650 m) below surface in the bedded halite of the Salado Formation. Prior to initiation of disposal activities, the Department of Energy must demonstrate that the WIPP will comply with all regulatory requirements. Applicable regulations require that contaminant releases from the WIPP remain below specified levels for a period of 10,000 years. To demonstrate that the WIPP will comply with these regulations, the Department of Energy has requested that Sandia National Laboratories develop and implement a comprehensive performance assessment of the WIPP repository for the regulatory period. This document presents the conceptual model of the shaft sealing system to be implemented in performance assessment calculations conducted in support of the Compliance Certification Application for the WIPP. The model was developed for use in repository-scale calculations and includes the seal system geometry and materials to be used in grid development as well as all parameters needed to describe the seal materials. These calculations predict the hydrologic behavior of the system. Hence conceptual model development is limited to those processes that could impact the fluid flow through the seal system.

NMT-7 plan for producing certifiable TRU debris waste for WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montoya, A.J.

1997-12-01

Analysis of waste characterization data for debris items generated during a recent six month period indicates that the certifiability of TRUPACT II payload containers packaged at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Plutonium Facility (TA-55) can be increased from approximately 52% of solid waste payload containers to 78% by applying the simple strategies of screening out high decay heat items and sorting remaining items to maintain nuclear material loading at levels below WIPP waste acceptance limits. Implementation of these strategies will have negative impacts on waste minimization and waste management operations that must also be considered

Performance Demonstration Program Plan for the WIPP Experimental-Waste Characterization Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-02-01

The Performance Demonstration Program is designed to ensure that compliance with the Quality Assurance Objective, identified in the Quality Assurance Program Plan for the WIPP Experimental-Waste Characterization Program (QAPP), is achieved. This Program Plan is intended for use by the WPO to assess the laboratory support provided for the characterization of WIPP TRU waste by the storage/generator sites. Phase 0 of the Performance Demonstration Program encompasses the analysis of headspace gas samples for inorganic and organic components. The WPO will ensure the implementation of this plan by designating an independent organization to coordinate and provide technical oversight for the program (Program Coordinator). Initial program support, regarding the technical oversight and coordination functions, shall be provided by the USEPA-ORP. This plan identifies the criteria that will be used for the evaluation of laboratory performance, the responsibilities of the Program Coordinator, and the responsibilities of the participating laboratories. 5 tabs

Characterization of mixed CH-TRU waste for the WIPP Experimental Test Program conducted at ANL-W

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwight, C.C.; McClellan, G.C.; Guay, K.P.; Courtney, J.C.; Duff, M.J.

1992-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory is participating in the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Experimental Test Program by characterizing and repackaging mixed contact-handled transuranic waste. Characterization activities include gas sampling the waste containers, visually examining the waste contents, categorizing the contents according to their gas generation potentials, and weighing the contents. The waste is repackaged from 0.21m 3 (55 gallon) drums into instrumented steel test bins which can hold up to six drum-equivalents in volume. Eventually the loaded test bins will be shipped to WIPP where they will be evaluated during a five-year test program. Three test bins of inorganic solids (primarily glass) were prepared between March and September 1991 and are ready for shipment to WIPP. The characterization activities confirmed process knowledge of the waste and verified the nondestructive examinations; the gas sample analyses showed the target constituents to be within allowable regulatory limits. A new waste characterization chamber is being developed at ANL-W which will improve worker safety, decrease the potential for contamination spread, and increase the waste characterization throughput. The new facility is expected to begin operations by Fall 1992. A comprehensive summary of the project is contained herein

TRU drum corrosion task team report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kooda, K.E.; Lavery, C.A.; Zeek, D.P.

1996-05-01

During routine inspections in March 1996, transuranic (TRU) waste drums stored at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) were found with pinholes and leaking fluid. These drums were overpacked, and further inspection discovered over 200 drums with similar corrosion. A task team was assigned to investigate the problem with four specific objectives: to identify any other drums in RWMC TRU storage with pinhole corrosion; to evaluate the adequacy of the RWMC inspection process; to determine the precise mechanism(s) generating the pinhole drum corrosion; and to assess the implications of this event for WIPP certifiability of waste drums. The task team investigations analyzed the source of the pinholes to be Hcl-induced localized pitting corrosion. Hcl formation is directly related to the polychlorinated hydrocarbon volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the waste. Most of the drums showing pinhole corrosion are from Content Code-003 (CC-003) because they contain the highest amounts of polychlorinated VOCs as determined by headspace gas analysis. CC-001 drums represent the only other content code with a significant number of pinhole corrosion drums because their headspace gas VOC content, although significantly less than CC-003, is far greater than that of the other content codes. The exact mechanisms of Hcl formation could not be determined, but radiolytic and reductive dechlorination and direct reduction of halocarbons were analyzed as the likely operable reactions. The team considered the entire range of feasible options, ranked and prioritized the alternatives, and recommended the optimal solution that maximizes protection of worker and public safety while minimizing impacts on RWMC and TRU program operations.

TRU drum corrosion task team report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kooda, K.E.; Lavery, C.A.; Zeek, D.P.

1996-05-01

During routine inspections in March 1996, transuranic (TRU) waste drums stored at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) were found with pinholes and leaking fluid. These drums were overpacked, and further inspection discovered over 200 drums with similar corrosion. A task team was assigned to investigate the problem with four specific objectives: to identify any other drums in RWMC TRU storage with pinhole corrosion; to evaluate the adequacy of the RWMC inspection process; to determine the precise mechanism(s) generating the pinhole drum corrosion; and to assess the implications of this event for WIPP certifiability of waste drums. The task team investigations analyzed the source of the pinholes to be Hcl-induced localized pitting corrosion. Hcl formation is directly related to the polychlorinated hydrocarbon volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the waste. Most of the drums showing pinhole corrosion are from Content Code-003 (CC-003) because they contain the highest amounts of polychlorinated VOCs as determined by headspace gas analysis. CC-001 drums represent the only other content code with a significant number of pinhole corrosion drums because their headspace gas VOC content, although significantly less than CC-003, is far greater than that of the other content codes. The exact mechanisms of Hcl formation could not be determined, but radiolytic and reductive dechlorination and direct reduction of halocarbons were analyzed as the likely operable reactions. The team considered the entire range of feasible options, ranked and prioritized the alternatives, and recommended the optimal solution that maximizes protection of worker and public safety while minimizing impacts on RWMC and TRU program operations

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes 'shipping categories' that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the 'General Case,' which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Close-Proximity Shipments' (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes 'shipping categories' that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the 'General Case,' which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Close-Proximity Shipments' (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes 'shipping categories' that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the 'General Case,' which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Close-Proximity Shipments' (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-01-01

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes 'shipping categories' that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the 'General Case,' which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Close-Proximity Shipments' (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes 'shipping categories' that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the 'General Case,' which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Close-Proximity Shipments' (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for 'Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2006-09-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-05-01

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2007-02-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-06-20

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2006-06-20

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-01-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codesand corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2006-12-20

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2006-08-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2006-01-18

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2004-10-01

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-03-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2007-09-20

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2007-08-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2004-12-01

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-11-20

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-12-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-01-30

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2005-08-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions LLC

2007-06-15

The CH-TRU Waste Content Codes (CH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (CH-TRAMPAC). The CH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) and HalfPACT packagings. This document is a catalog of TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT authorized contents and a description of the methods utilized to demonstrate compliance with the CH-TRAMPAC. A summary of currently approved content codes by site is presented in Table 1. The CH-TRAMPAC describes "shipping categories" that are assigned to each payload container. Multiple shipping categories may be assigned to a single content code. A summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories is provided in Table 2, which consists of Tables 2A, 2B, and 2C. Table 2A provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for the "General Case," which reflects the assumption of a 60-day shipping period as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.4 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to be completed within an approximately 1,000-mile radius, a shorter shipping period of 20 days is applicable as described in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.5 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices. For shipments to WIPP from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Nevada Test Site, and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, a 20-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2B provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Close-Proximity Shipments" (20-day shipping period). For shipments implementing the controls specified in the CH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 3.6 of the CH-TRU Payload Appendices, a 10-day shipping period is applicable. Table 2C provides a summary of approved content codes and corresponding shipping categories for "Controlled Shipments

WIPP Waste Characterization: Implementing Regulatory Requirements in the Real World

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper Wayman, J.D.; Goldstein, J.D.

1999-01-01

It is imperative to ensure compliance of the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. In particular, compliance with the waste characterization requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and its implementing regulation found at 40 CFR Parts 262,264 and 265 for hazardous and mixed wastes, as well as those of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, the Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended, and the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, as amended, and their implementing regulations found at 40 CFR Parts 191 and 194 for non-mixed radioactive wastes, are often difficult to ensure at the operational level. For example, where a regulation may limit a waste to a certain concentration, this concentration may be difficult to measure. For example, does the definition of transuranic waste (TRU) as 100 nCi/grain of alpha-emitting transuranic isotopes per gram of waste mean that the radioassay of a waste must show a reading of 100 plus the sampling and measurement error for the waste to be a TRU waste? Although the use of acceptable knowledge to characterize waste is authorized by statute, regulation and DOE Orders, its implementation is similarly beset with difficulty. When is a document or documents sufficient to constitute acceptable knowledge? What standard can be used to determine if knowledge is acceptable for waste characterization purposes? The inherent conflict between waste characterization regulatory requirements and their implementation in the real world, and the resolution of this conflict, will be discussed

TRU [transuranic] waste certification compliance requirements for acceptance of newly generated contact-handled wastes to be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Revision 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

Compliance requirements are presented for certifying that unclassified, newly generated (NG), contact-handled (CH) transuranic (TRU) solid wastes from defense programs meet the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC). Where appropriate, transportation and interim storage requirements are incorporated; however, interim storage sites may have additional requirements consistent with these requirements. All applicable Department of Energy (DOE) orders must continue to be met. The compliance requirements for stored or buried waste are not addressed in this document. The compliance requirements are divided into four sections, primarily determined by the general feature that the requirements address. These sections are General Requirements, Waste Container Requirements, Waste Form Requirements, and Waste Package Requirements. The waste package is the combination of waste container and waste. 10 refs., 1 fig

Software documentation for TRU certification program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CLINTON, R.

1999-01-01

The document provides validation information for software used to support TRU operational activities. Calculations were performed using a spreadsheet application. This document provides information about the usage of the software application, Microsoft(reg s ign) Excel. Microsoft(reg s ign) Excel spreadsheets were used to perform specific calculations to determine the amount of containers to visually examine and to perform analyses on container head-gas data. Contained in this document are definitions of formulas and variables with relation to the Excel codes used. Also, a demonstration is provided using predetermined values to obtain predetermined results

Contamination control aspects of attaching waste drums to the WIPP Waste Characterization Chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubick, L.M.; Burke, L.L.

1998-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory West (ANL-W) is verifying the characterization and repackaging of contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) mixed waste in support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Program (WIPP) project located in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The WIPP Waste Characterization Chamber (WCC) was designed to allow opening of transuranic waste drums for this process. The WCC became operational in March of 1994 and has characterized approximately 240 drums of transuranic waste. The waste drums are internally contaminated with high levels of transuranic radionuclides. Attaching and detaching drums to the glove box posed serious contamination control problems. Prior to characterizing waste, several drum attachment techniques and materials were evaluated. An inexpensive HEPA filter molded into the bagging material helps with venting during detachment. The current techniques and procedures used to attach and detach transuranic waste drums to the WCC are described

Characterization of mixed CH-TRU waste for the WIPP Experimental Test Program conducted at ANL-W

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dwight, C.C.; McClellan, G.C.; Guay, K.P. [Argonne National Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Courtney, J.C. [Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States); Duff, M.J. [Consolidated Technical Services, Inc., Walkersville, MD (United States)

1992-02-01

Argonne National Laboratory is participating in the Department of Energy`s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Experimental Test Program by characterizing and repackaging mixed contact-handled transuranic waste. Characterization activities include gas sampling the waste containers, visually examining the waste contents, categorizing the contents according to their gas generation potentials, and weighing the contents. The waste is repackaged from 0.21m{sup 3} (55 gallon) drums into instrumented steel test bins which can hold up to six drum-equivalents in volume. Eventually the loaded test bins will be shipped to WIPP where they will be evaluated during a five-year test program. Three test bins of inorganic solids (primarily glass) were prepared between March and September 1991 and are ready for shipment to WIPP. The characterization activities confirmed process knowledge of the waste and verified the nondestructive examinations; the gas sample analyses showed the target constituents to be within allowable regulatory limits. A new waste characterization chamber is being developed at ANL-W which will improve worker safety, decrease the potential for contamination spread, and increase the waste characterization throughput. The new facility is expected to begin operations by Fall 1992. A comprehensive summary of the project is contained herein.

Characterization of mixed CH-TRU waste for the WIPP Experimental Test Program conducted at ANL-W

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dwight, C.C.; McClellan, G.C.; Guay, K.P. (Argonne National Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)); Courtney, J.C. (Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States)); Duff, M.J. (Consolidated Technical Services, Inc., Walkersville, MD (United States))

1992-01-01

Argonne National Laboratory is participating in the Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Experimental Test Program by characterizing and repackaging mixed contact-handled transuranic waste. Characterization activities include gas sampling the waste containers, visually examining the waste contents, categorizing the contents according to their gas generation potentials, and weighing the contents. The waste is repackaged from 0.21m{sup 3} (55 gallon) drums into instrumented steel test bins which can hold up to six drum-equivalents in volume. Eventually the loaded test bins will be shipped to WIPP where they will be evaluated during a five-year test program. Three test bins of inorganic solids (primarily glass) were prepared between March and September 1991 and are ready for shipment to WIPP. The characterization activities confirmed process knowledge of the waste and verified the nondestructive examinations; the gas sample analyses showed the target constituents to be within allowable regulatory limits. A new waste characterization chamber is being developed at ANL-W which will improve worker safety, decrease the potential for contamination spread, and increase the waste characterization throughput. The new facility is expected to begin operations by Fall 1992. A comprehensive summary of the project is contained herein.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Safety Analysis Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-11-01

The following provides a summary of the specific issues addressed in this FY-95 Annual Update as they relate to the CH TRU safety bases: Executive Summary; Site Characteristics; Principal Design and Safety Criteria; Facility Design and Operation; Hazards and Accident Analysis; Derivation of Technical Safety Requirements; Radiological and Hazardous Material Protection; Institutional Programs; Quality Assurance; and Decontamination and Decommissioning. The System Design Descriptions'' (SDDS) for the WIPP were reviewed and incorporated into Chapter 3, Principal Design and Safety Criteria and Chapter 4, Facility Design and Operation. This provides the most currently available final engineering design information on waste emplacement operations throughout the disposal phase up to the point of permanent closure. Also, the criteria which define the TRU waste to be accepted for disposal at the WIPP facility were summarized in Chapter 3 based on the WAC for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.'' This Safety Analysis Report (SAR) documents the safety analyses that develop and evaluate the adequacy of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Contact-Handled Transuranic Wastes (WIPP CH TRU) safety bases necessary to ensure the safety of workers, the public and the environment from the hazards posed by WIPP waste handling and emplacement operations during the disposal phase and hazards associated with the decommissioning and decontamination phase. The analyses of the hazards associated with the long-term (10,000 year) disposal of TRU and TRU mixed waste, and demonstration of compliance with the requirements of 40 CFR 191, Subpart B and 40 CFR 268.6 will be addressed in detail in the WIPP Final Certification Application scheduled for submittal in October 1996 (40 CFR 191) and the No-Migration Variance Petition (40 CFR 268.6) scheduled for submittal in June 1996. Section 5.4, Long-Term Waste Isolation Assessment summarizes the current status of the assessment

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Safety Analysis Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-11-01

The following provides a summary of the specific issues addressed in this FY-95 Annual Update as they relate to the CH TRU safety bases: Executive Summary; Site Characteristics; Principal Design and Safety Criteria; Facility Design and Operation; Hazards and Accident Analysis; Derivation of Technical Safety Requirements; Radiological and Hazardous Material Protection; Institutional Programs; Quality Assurance; and Decontamination and Decommissioning. The System Design Descriptions`` (SDDS) for the WIPP were reviewed and incorporated into Chapter 3, Principal Design and Safety Criteria and Chapter 4, Facility Design and Operation. This provides the most currently available final engineering design information on waste emplacement operations throughout the disposal phase up to the point of permanent closure. Also, the criteria which define the TRU waste to be accepted for disposal at the WIPP facility were summarized in Chapter 3 based on the WAC for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.`` This Safety Analysis Report (SAR) documents the safety analyses that develop and evaluate the adequacy of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Contact-Handled Transuranic Wastes (WIPP CH TRU) safety bases necessary to ensure the safety of workers, the public and the environment from the hazards posed by WIPP waste handling and emplacement operations during the disposal phase and hazards associated with the decommissioning and decontamination phase. The analyses of the hazards associated with the long-term (10,000 year) disposal of TRU and TRU mixed waste, and demonstration of compliance with the requirements of 40 CFR 191, Subpart B and 40 CFR 268.6 will be addressed in detail in the WIPP Final Certification Application scheduled for submittal in October 1996 (40 CFR 191) and the No-Migration Variance Petition (40 CFR 268.6) scheduled for submittal in June 1996. Section 5.4, Long-Term Waste Isolation Assessment summarizes the current status of the assessment.

The WIPP transportation system: Dedicated to safety

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ward, T.; McFadden, M.

1993-01-01

When developing a transportation system to transport transuranic (TRU) waste from ten widely-dispersed generator sites, the Department of Energy (DOE) recognized and addressed many challenges. Shipments of waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) were to cover a twenty-five year period and utilize routes covering over twelve thousand miles in twenty-three states. Enhancing public safety by maximizing the payload, thus reducing the number of shipments, was the primary objective. To preclude the requirement for overweight permits, the DOE started with a total shipment weight limit of 80,000 pounds and developed an integrated transportation system consisting of a Type ''B'' package to transport the material, a lightweight tractor and trailer, stringent driver requirements, and a shipment tracking system referred to as ''TRANSCOM''

US EPA's experiences implementing environmental safety standards at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - 16103

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peake, R. Thomas; Byrum, Charles; Feltcorn, Ed; Lee, Raymond; Joglekar, Rajani; Ghose, Shankar; Eagle, Mike

2009-01-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) developed environmental standards for the disposal of defense-related transuranic wastes for the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE or the Department) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). EPA implements these standards for WIPP, which has been in operation for over ten years. The general environmental standards are set forth in the Agency's 40 CFR Part 191 Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for the Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes [1]. These standards are implemented by site-specific compliance criteria [2]. The WIPP Land Withdrawal Act requires DOE to submit a re-certification application every five years after the initial receipt of waste. DOE submitted the latest WIPP re-certification application in March 2009. For re-certification, DOE must identify changes that have occurred over the previous five years and analyze their impact on the potential long-term performance of the repository. Once EPA determines that the re-certification application is complete, the Agency has six months to review the application and make a final decision. During this review, EPA solicits and incorporates public comment where appropriate. During the first re-certification in 2004, several stakeholder groups brought up issues (e.g., karst) that were addressed in the original certification. EPA has received comments again raising some of these same issues for the 2009 re-certification. In addition, DOE must submit proposed changes to the WIPP repository to EPA for review and approval. This paper describes selected issues of concern to WIPP and highlights interactions between EPA as the regulatory authority and DOE as the implementing organization. In general EPA's experience points out the importance of communication, documentation and the regulator's responsibility in determining 'how much is enough'. (authors)

DOE assay methods used for characterization of contact-handled transuranic waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schultz, F.J. (Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)); Caldwell, J.T. (Pajarito Scientific Corp., Los Alamos, NM (United States))

1991-08-01

US Department of Energy methods used for characterization of contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste prior to shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) are described and listed by contractor site. The methods described are part of the certification process. All CH-TRU waste must be assayed for determination of fissile material content and decay heat values prior to shipment and prior to storage on-site. Both nondestructive assay (NDA) and destructive assay methods are discussed, and new NDA developments such as passive-action neutron (PAN) crate counter improvements and neutron imaging are detailed. Specifically addressed are assay method physics; applicability to CH-TRU wastes; calibration standards and implementation; operator training requirements and practices; assay procedures; assay precision, bias, and limit of detection; and assay limitation. While PAN is a new technique and does not yet have established American Society for Testing and Materials. American National Standards Institute, or Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidelines or methods describing proper calibration procedures, equipment setup, etc., comparisons of PAN data with the more established assay methods (e.g., segmented gamma scanning) have demonstrated its reliability and accuracy. Assay methods employed by DOE have been shown to reliable and accurate in determining fissile, radionuclide, alpha-curie content, and decay heat values of CH-TRU wastes. These parameters are therefore used to characterize packaged waste for use in certification programs such as that used in shipment of CH-TRU waste to the WIPP. 36 refs., 10 figs., 7 tabs.

DOE assay methods used for characterization of contact-handled transuranic waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schultz, F.J.; Caldwell, J.T.

1991-08-01

US Department of Energy methods used for characterization of contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste prior to shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) are described and listed by contractor site. The methods described are part of the certification process. All CH-TRU waste must be assayed for determination of fissile material content and decay heat values prior to shipment and prior to storage on-site. Both nondestructive assay (NDA) and destructive assay methods are discussed, and new NDA developments such as passive-action neutron (PAN) crate counter improvements and neutron imaging are detailed. Specifically addressed are assay method physics; applicability to CH-TRU wastes; calibration standards and implementation; operator training requirements and practices; assay procedures; assay precision, bias, and limit of detection; and assay limitation. While PAN is a new technique and does not yet have established American Society for Testing and Materials. American National Standards Institute, or Nuclear Regulatory Commission guidelines or methods describing proper calibration procedures, equipment setup, etc., comparisons of PAN data with the more established assay methods (e.g., segmented gamma scanning) have demonstrated its reliability and accuracy. Assay methods employed by DOE have been shown to reliable and accurate in determining fissile, radionuclide, alpha-curie content, and decay heat values of CH-TRU wastes. These parameters are therefore used to characterize packaged waste for use in certification programs such as that used in shipment of CH-TRU waste to the WIPP. 36 refs., 10 figs., 7 tabs

Implications of the presence of petroleum resources on the integrity of the WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, M.K.

1994-06-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a facility of the US Department of Energy (DOE), designed and constructed for the permanent disposal of transuranic (TRU) defense waste. The WIPP is surrounded by reserves of potash, crude oil, and natural gas. These are attractive targets for exploratory drilling which could disrupt the integrity of the transuranic waste repository. The performance assessment calculations published to date have identified future drilling for oil and gas reserves as an event that may disrupt the repository and may release radionuclides in excess of the standards. Therefore, the probability of inadvertent human intrusion into the repository by drilling and its impact on the integrity of the repository must be carefully assessed. This report evaluates: (1) the studies funded by the DOE to examine the crude oil potential in the immediate vicinity of the WIPP; (2) the use of an elicitation exercise to predict future drilling rates for use in the calculation of the repository performance; and (3) the observed limitations of institutional controls. This report identifies the following issues that remain to be resolved: (1) the limited performance of blowout preventers after drilling into high pressure zones immediately adjacent to the WIPP Site Boundary; (2) reported problems with waterflooding operations in southeastern New Mexico; (3) reported water level rises in several wells completed in the Rustler Formation, south of the WIPP Site, possibly due to oil and gas wells or leaking injection wells; and (4) reports of inadequate well abandonment practices on BLM leases and the continued absence of enforceable regulations

Improved practices for packaging transuranic waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LA-UR-09-03293) - 16280

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goyal, Kapil K.; Carson, Peter H.

2009-01-01

Transuranic (TRU) waste leaving the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is packaged using LANL's waste acceptance criteria for onsite storage. Before shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico, each payload container is subject to rigorous characterization to ensure compliance with WIPP waste acceptance criteria and Department of Transportation regulations. Techniques used for waste characterization include nondestructive examination by WIPP-certified real-time radiography (RTR) and nondestructive assay (NDA) of containers, as well as headspace gas sampling to ensure that hydrogen and other flammable gases remain at safe levels during transport. These techniques are performed under a rigorous quality assurance program to confirm that results are accurate and reproducible. If containers are deemed problematic, corrective action is implemented before they are shipped to WIPP. A defensive approach was used for many years to minimize the number of problematic drums. However, based on review of data associated with headspace gas sampling, NDA and RTR results, and enhanced coordination with the entities responsible for waste certification, many changes have been implemented to facilitate packaging of TRU waste drums with higher isotopic loading at the Plutonium Facility at an unprecedented rate while ensuring compliance with waste acceptance criteria. This paper summarizes the details of technical changes and related administrative coordination activities, such as information sharing among the certification entities, generators, waste packagers, and shippers. It discusses the results of all such cumulative changes that have been implemented at the Plutonium Facility and gives readers a preview of what LANL has accomplished to expeditiously certify and dispose of newly generated TRU waste. (authors)

Audit Report on 'Waste Processing and Recovery Act Acceleration Efforts for Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste at the Hanford Site'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

The Department of Energy's Office of Environmental Management's (EM), Richland Operations Office (Richland), is responsible for disposing of the Hanford Site's (Hanford) transuranic (TRU) waste, including nearly 12,000 cubic meters of radioactive contact-handled TRU wastes. Prior to disposing of this waste at the Department's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), Richland must certify that it meets WIPP's waste acceptance criteria. To be certified, the waste must be characterized, screened for prohibited items, treated (if necessary) and placed into a satisfactory disposal container. In a February 2008 amendment to an existing Record of Decision (Decision), the Department announced its plan to ship up to 8,764 cubic meters of contact-handled TRU waste from Hanford and other waste generator sites to the Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP) at Idaho's National Laboratory (INL) for processing and certification prior to disposal at WIPP. The Department decided to maximize the use of the AMWTP's automated waste processing capabilities to compact and, thereby, reduce the volume of contact-handled TRU waste. Compaction reduces the number of shipments and permits WIPP to more efficiently use its limited TRU waste disposal capacity. The Decision noted that the use of AMWTP would avoid the time and expense of establishing a processing capability at other sites. In May 2009, EM allocated $229 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) funds to support Hanford's Solid Waste Program, including Hanford's contact-handled TRU waste. Besides providing jobs, these funds were intended to accelerate cleanup in the short term. We initiated this audit to determine whether the Department was effectively using Recovery Act funds to accelerate processing of Hanford's contact-handled TRU waste. Relying on the availability of Recovery Act funds, the Department changed course and approved an alternative plan that could increase costs by about $25 million

Quality Assistance Objectives for Nondestructive Assay at the Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CANTALOUB, M.G.

2000-01-01

The Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) facility, located on the Word Site in southeast Washington, is a key link in the certification of transuranic (TRU) waste for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Waste characterization is one of the vital functions performed at WRAP, and nondestructive assay (NDA) measurements of TRU waste containers is one of two required methods used for waste characterization. The Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, DOE/WIPP-069 (WIPP-WAC) delineates the quality assurance objectives which have been established for NDA measurement systems. Sites must demonstrate that the quality assurance objectives can be achieved for each radioassay system over the applicable ranges of measurement. This report summarizes the validation of the WRAP NDA systems against the radioassay quality assurance objectives or QAOs. A brief description of the each test and significant conclusions are included. Variables that may have affected test outcomes and system response are also addressed

MWIR-1995 DOE national mixed and TRU waste database users guide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-11-01

The Department of Energy (DOE) National 1995 Mixed Waste Inventory Report (MWIR-1995) Database Users Guide provides information on computer system requirements and describes installation, operation, and navigation through the database. The MWIR-1995 database contains a detailed, nationwide compilation of information on DOE mixed waste streams and treatment systems. In addition, the 1995 version includes data on non- mixed, transuranic (TRU) waste streams. These were added to the data set as a result of coordination of the 1995 update with the National Transuranic Program Office's (NTPO's) data needs to support the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) TRU Waste Baseline Inventory Report (WTWBIR). However, the information on the TRU waste streams is limited to that associated with the core mixed waste data requirements. The additional, non-core data on TRU streams collected specifically to support the WTWBIR is not included in the MWIR-1995 database. With respect to both the mixed and TRU waste stream data, the data set addresses open-quotes storedclose quotes streams. In this instance, open-quotes storedclose quotes streams are defined as (a) streams currently in storage at both EM-30 and EM-40 sites and (b) streams that have yet to be generated but are anticipated within the next five years from sources other than environmental restoration and decontamination and decommissioning (ER/D ampersand D) activities. Information on future ER/D ampersand D streams is maintained in the EM-40 core database. The MWIR-1995 database also contains limited information for both waste streams and treatment systems that have been removed or deleted since the 1994 MWIR. Data on these is maintained only through Section 2, Waste Stream Identification/Tracking/Source, to document the reason for removal from the data set

Waste Generator Instructions: Key to Successful Implementation of the US DOE's 435.1 for Transuranic Waste Packaging Instructions (LA-UR-12-24155) - 13218

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

French, David M. [LANL EES-12, Carlsbad, NM, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Hayes, Timothy A. [LANL EES-12, Carlsbad, NM, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Pope, Howard L. [Aspen Resources Ltd., Inc., P.O. Box 3038, Boulder, CO 80307 (United States); Enriquez, Alejandro E. [LANL NCO-4, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Carson, Peter H. [LANL NPI-7, Los Alamos National Laboratory, P.O. Box 1663, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)

2013-07-01

In times of continuing fiscal constraints, a management and operation tool that is straightforward to implement, works as advertised, and virtually ensures compliant waste packaging should be carefully considered and employed wherever practicable. In the near future, the Department of Energy (DOE) will issue the first major update to DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management. This update will contain a requirement for sites that do not have a Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) waste certification program to use two newly developed technical standards: Contact-Handled Defense Transuranic Waste Packaging Instructions and Remote-Handled Defense Transuranic Waste Packaging Instructions. The technical standards are being developed from the DOE O 435.1 Notice, Contact-Handled and Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste Packaging, approved August 2011. The packaging instructions will provide detailed information and instruction for packaging almost every conceivable type of transuranic (TRU) waste for disposal at WIPP. While providing specificity, the packaging instructions leave to each site's own discretion the actual mechanics of how those Instructions will be functionally implemented at the floor level. While the Technical Standards are designed to provide precise information for compliant packaging, the density of the information in the packaging instructions necessitates a type of Rosetta Stone that translates the requirements into concise, clear, easy to use and operationally practical recipes that are waste stream and facility specific for use by both first line management and hands-on operations personnel. The Waste Generator Instructions provide the operator with step-by-step instructions that will integrate the sites' various operational requirements (e.g., health and safety limits, radiological limits or dose limits) and result in a WIPP certifiable waste and package that can be transported to and emplaced at WIPP. These little known but widely

Waste Generator Instructions: Key to Successful Implementation of the US DOE's 435.1 for Transuranic Waste Packaging Instructions (LA-UR-12-24155) - 13218

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

French, David M.; Hayes, Timothy A.; Pope, Howard L.; Enriquez, Alejandro E.; Carson, Peter H.

2013-01-01

In times of continuing fiscal constraints, a management and operation tool that is straightforward to implement, works as advertised, and virtually ensures compliant waste packaging should be carefully considered and employed wherever practicable. In the near future, the Department of Energy (DOE) will issue the first major update to DOE Order 435.1, Radioactive Waste Management. This update will contain a requirement for sites that do not have a Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) waste certification program to use two newly developed technical standards: Contact-Handled Defense Transuranic Waste Packaging Instructions and Remote-Handled Defense Transuranic Waste Packaging Instructions. The technical standards are being developed from the DOE O 435.1 Notice, Contact-Handled and Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste Packaging, approved August 2011. The packaging instructions will provide detailed information and instruction for packaging almost every conceivable type of transuranic (TRU) waste for disposal at WIPP. While providing specificity, the packaging instructions leave to each site's own discretion the actual mechanics of how those Instructions will be functionally implemented at the floor level. While the Technical Standards are designed to provide precise information for compliant packaging, the density of the information in the packaging instructions necessitates a type of Rosetta Stone that translates the requirements into concise, clear, easy to use and operationally practical recipes that are waste stream and facility specific for use by both first line management and hands-on operations personnel. The Waste Generator Instructions provide the operator with step-by-step instructions that will integrate the sites' various operational requirements (e.g., health and safety limits, radiological limits or dose limits) and result in a WIPP certifiable waste and package that can be transported to and emplaced at WIPP. These little known but widely productive Waste

Los Alamos National Laboratory transuranic waste quality assurance project plan. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

This Transuranic (TRU) Waste Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPjP) serves as the quality management plan for the characterization of transuranic waste in preparation for certification and transportation. The Transuranic Waste Characterization/Certification Program (TWCP) consists of personnel who sample and analyze waste, validate and report data; and provide project management, quality assurance, audit and assessment, and records management support, all in accordance with established requirements for disposal of TRU waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) facility. This QAPjP addresses how the TWCP meets the quality requirements of the Carlsbad Area Office (CAO) Quality Assurance Program Description (QAPD) and the technical requirements of the Transuranic Waste Characterization Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP). The TWCP characterizes and certifies retrievably stored and newly generated TRU waste using the waste selection, testing, sampling, and analytical techniques and data quality objectives (DQOs) described in the QAPP, the Los Alamos National Laboratory Transuranic Waste Certification Plan (Certification Plan), and the CST Waste Management Facilities Waste Acceptance Criteria and Certification [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC)]. At the present, the TWCP does not address remote-handled (RH) waste

Basic data report for drillhole ERDA 6 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

ERDA 6 was drilled in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, to investigate a candidate site for a nuclear waste repository. The site was subsequently rejected on the basis of geological data. ERDA 6 was drilled in the NE 1/4 SE 1/4, section 35, T21S,R31E. The borehole encountered, from top to bottom, 17 ft of Quaternary deposits, 55 ft of the Triassic Santa Rosa Sandstone, 466 ft of the Dewey Lake Red Beds, 273 ft of the Rustler Formation, 1785.5 ft of the Salado Formation and 374.5 ft of the upper Castile Formation, all of Permian age. Cores or drill cuttings were taken throughout the hole. A suite of wireline geophysical logs was run to a depth of 883 ft to facilitate the recognition and correlation of rock units, to assure identification of major lithologies and to provide depth determinations independent of drill-pipe measurements. The site at ERDA 6 was rejected because the structure of the lower Salado and the Castile is too severe to develop a repository along a single set of beds. The borehole also intersected a reservoir of pressurized brine and gas at about 2710'. The pore volume for the reservoir was estimated to be in the range from about 200,000 to about 2 million barrels. ERDA 6 was re-entered in 1981 by the Department of Energy (DOE) for the purpose of further testing the brine reservoir. Those tests are described in separate reports by the DOE and its contractors. The WIPP is a demonstration facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste from defense programs. The WIPP will also provide a research facility to investigate the interactions between bedded salt and high level wastes

Basic data report for drillhole ERDA 6 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1983-01-01

ERDA 6 was drilled in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, to investigate a candidate site for a nuclear waste repository. The site was subsequently rejected on the basis of geological data. ERDA 6 was drilled in the NE 1/4 SE 1/4, section 35, T21S,R31E. The borehole encountered, from top to bottom, 17 ft of Quaternary deposits, 55 ft of the Triassic Santa Rosa Sandstone, 466 ft of the Dewey Lake Red Beds, 273 ft of the Rustler Formation, 1785.5 ft of the Salado Formation and 374.5 ft of the upper Castile Formation, all of Permian age. Cores or drill cuttings were taken throughout the hole. A suite of wireline geophysical logs was run to a depth of 883 ft to facilitate the recognition and correlation of rock units, to assure identification of major lithologies and to provide depth determinations independent of drill-pipe measurements. The site at ERDA 6 was rejected because the structure of the lower Salado and the Castile is too severe to develop a repository along a single set of beds. The borehole also intersected a reservoir of pressurized brine and gas at about 2710'. The pore volume for the reservoir was estimated to be in the range from about 200,000 to about 2 million barrels. ERDA 6 was re-entered in 1981 by the Department of Energy (DOE) for the purpose of further testing the brine reservoir. Those tests are described in separate reports by the DOE and its contractors. The WIPP is a demonstration facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste from defense programs. The WIPP will also provide a research facility to investigate the interactions between bedded salt and high level wastes.

Disposal of TRU Waste from the PFP in pipe overpack containers to WIPP Including New Security Requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

HOPKINS, A.M.

2003-01-01

The Department of Energy is responsible for the safe management and cleanup of the DOE complex. As part of the cleanup and closure of the Plutonium Finishing Plant (PFP) located on the Hanford site, the nuclear material inventory was reviewed to determine the appropriate disposition path. Based on the nuclear material characteristics, the material was designated for stabilization and packaging for long term storage and transfer to the Savannah River Site, or a decision for discard was made. The discarded material was designated as waste material and slated for disposal to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Prior to preparing any residue wastes for disposal at the WIPP, several major activities need to be completed. As detailed a processing history as possible of the material including origin of the waste must be researched and documented. A technical basis for termination of safeguards on the material must be prepared and approved. Utilizing process knowledge and processing history, the material must be characterized, sampling requirements determined, acceptable knowledge package and waste designation completed prior to disposal. All of these activities involve several organizations including the contractor, DOE, state representatives and other regulators such as EPA. At PFP, a process has been developed for meeting the many, varied requirements and successfully used to prepare several residue waste streams including Rocky Flats incinerator ash, hanford incinerator ash and Sand, Slag and Crucible (SS and C) material for disposal. These waste residues are packed into Pipe Overpack Containers for shipment to the WIPP

Assessment of LANL transuranic waste management documentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, K.D.; Hoevemeyer, S.S.; McCance, C.H.; Jennrich, E.A.; Lund, D.M.

1991-04-01

This report presents the findings that resulted from the evaluation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) TRU Waste Characterization Procedures, conducted to determine their compliance with applicable DOE requirements. The driving requirements for the procedures appear to be contained in DOE Order 5820.2A; specific reference is made to Chapter II of that document. In addition, the WIPP-WAC sets forth specific waste forms and establishes the basis for LANL's TRU Waste Acceptance Criteria; any characterization plan must utilize procedures that address the requirements of the WIPP-WAC in order to ensure compliance with it. The purpose of the characterization procedures is to provide details to waste generators and/or waste certifiers regarding how the characterization plan is implemented for the gathering of analytical and/or knowledge-of-process information to allow certification of the waste. An annotated outline was developed from those criteria found in Sections 4.0 and 5.0 of the WIPP-WAC. The annotated outline of elements that should be addressed in characterization procedures is provided

Disposal phase experimental program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) facility comprises surface and subsurface facilities, including a repository mined in a bedded salt formation at a depth of 2,150 feet. It has been developed to safely and permanently isolate transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes in a deep geological disposal site. On April 12, 1996, the DOE submitted a revised Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B permit application to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). The DOE anticipates receiving an operating permit from the NMED; this permit is required prior to the start of disposal operations. On October 29, 1996, the DOE submitted a Compliance Certification Application (CCA) to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in accordance with the WIPP land Withdrawal Act (LWA) of 1992 (Public Law 102-579) as amended, and the requirements of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR) Parts 191 and 194. The DOE plans to begin disposal operations at the WIPP in November 1997 following receipt of certification by the EPA. The disposal phase is expected to last for 35 years, and will include recertification activities no less than once every five years. This Disposal Phase Experimental Program (DPEP) Plan outlines the experimental program to be conducted during the first 5-year recertification period. It also forms the basis for longer-term activities to be carried out throughout the 35-year disposal phase. Once the WIPP has been shown to be in compliance with regulatory requirements, the disposal phase gives an opportunity to affirm the compliance status of the WIPP, enhance the operations of the WIPP and the national TRU system, and contribute to the resolution of national and international nuclear waste management technical needs. The WIPP is the first facility of its kind in the world. As such, it provides a unique opportunity to advance the technical state of the art for permanent disposal of long-lived radioactive wastes

Progress and Lessons Learned in Transuranic Waste Disposition at The Department of Energy's Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J.D. Mousseau; S.C. Raish; F.M. Russo

2006-05-18

This paper provides an overview of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP) located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and operated by Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC(BBWI) It describes the results to date in meeting the 6,000-cubic-meter Idaho Settlement Agreement milestone that was due December 31, 2005. The paper further describes lessons that have been learned from the project in the area of transuranic (TRU) waste processing and waste certification. Information contained within this paper would be beneficial to others who manage TRU waste for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

Progress and Lessons Learned in Transuranic Waste Disposition at The Department of Energy's Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

J.D. Mousseau; S.C. Raish; F.M. Russo

2006-01-01

This paper provides an overview of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project (AMWTP) located at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and operated by Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC(BBWI) It describes the results to date in meeting the 6,000-cubic-meter Idaho Settlement Agreement milestone that was due December 31, 2005. The paper further describes lessons that have been learned from the project in the area of transuranic (TRU) waste processing and waste certification. Information contained within this paper would be beneficial to others who manage TRU waste for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

The Wipp Disposal Decision Plan: the Successful Road Map for Transparent and Credible Decision-Making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eriksson, Leif G.

2001-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) deep geological repository for long-lived, transuranic radioactive waste (TRUW) opened on the 26th of March 1999. Beginning on the 4th of April 1994, the United States Department of Energy (DOE), implemented the WIPP Disposal Decision Plan (DDP), which embodied the five-year vision and intents of the then DOE Manager of the Carlsbad Area Office (CAO), presently the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO). The successful design and implementation of the DDP ensured good science, enhanced regulator and stake holder (affected and interested parties) interactions and acceptance of programmatic decisions, which resulted in the certification of the WIPP TRUW repository by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the 18th of May 1998, almost three years earlier than projected in November 1993. The present paper contains three sections: A concise background information on the CBFO's TRUW disposal program, incl. the legal framework, current status, and author-envisioned challenges and solutions; A description of the main components and attributes of the WIPP DDP. A summary of the lessons learned during and after the 1994 through 1998 implementation of the WIPP DDP

The Wipp Disposal Decision Plan: the Successful Road Map for Transparent and Credible Decision-Making

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eriksson, Leif G. [GRAM, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2001-07-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) deep geological repository for long-lived, transuranic radioactive waste (TRUW) opened on the 26th of March 1999. Beginning on the 4th of April 1994, the United States Department of Energy (DOE), implemented the WIPP Disposal Decision Plan (DDP), which embodied the five-year vision and intents of the then DOE Manager of the Carlsbad Area Office (CAO), presently the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO). The successful design and implementation of the DDP ensured good science, enhanced regulator and stake holder (affected and interested parties) interactions and acceptance of programmatic decisions, which resulted in the certification of the WIPP TRUW repository by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the 18th of May 1998, almost three years earlier than projected in November 1993. The present paper contains three sections: A concise background information on the CBFO's TRUW disposal program, incl. the legal framework, current status, and author-envisioned challenges and solutions; A description of the main components and attributes of the WIPP DDP. A summary of the lessons learned during and after the 1994 through 1998 implementation of the WIPP DDP.

Sandia WIPP calibration traceability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schuhen, M.D. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Dean, T.A. [RE/SPEC, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

1996-05-01

This report summarizes the work performed to establish calibration traceability for the instrumentation used by Sandia National Laboratories at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) during testing from 1980-1985. Identifying the calibration traceability is an important part of establishing a pedigree for the data and is part of the qualification of existing data. In general, the requirement states that the calibration of Measuring and Test equipment must have a valid relationship to nationally recognized standards or the basis for the calibration must be documented. Sandia recognized that just establishing calibration traceability would not necessarily mean that all QA requirements were met during the certification of test instrumentation. To address this concern, the assessment was expanded to include various activities.

Sandia WIPP calibration traceability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuhen, M.D.; Dean, T.A.

1996-05-01

This report summarizes the work performed to establish calibration traceability for the instrumentation used by Sandia National Laboratories at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) during testing from 1980-1985. Identifying the calibration traceability is an important part of establishing a pedigree for the data and is part of the qualification of existing data. In general, the requirement states that the calibration of Measuring and Test equipment must have a valid relationship to nationally recognized standards or the basis for the calibration must be documented. Sandia recognized that just establishing calibration traceability would not necessarily mean that all QA requirements were met during the certification of test instrumentation. To address this concern, the assessment was expanded to include various activities

Science to compliance: The WIPP success story

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howarth, S.M.; Chu, M.S.; Shephard, L.E.

1997-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeast New Mexico has been studied as a transuranic waste repository for the past 23 years. During this time, an extensive site characterization, design, construction, and experimental program was completed to provide in-depth understanding of the dominant processes that are most likely to influence the containment of radionuclides for 10,000 years. The success of the program, however, is defined by the regulator in the context of compliance with performance criteria, rather than by the in-depth technical understanding typical of most scientific programs. The WIPP project was successful in making a transformation from science to compliance by refocusing and redirecting programmatic efforts toward the singular goal of meeting regulatory compliance requirements while accelerating the submittal of the Compliance Certification Application (CCA) by two months from the April 1994 Disposal Decision Plan (DDP) date of December 1996, and by reducing projected characterization costs by more than 40%. This experience is unparalleled within the radioactive waste management community and has contributed to numerous lessons learned from which the entire community can benefit

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Initial Report for PCB Disposal Authorization (40 CFR (section) 761.75[c])

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westinghouse TRU Solutions

2002-01-01

from the WIPP website. To facilitate the disposal of TRU wastes containing PCBs, the owner/operators are hereby submitting this initial report containing information required pursuant to the Chemical Waste Landfill Approval requirements in 40 CFR (section) 761.75(c). Although WIPP is defined as a miscellaneous unit and not a landfill by the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act, WIPP meets or exceeds all applicable technical standards for chemical waste landfills by virtue of its design and programs as indicated in the Engineering Report (Attachment B). The layout of this initial report is consistent with requirements (i.e., Sections 2.0 through 12.0 following the sequence of 40 CFR (section) 761.75[c][i] -[ix] with sections added to discuss the Contingency and Training Plans; and Attachment B of this initial report addresses the requirements of 40 CFR (section) 761.75[b][1] through [9] in this order). This initial report includes a description of three proposed changes that will be subject to ''conditional approval.'' The first will allow the disposal of remote-handled (RH) PCB/TRU waste at WIPP. The second will allow the establishment of a central confirmation facility at WIPP. The third will allow for an increase in contact-handled Working Copy Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Initial Report for PCB Disposal Authorization DOE/WIPP 02-3196 (CH) waste storage capacities. These proposed changes are discussed further in Section 3.3 of this initial report. ''Conditional approval'' of these requests would allow these activities at WIPP contingent upon: - Approval of the HWFP modification (NMED) and Compliance Certification Application (CCA) change request (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]) - Inspection of facility prior to implementing the change (if deemed necessary by the EPA) - Written approval from the EPA This initial report also includes the following three requests for waivers to the technical requirements for Chemical Waste Landfills pursuant to 40 CFR (section) 761.75(c

Performance Demonstration Program Plan for Nondestructive Assay of Drummed Wastes for the TRU Waste Characterization Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO). The nuclear material type, mass and associated alpha activity of the NDA PDP radioactive standard sets have been specified and fabricated to allow assembly of PDP samples that simulate TRU alpha activity concentrations, radionuclidic/isotopic distributions and physical forms typical of the DOE TRU waste inventory. The PDP matrix drum waste matrix types were derived from an evaluation of information contained in the Transuranic Waste Baseline Inventory Report (TWBIR) to ensure representation of prevalent waste types and their associated matrix characteristics in NDA PDP testing. NDA drum analyses required by the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) may only be performed by measurement facilities that comply with the performance criteria as set forth in the NDA PDP Plan. In this document, these analyses are referred to as WIPP analyses, and the wastes on which they are performed are referred to as WIPP wastes.

Re-engineering caused by ISO-9000 certification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hvam, Lars; Nielsen, Anders Paarup; Bjarnø, Ole-Christian

1997-01-01

Based on a project performed at a medium-sized producer of medical utensils, reviews some of the problems which the company experienced in connection with the system built up during ISO 9001 certification, and the re-engineering efforts which were performed in order to relieve these problems....... Focuses in particular on a re-structuring of the company’s system for production documentation and its relation to the traceability of their products. This system was radically altered during the project without the traceability requirements being violated or reduced. These changes resulted in a marked...... increase in productivity....

Studies of transuranic waste storage under conditions expected in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Interim summary report, October 1, 1977-June 15, 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosiewicz, S.T.; Barraclough, B.L.; Zerwekh, A.

1980-01-01

The major focus of the program has been on the gas generation potential of organic wastes produced by radiolytic and thermal degradation under simulated WIPP storage conditions. The effects of TRU contamination level, temperature, waste type, pressure, and exposure time on radiolysis are presented. In addition, results from preliminary experiments on processed sludge dewatering are discussed. A summary is presented here of the results of a detailed study of all retrievably stored TRU wastes present at LASL before January 1, 1978. The data indicate a gross volume for the LASL inventory of 1610 m 3 with a total weight of nearly 1.24 x 10 6 kg (1240 metric tonnes). The dominant radionuclide contents of the waste are plutonium (primarily 238 Pu) and americium

Expert (Peer) Reviews at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP): Making Complex Information and Decision Making Transparent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eriksson, Leif G.

2001-01-01

On the 18th of May 1998, based on the information provided by the United Sates Department of Energy (DOE) in support of the 1996 Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency certified the proposed deep geological repository for disposal of long-lived, defense-generated, transuranic radioactive waste at the WIPP site in New Mexico, United States of America, was compliant with all applicable radioactive waste disposal regulations. Seven domestic and one joint international peer reviews commissioned by the DOE were instrumental in making complex scientific and engineering information, as well as the related WIPP decision-making process, both credible and transparent to the majority of affected and interested parties and, ultimately, to the regulator

Expert (Peer) Reviews at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP): Making Complex Information and Decision Making Transparent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eriksson, Leif G. [GRAM, Inc., Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2001-07-01

On the 18th of May 1998, based on the information provided by the United Sates Department of Energy (DOE) in support of the 1996 Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency certified the proposed deep geological repository for disposal of long-lived, defense-generated, transuranic radioactive waste at the WIPP site in New Mexico, United States of America, was compliant with all applicable radioactive waste disposal regulations. Seven domestic and one joint international peer reviews commissioned by the DOE were instrumental in making complex scientific and engineering information, as well as the related WIPP decision-making process, both credible and transparent to the majority of affected and interested parties and, ultimately, to the regulator.

TRU waste from the Superblock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coburn, T.T.

1997-01-01

This data analysis is to show that weapons grade plutonium is of uniform composition to the standards set by the Waste-Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Transuranic Waste Characterization Quality Assurance Program Plan (TRUW Characterization QAPP, Rev. 2, DOE, Carlsbad Area Office, November 15, 1996). The major portion of Superblock transuranic (TRU) waste is glove-box trash contaminated with weapons grade plutonium. This waste originates in the Building 332 (B332) radioactive-materials area (RMA). Because each plutonium batch brought into the B332 RMA is well characterized with regard to nature and quantity of transuranic nuclides present, waste also will be well characterized without further analytical work, provided the batches are quite similar. A sample data set was created by examining the 41 incoming samples analyzed by Ken Raschke (using a γ-ray spectrometer) for isotopic distribution and by Ted Midtaune (using a calorimeter) for mass of radionuclides. The 41 samples were from separate batches analyzed May 1993 through January 1997. All available weapons grade plutonium data in Midtaune's files were used. Alloys having greater than 50% transuranic material were included. The intention of this study is to use this sample data set to judge ''similarity.''

Quality assurance procedures for the analysis of TRU waste samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glasgow, D.C. Giaquinto, J.M.; Robinson, L.

1995-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project was undertaken in response to the growing need for a national repository for transuranic (TRU) waste. Guidelines for WIPP specify that any waste item to be interred must be fully characterized and analyzed to determine the presence of chemical compounds designated hazardous and certain toxic elements. The Transuranic Waste Characterization Program (TWCP) was launched to develop analysis and quality guidelines, certify laboratories, and to oversee the actual waste characterizations at the laboratories. ORNL is participating in the waste characterization phase and brings to bear a variety of analytical techniques including ICP-AES, cold vapor atomic absorption, and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to collective determine arsenic, cadmium, barium, chromium, mercury, selenium, silver, and other elements. All of the analytical techniques involved participate in a cooperative effort to meet the project objectives. One important component of any good quality assurance program is determining when an alternate method is more suitable for a given analytical problem. By bringing to bear a whole arsenal of analytical techniques working toward common objectives, few analytical problems prove to be insurmountable. INAA and ICP-AES form a powerful pair when functioning in this cooperative manner. This paper will provide details of the quality assurance protocols, typical results from quality control samples for both INAA and ICP-AES, and detail method cooperation schemes used

Draft plan for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant test phase: Performance assessment and operations demonstration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-04-01

The mission of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Project is to provide a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes resulting from United States defense programs. With the Construction Phase of the WIPP facility nearing completion, WIPP is ready to initiate the next phase in its development, the Test Phase. The purpose of the Test Phase is to collect the necessary scientific and operational data to support a determination whether to proceed to the Disposal Phase and thereby designate WIPP a demonstration facility for the disposal of TRU wastes. This decision to proceed to the Disposal Phase is scheduled for consideration by September 1994. Development of the WIPP facility is the responsibility of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), whose Albuquerque Operations Office has designated the WIPP Project Office as Project Manager. This document describes the two major programs to be conducted during the Test Phase of WIPP: (1) Performance Assessment for determination of compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency Standard and (2) Operations Demonstration for evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of the DOE TRU waste management system's ability to emplace design throughput quantities of TRU waste in the WIPP facility. 42 refs., 38 figs., 14 tabs

Basic data report for drillhole AEC 8 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

AEC 8 was originally drilled in 1974 to a depth of 3028 ft by Oak Ridge National Laboratory as part of the initial investigations of a site for radioactive waste disposal. In 1976, Sandia National Laboratories deepened the borehole from the top of the Castile Formation into the Bell Canyon Formation to test the hydraulic properties of the Bell Canyon. The borehole encountered in descending order Holocene sands (20 ft), Mescalero caliche (6 ft), Santa Rosa Sandstone (143 ft), Dewey Lake Redbeds (491 ft), Rustler Formation (322 ft), Salado Formation (1990 ft), Castile Formation (1335 ft), and the upper Bell Canyon Formation (603 ft). The borehole stratigraphy is in normal order and there is no significant deformation. An extensive suite of geophysical logs provides information on the lithology and stratigraphy. The potentiometric surfaces of Bell Canyon fluid-bearing zones are 550 ft (for the zone at 4821 ft to 4827 ft) and 565 ft below land surface (for the zone at 4844 to 4860 ft). The WIPP is a demonstration facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste from defense programs. The WIPP will also provide a research facility to investigate the interactions between bedded salt and high level wastes

Fluid injection for salt water disposal and enhanced oil recovery as a potential problem for the WIPP: Proceedings of a June 1995 workshop and analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, M.K.

1996-08-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a facility of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), designed and constructed for the permanent disposal of transuranic (TRU) defense waste. The repository is sited in the New Mexico portion of the Delaware Basin, at a depth of 655 meters, in the salt beds of the Salado Formation. The WIPP is surrounded by reserves and production of potash, crude oil and natural gas. In selecting a repository site, concerns about extensive oil field development eliminated the Mescalero Plains site in Chaves County and concerns about future waterflooding in nearby oil fields helped eliminate the Alternate II site in Lea County. Ultimately, the Los Medanos site in Eddy County was selected, relying in part on the conclusion that there were no oil reserves at the site. For oil field operations, the problem of water migrating from the injection zone, through other formations such as the Salado, and onto adjacent property has long been recognized. In 1980, the DOE intended to prohibit secondary recovery by waterflooding in one mile buffer surrounding the WIPP Site. However, the DOE relinquished the right to restrict waterflooding based on a natural resources report which maintained that there was a minimal amount of crude oil likely to exist at the WIPP site, hence waterflooding adjacent to the WIPP would be unlikely. This document presents the workshop presentations and analyses for the fluid injection for salt water disposal and enhanced oil recovery utilizing fluid injection and their potential effects on the WIPP facility

Certifying the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Lessons Learned from the WIPP Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, D.R.; Chu, Margaret S.Y.; Froehlich, Gary K.; Howard, Bryan A.; Howarth, Susan M.; Larson, Kurt W.; Pickering, Susan Y.; Swift, Peter N.

1999-01-01

In May 1998, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as being in compliance with applicable long-term regulations governing the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel, high-level, and transuranic radioactive wastes. The WIPP is the first deep geologic repository in the US to have successfully demonstrated regulatory compliance with long-term radioactive waste disposal requirements. The first disposal of TRU waste at WIPP occurred on March 26, 1999. Many of the lessons learned during the WIPP Project's transition from site characterization and experimental research to the preparation of a successful application may be of general interest to other repository programs. During a four-year period (1992 to 1996), the WIPP team [including the DOE Carlsbad Area Office (CAO), the science advisor to CAO, Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and the management and operating contractor of the WIPP site, Westinghouse Electric Corporation (WID)] met its aggressive schedule for submitting the application without compromising the integrity of the scientific basis for the long-term safety of the repository. Strong leadership of the CAO-SNL-WID team was essential. Within SNL, a mature and robust performance assessment (PA) allowed prioritization of remaining scientific activities with respect to their impact on regulatory compliance. Early and frequent dialog with EPA staff expedited the review process after the application was submitted. Questions that faced SNL are familiar to geoscientists working in site evaluation projects. What data should be gathered during site characterization? How can we know when data are sufficient? How can we know when our understanding of the disposal system is sufficient to support our conceptual models? What constitutes adequate ''validation'' of conceptual models for processes that act over geologic time? How should we use peer review and expert judgment? Other

Proposed waste isolation pilot project (WIPP) and impacts in the state of New Mexico: a socio-economic analysis. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cummings, R.D.; Burness, H.S.; Norton, R.D.

1981-04-01

This document is a final report for research conducted concerning the socio-economic impacts in the State of New Mexico that might attend the construction and operation of the proposed Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The proposed site for the WIPP, known as the Los Medanos site, is in Southeastern New Mexico's Eddy County, some 25 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico and some 40 miles from Hobbs, New Mexico, in adjacent Lea County. The purpose as set out in the US Department of Energy's environmental impact statements is for storage of TRU waste from the US defense program and the construction of a research and development area for experiments concerning the isolation of all types of nuclear waste in salt. The intended purpose of the study is to identify, measure (when possible) and assess the range of potential socio-economic impacts in the State that may be attributable to the WIPP. Every effort has been made by the authors to approach this task in an objective manner. In efforts to provide an objective analysis of the WIPP, however, particular attention was required in providing a comprehensive review of potential impacts. This means that however unlikely an impact might seem, the authors have purposely avoided pre-judging the potential magnitude of the impact and have applied their best efforts to measure it. On the other hnd, this study is not intended to provide a definitive calculation regarding the net balance of WIPP-related benefits and costs. To help ensure objectivity, two advisory boards, Technical Advisory Board and Public Advisory Board, were formed at the outset of the project for the purpose of providing periodic reviews of research efforts

Mobile systems capability plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-09-01

This plan was prepared to initiate contracting for and deployment of these mobile system services. 102,000 cubic meters of retrievable, contact-handled TRU waste are stored at many sites around the country. Also, an estimated 38,000 cubic meters of TRU waste will be generated in the course of waste inventory workoff and continuing DOE operations. All the defense TRU waste is destined for disposal in WIPP near Carlsbad NM. To ship TRU waste there, sites must first certify that the waste meets WIPP waste acceptance criteria. The waste must be characterized, and if not acceptable, subjected to additional processing, including repackaging. Most sites plan to use existing fixed facilities or open new ones between FY1997-2006 to perform these functions; small-quantity sites lack this capability. An alternative to fixed facilities is the use of mobile systems mounted in trailers or skids, and transported to sites. Mobile systems will be used for all characterization and certification at small sites; large sites can also use them. The Carlsbad Area Office plans to pursue a strategy of privatization of mobile system services, since this offers a number of advantages. To indicate the possible magnitude of the costs of deploying mobile systems, preliminary estimates of equipment, maintenance, and operating costs over a 10-year period were prepared and options for purchase, lease, and privatization through fixed-price contracts considered

Evaluation of a TRU fundamental criterion and reference TRU waste units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klett, R.

1993-01-01

The comparison of two options for regulating transuranic (TRU) waste disposal is explained in this paper. The two options are (1) fundamental and derived standards developed specifically for the TRU waste and (2) a family of procedures that use a reference to the TRU waste unit with procedures that use a reference to the TRU waste unit with commercial high-level waste (HLW) criteria. Background information pertaining to both options is covered. A section on criteria specifically for TRUE waste suggests a methodology for developing or adapting fundamental and derived criteria that are consistent with all other aspects of the standards. The section on references TRU waste units covers all the parameter variations that have been suggested for this option. The technical bases of each approach is reviewed, implementation is discussed and their relative attributes and deficiencies are evaluated

Source term estimation and the isotopic ratio of radioactive material released from the WIPP repository in New Mexico, USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thakur, P.

2016-01-01

lifted its lid to allow release of waste into the underground air. - Highlights: • February 14, 2014 radiation release from the Nation's only TRU waste repository is discussed. • Environmental monitoring results in the vicinity of the WIPP site are presented. • Source term estimation of the radioactive material released is assessed. • The isotopic ratio of the radioactive material release from the WIPP is discussed.

Transuranic waste management at Savannah River - past, present, and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Ambrosia, J.

1985-01-01

The major objective of the TRU program at Savannah River is to support the TRU National Program, which is dedicated to preparing waste for, and emplacing waste in, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, (WIPP). Thus, the Savannah River Program also supports WIPP operations. The Savannah River site specific goals to phase out the indefinite storage of TRU waste, which has been the mode of waste management since 1974, and to dispose of Savannah River's Defense TRU waste

Mobile/portable transuranic waste characterization systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a model for their use complex-wide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derr, E.D.; Harper, J.R.; Zygmunt, S.J.; Taggart, D.P.; Betts, S.E.

1997-01-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory has implemented mobile and portable characterization and repackaging systems to characterize TRU waste in storage for ultimate shipment and disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, NM. These mobile systems are being used to characterize and repackage waste to meet the full requirements of the WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) and the WIPP Characterization Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP). Mobile and portable characterization and repackaging systems are being used to supplement the capabilities and throughputs of existing facilities. Utilization of mobile systems is a key factor that is enabling LANL to: (1) reduce its TRU waste work-off schedule from 36 years to 8.5 years; (2) eliminate the need to construct a $70M+ TRU waste characterization facility; (3) have waste certified for shipment to WIPP when WIPP opens; (4) continue to ship TRU waste to WIPP at the rate of 5000 drums per year; and, (5) reduce overall costs by more than $200M. Aggressive implementation of mobile and portable systems throughout the DOE complex through a centralized-distributed services model will result in similar advantages complex-wide

Mobile/portable transuranic waste characterization systems at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a model for their use complex-wide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derr, E.D.; Harper, J.R.; Zygmunt, S.J.; Taggart, D.P.; Betts, S.E.

1997-01-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has implemented mobile and portable characterization and repackaging systems to characterize transuranic (TRU) waste in storage for ultimate shipment and disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) near Carlsbad, NM. These mobile systems are being used to characterize and repackage waste to meet the full requirements of the WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) and the WIPP Characterization Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP). Mobile and portable characterization and repackaging systems are being used to supplement the capabilities and throughputs of existing facilities. Utilization of mobile systems is a key factor that is enabling LANL to (1) reduce its TRU waste work-off schedule from 36 years to 8.5 years; (2) eliminate the need to construct a $70M+ TRU waste characterization facility; (3) have waste certified for shipment to WIPP when WIPP opens; (4) continue to ship TRU waste to WIPP at the rate of 5000 drums per year; and (5) reduce overall costs by more than $200M. Aggressive implementation of mobile and portable systems throughout the Department of Energy complex through a centralized-distributed services model will result in similar advantages complex-wide

TruStore: Implementing a Trusted Store for Android

OpenAIRE

Yury, Zhauniarovich; Olga, Gadyatskaya; Bruno, Crispo

2013-01-01

In the Android ecosystem, the process of verifying the integrity of downloaded apps is left to the user. Different from other systems, e.g., Apple, App Store, Google does not provide any certified vetting process for the Android apps. This choice has a lot of advantages but it is also the open door to possible attacks as the recent one shown by Bluebox. To address this issue, we present how to enable the deployment of application certification service, we called TruStores, for the Android pla...

Performance Demonstration Program Plan for Nondestructive Assay of Boxed Wastes for the TRU Waste Characterization Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

The Performance Demonstration Program (PDP) for nondestructive assay (NDA) consists of a series of tests to evaluate the capability for NDA of transuranic (TRU) waste throughout the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. Each test is termed a PDP cycle. These evaluation cycles provide an objective measure of the reliability of measurements obtained from NDA systems used to characterize the radiological constituents of TRU waste. The primary documents governing the conduct of the PDP are the Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WAC; DOE 1999a) and the Quality Assurance Program Document (QAPD; DOE 1999b). The WAC requires participation in the PDP; the PDP must comply with the QAPD and the WAC. The WAC contains technical and quality requirements for acceptable NDA. This plan implements the general requirements of the QAPD and applicable requirements of the WAC for the NDA PDP for boxed waste assay systems. Measurement facilities demonstrate acceptable performance by the successful testing of simulated waste containers according to the criteria set by this PDP Plan. Comparison among DOE measurement groups and commercial assay services is achieved by comparing the results of measurements on similar simulated waste containers reported by the different measurement facilities. These tests are used as an independent means to assess the performance of measurement groups regarding compliance with established quality assurance objectives (QAO's). Measurement facilities must analyze the simulated waste containers using the same procedures used for normal waste characterization activities. For the boxed waste PDP, a simulated waste container consists of a modified standard waste box (SWB) emplaced with radioactive standards and fabricated matrix inserts. An SWB is a waste box with ends designed specifically to fit the TRUPACT-II shipping container. SWB's will be used to package a substantial volume of the TRU waste for disposal. These PDP sample components

TRU partnership-benefits to the national TRU program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lippis, J.; Lott, S.A.

1995-01-01

Because increased regulatory authority has been given to the states, the management of transuranic (TRU) wastes varies considerably. One effective tool for facilitating better communications, coordination, and cooperation among the generator/storage sites is the formation of topic specific interface working groups. The National TRU Program supports these groups, and in 1994, a policy was adopted to manage these interface working groups

Environmental impact statement for initiation of transuranic waste disposal at the waste isolation pilot plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, H.E.; Whatley, M.E.

1996-01-01

WIPP's long-standing mission is to demonstrate the safe disposal of TRU waste from US defense activities. In 1980, to comply with NEPA, US DOE completed its first environmental impact statement (EIS) which compared impacts of alternatives for TRU waste disposal. Based on this 1980 analysis, DOE decided to construct WIPP in 1981. In a 1990 decision based on examination of alternatives in a 1990 Supplemental EIS, DOE decided to continue WIPP development by proceeding with a testing program to examine WIPP's suitability as a TRU waste repository. Now, as DOE's Carlsbad Area Office (CAO) attempts to complete its regulatory obligations to begin WIPP disposal operations, CAO is developing WIPP's second supplemental EIS (SEIS-II). To complete the SEIS-II, CAO will have to meet a number of challenges. This paper explores both the past and present EISs prepared to evaluate the suitability of WIPP. The challenges in completing an objective comparison of alternatives, while also finalizing other critical-path compliance documents, controlling costs, and keeping stakeholders involved during the decision-making process are addressed

Autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty or TruFit plugs for cartilage repair.

Science.gov (United States)

Hindle, Paul; Hendry, Jane L; Keating, John F; Biant, Leela C

2014-06-01

Autologous osteochondral mosaicplasty and TruFit Bone graft substitute plugs are methods used to repair symptomatic articular cartilage defects in the adult knee. There have been no comparative studies of the two techniques. This retrospective study assessed functional outcome of patients using the EQ-5D, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and Modified Cincinnati scores at follow-up of 1-5 years. There were 66 patients in the study (35 TruFit and 31 Mosaicplasty): 44 males and 22 females with a mean age of 37.3 years (SD 12.6). The mean BMI was 26.8. Thirty-six articular cartilage lesions were due to trauma, twenty-six due to osteochondritis dissecans and three due to non-specific degenerative change or unknown. There was no difference between the two groups age (n.s.), sex (n.s.), BMI (n.s.), defect location (n.s.) or aetiology (n.s.). The median follow-up was 22 months for the TruFit cohort and 30 months for the mosaicplasty group. There was no significant difference in the requirement for re-operation (n.s). Patients undergoing autologous mosaicplasty had a higher rate of returning to sport (p = 0.006), lower EQ-5D pain scores (p = 0.048) and higher KOOS activities of daily living (p = 0.029) scores. Sub-group analysis showed no difference related to the number of cases the surgeon performed. Patients requiring re-operation had lower outcome scores regardless of their initial procedure. This study demonstrated significantly better outcomes using two validated outcome scores (KOOS, EQ-5D), and an ability to return to sport in those undergoing autologous mosaicplasty compared to those receiving TruFit plugs. IV.

Transuranic waste characterization sampling and analysis methods manual. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suermann, J.F.

1996-04-01

This Methods Manual provides a unified source of information on the sampling and analytical techniques that enable Department of Energy (DOE) facilities to comply with the requirements established in the current revision of the Transuranic Waste Characterization Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Transuranic (TRU) Waste Characterization Program (the Program) and the WIPP Waste Analysis Plan. This Methods Manual includes all of the testing, sampling, and analytical methodologies accepted by DOE for use in implementing the Program requirements specified in the QAPP and the WIPP Waste Analysis Plan. The procedures in this Methods Manual are comprehensive and detailed and are designed to provide the necessary guidance for the preparation of site-specific procedures. With some analytical methods, such as Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry, the Methods Manual procedures may be used directly. With other methods, such as nondestructive characterization, the Methods Manual provides guidance rather than a step-by-step procedure. Sites must meet all of the specified quality control requirements of the applicable procedure. Each DOE site must document the details of the procedures it will use and demonstrate the efficacy of such procedures to the Manager, National TRU Program Waste Characterization, during Waste Characterization and Certification audits

WIPP WAC Equivalence Support Measurements for Low-Level Sludge Waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory - 12242

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gruetzmacher, Kathleen M.; Bustos, Roland M.; Ferran, Scott G.; Gallegos, Lucas E. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States); Lucero, Randy P. [Pajarito Scientific Corporation, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87507 (United States)

2012-07-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) uses the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) as an off-site disposal facility for low-level waste (LLW), including sludge waste. NNSS has issued a position paper that indicates that systems that are not certified by the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) disposal of Transuranic (TRU) waste must demonstrate equivalent practices to the CBFO certified systems in order to assign activity concentration values to assayed items without adding in the Total Measurement Uncertainty (TMU) when certifying waste for NNSS disposal. Efforts have been made to meet NNSS requirements to accept sludge waste for disposal at their facility. The LANL LLW Characterization Team uses portable high purity germanium (HPGe) detector systems for the nondestructive assay (NDA) of both debris and sludge LLW. A number of performance studies have been conducted historically by LANL to support the efficacy and quality of assay results generated by the LANL HPGe systems, and, while these detector systems are supported by these performance studies and used with LANL approved procedures and processes, they are not certified by CBFO for TRU waste disposal. Beginning in 2009, the LANL LLW Characterization Team undertook additional NDA measurements of both debris and sludge simulated waste containers to supplement existing studies and procedures to demonstrate full compliance with the NNSS position paper. Where possible, Performance Demonstration Project (PDP) drums were used for the waste matrix and PDP sources were used for the radioactive sources. Sludge drums are an example of a matrix with a uniform distribution of contaminants. When attempting to perform a gamma assay of a sludge drum, it is very important to adequately simulate this uniform distribution of radionuclides in order to accurately model the assay results. This was accomplished by using a spiral radial source tube placement in a sludge drum rather than the standard

Environmental Assessment for the Above Ground Storage Capability at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Draft

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2017-12-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the nation’s only approved repository for the disposal of defense related/defense generated transuranic (TRU) and mixed hazardous TRU waste (henceforth called TRU waste). The mission of the WIPP Project is to realize the safe disposal of TRU waste from TRU waste generator sites in the Department of Energy waste complex. The WIPP Project was authorized by Title II, Section 213(a) of Public Law 96-164 (U. S. Congress 1979). Congress designated the WIPP facility “for the express purpose of providing a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive wastes resulting from the defense activities and programs of the United States exempted from regulation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).” The WIPP facility is operated by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE). Transuranic waste that is disposed in the WIPP facility is defined by Section 2(18) the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act of 1992 (LWA) (U. S. Congress, 1992) as: “waste containing more than 100 nanocuries of alpha-emitting transuranic isotopes per gram of waste, with half-lives greater than 20 years, except for: (A) high-level radioactive waste; (B) waste that the Secretary has determined, with the concurrence of the Administrator, does not need the degree of isolation required by the disposal regulations; or (C) waste that the NRC has approved for disposal on a case-by-case basis in accordance with part 61 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant disposal phase final supplemental environmental impact statement. Volume 3: Comment response document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-09-01

The purpose of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Disposal Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS-II) is to provide information on environmental impacts regarding the Department of Energy''s (DOE) proposed disposal operations at WIPP. The Proposed Action describes the treatment and disposal of the Basic inventory of TRU waste over a 35-year period. The Action Alternatives proposed the treatment of the Basic Inventory and an Additional Inventory as well as the transportation of the treated waste to WIPP for disposal over a 150- to 190-year period. The three Action Alternatives include the treatment of TRU waste at consolidation sites to meet WIPP planning-basic Waste Acceptance Criteria, the thermal treatment of TRU waste to meet Land Disposal Restrictions, and the treatment of TRU waste by a shred and grout process. SEIS-II evaluates environmental impacts resulting from the various treatment options; the transportation of TRU waste to WIPP using truck, a combination of truck and regular rail service, and a combination of truck and dedicated rail service; and the disposal of this waste in the repository. Evaluated impacts include those to the general environment and to human health. Additional issues associated with the implementation of the alternatives are discussed to provide further understanding of the decisions to be reached and to provide the opportunity for public input on improving DOE''s Environmental Management Program. This volume provides responses to public comments on the Draft SEIS-II. Comments are related to: Alternatives; TRU waste; DOE credibility; Editorial; Endorsement/opposition; Environmental justice; Facility accidents; Generator site operations; Health and safety; Legal and policy issues; NEPA process; WIPP facilities; WIPP waste isolation performance; Purpose and need; WIPP operations; Site characterization; Site selection; Socioeconomics; and Transportation

Westinghouse Hanford Company plan for certifying newly generated contact -- handled transuranic waste. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lipinski, R.M.; Backlund, E.G.

1995-09-01

All transuranic (TRU) waste generators are required by US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5820.2A to package their TRU waste in order to comply wit the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) -- Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) or keep non-certifiable containers segregated. The Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) Transuranic Waste Certification Plan was developed to ensure that TRU newly generated waste at WHC meets the DOE Order 5820.2A and the WHC-WAC which includes the State of Washington Department of Ecology -- Washington Administrative Code (DOE-WAC). The metho used at WHC to package TRU waste are described in sufficient detail to meet the regulations. This document is organized to provide a brief overview of waste generation operations at WHC. The methods used to implement this plan are discussed briefly along with the responsibilities and authorities of applicable organizations. This plan describes how WHC complies with all applicable regulations and requirements set forth in the latest approved revision of WHC-EP-0063-4

Review of the WIPP draft application to show compliance with EPA transuranic waste disposal standards

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neill, R.H.; Chaturvedi, L.; Clemo, T.M. [and others

1996-03-01

The purpose of the New Mexico Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) is to conduct an independent technical evaluation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Project to ensure the protection of the public health and safety and the environment. The WIPP Project, located in southeastern New Mexico, is being constructed as a repository for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes generated by the national defense programs. The EEG was established in 1978 with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to the State of New Mexico. Public Law 100-456, the National Defense Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1989, Section 1433, assigned EEG to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and continued the original contract DE-AC04-79AL10752 through DOE contract DE-AC04-89AL58309. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994, Public Law 103-160, continues the authorization. EEG performs independent technical analyses of the suitability of the proposed site; the design of the repository, its planned operation, and its long-term integrity; suitability and safety of the transportation systems; suitability of the Waste Acceptance Criteria and the generator sites` compliance with them; and related subjects. These analyses include assessments of reports issued by the DOE and its contractors, other federal agencies and organizations, as they relate to the potential health, safety and environmental impacts from WIPP. Another important function of EEG is the independent environmental monitoring of background radioactivity in air, water, and soil, both on-site and off-site.

Review of the WIPP draft application to show compliance with EPA transuranic waste disposal standards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neill, R.H.; Chaturvedi, L.; Clemo, T.M.

1996-03-01

The purpose of the New Mexico Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) is to conduct an independent technical evaluation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Project to ensure the protection of the public health and safety and the environment. The WIPP Project, located in southeastern New Mexico, is being constructed as a repository for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes generated by the national defense programs. The EEG was established in 1978 with funds provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to the State of New Mexico. Public Law 100-456, the National Defense Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1989, Section 1433, assigned EEG to the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and continued the original contract DE-AC04-79AL10752 through DOE contract DE-AC04-89AL58309. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994, Public Law 103-160, continues the authorization. EEG performs independent technical analyses of the suitability of the proposed site; the design of the repository, its planned operation, and its long-term integrity; suitability and safety of the transportation systems; suitability of the Waste Acceptance Criteria and the generator sites' compliance with them; and related subjects. These analyses include assessments of reports issued by the DOE and its contractors, other federal agencies and organizations, as they relate to the potential health, safety and environmental impacts from WIPP. Another important function of EEG is the independent environmental monitoring of background radioactivity in air, water, and soil, both on-site and off-site

WIPP and the local communities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krenz, D.L.; Sankey, C.A.

1986-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is located 26 miles southeast of Carlsbad, New Mexico in southeastern New Mexico. Other neighboring communities include Lovington, Hobbs and Loving, New Mexico. In March 1983, the Site and Preliminary Design Validation (SPDV) phase of the project was completed. Full scale facility construction began in July of that year. Overall site construction is scheduled to be complete in December 1986. Construction completion will be followed by pre-operational and safety check-out in 1987, prior to receiving the first nuclear waste which is targeted for receipt on or after October 1988. WIPP has had a significant impact on the local communities. Many local people have been hired by the Department of Energy (DOE), Westinghouse Electric, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractors, as well as associated sub-contractors. As of December 31, 1985, 64% of the 643 people working at WIPP were hired from an 80-mile or less radius of the WIPP site. The majority of local residents support WIPP. As declining potash and mining industries negatively impacted the economic condition of Southeastern New Mexico, WIPP brought jobs and new business opportunities to the area

Combustion and fuel loading characteristics of Hanford Site transuranic solid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenhalgh, W.O.

1994-01-01

The Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility is being designed for construction in the north end of the Central Waste Complex. The WRAP Facility will receive, store, and process radioactive solid waste of both transuranic (TRU) and mixed waste (mixed radioactive-chemical waste) categories. Most of the waste is in 208-L (55-gal) steel drums. Other containers such as wood and steel boxes, and various sized drums will also be processed in the facility. The largest volume of waste and the type addressed in this report is TRU in 208-L (55-gal) drums that is scheduled to be processed in the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility Module 1 (WRAP 1). Half of the TRU waste processed by WRAP 1 is expected to be retrieved stored waste and the other half newly generated waste. Both the stored and new waste will be processed to certify it for permanent storage in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) or disposal. The stored waste will go through a process of retrieval, examination, analysis, segregation, repackaging, relabeling, and documentation before certification and WIPP shipment. Newly generated waste should be much easier to process and certify. However, a substantial number of drums of both retrievable and newly generated waste will require temporary storage and handling in WRAP. Most of the TRU waste is combustible or has combustible components. Therefore, the presence of a substantial volume of drummed combustible waste raises concern about fire safety in WRAP and similar waste drum storage facilities. This report analyzes the fire related characteristics of the expected WRAP TRU waste stream

Mobile loading transuranic waste at small quantity sites in the Department of Energy complex-10523

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carter, Mitch; Howard, Bryan; Weyerman, Wade; Mctaggart, Jerri

2009-01-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory, Carlsbad Office (LANL-CO), operates mobile loading operations for all of the large and small quantity transuranic (TRU) waste sites in the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. The mobile loading team performs loading and unloading evolutions for both contact handled (CH) and remote handled (RH) waste. For small quantity sites, many of which have yet to remove their TRU waste, the mobile loading team will load shipments that will ship to Idaho National Laboratory, a centralization site, or ship directly to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). For example, Argonne National Laboratory and General Electric Vallecitos Nuclear Center have certified programs for RH waste so they will ship their RH waste directly to WIPP. Many of the other sites will ship their waste to Idaho for characterization and certification. The Mobile Loading Units (MLU) contain all of the necessary equipment needed to load CH and RH waste into the appropriate shipping vessels. Sites are required to provide additional equipment, such as cranes, fork trucks, and office space. The sites are also required to provide personnel to assist in the shipping operations. Each site requires a site visit from the mobile loading team to ensure that all of the necessary site equipment, site requirements and space for shipping can be provided. The mobile loading team works diligently with site representatives to ensure that all safety and regulatory requirements are met. Once the waste is ready and shipping needs are met, the mobile loading team can be scheduled to ship the waste. The CH MLU is designed to support TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT loading activities wherever needed within the DOE complex. The team that performs the mobile loading operation has obtained national certification under DOE for TRUPACT-II and HalfPACT loading and shipment certification. The RH MLU is designed to support removable lid canister (RLC) and RH-72B cask loading activities wherever needed within the DOE

Determination of 99Tc in fresh water using TRU resin by ICP-MS.

Science.gov (United States)

Guérin, Nicolas; Riopel, Remi; Kramer-Tremblay, Sheila; de Silva, Nimal; Cornett, Jack; Dai, Xiongxin

2017-10-02

Technetium-99 ( 99 Tc) determination at trace level by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) is challenging because there is no readily available appropriate Tc isotopic tracer. A new method using Re as a recovery tracer to determine 99 Tc in fresh water samples, which does not require any evaporation step, was developed. Tc(VII) and Re(VII) were pre-concentrated on a small anion exchange resin (AER) cartridge from one litre of water sample. They were then efficiently eluted from the AER using a potassium permanganate (KMnO 4 ) solution. After the reduction of KMnO 4 in 2 M sulfuric acid solution, the sample was passed through a small TRU resin cartridge. Tc(VII) and Re(VII) retained on the TRU resin were eluted using near boiling water, which can be directly used for the ICP-MS measurement. The results for method optimisation, validation and application were reported. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Draft Title 40 CFR 191 compliance certification application for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Volume 5: Appendices D and D, DEF, FAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

This plan serves to describe the objectives of decommissioning for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), identifies the elements necessary to accomplish the decommissioning, and defines the steps to execute those elements in a safe and environmentally sound manner. The plan provides a strategy for progressing from the final actions of the Disposal Phase, through the Decontamination and Decommissioning Phase, and into the initiation of the Long-Term Monitoring Phase. This plan describes a sequence of events for decontamination of the WIPP facilities and structures used to manage and contain TRU and TRU mixed waste during the receipt and emplacement operations. Alternative methods of decontamination are provided where practical. The methods for packaging and disposal of the waste generated (derived waste) during this process are discussed. The best available technology at the time of this plan's development, may become outmoded by future technology and alternative strategies. If alternative technologies are identified the affected stakeholder(s), the Secretary of the Interior and the State will be consulted prior to implementation

Draft Title 40 CFR 191 compliance certification application for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. Volume 5: Appendices D and D, DEF, FAC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-03-31

This plan serves to describe the objectives of decommissioning for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), identifies the elements necessary to accomplish the decommissioning, and defines the steps to execute those elements in a safe and environmentally sound manner. The plan provides a strategy for progressing from the final actions of the Disposal Phase, through the Decontamination and Decommissioning Phase, and into the initiation of the Long-Term Monitoring Phase. This plan describes a sequence of events for decontamination of the WIPP facilities and structures used to manage and contain TRU and TRU mixed waste during the receipt and emplacement operations. Alternative methods of decontamination are provided where practical. The methods for packaging and disposal of the waste generated (derived waste) during this process are discussed. The best available technology at the time of this plan`s development, may become outmoded by future technology and alternative strategies. If alternative technologies are identified the affected stakeholder(s), the Secretary of the Interior and the State will be consulted prior to implementation.

Assessment of LANL transuranic mixed waste management documentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, K.D.; Hoevemeyer, S.S.; McCance, C.H.; Jennrich, E.A.; Lund, D.M.

1991-04-01

The objective of this report is to present findings from the evaluation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) TRU Mixed Waste Acceptance Criteria to determine its compliance with applicable DOE requirements. The driving requirements for s TRU Mixed Waste Acceptance Criteria are essentially those contained in the ''TRU Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant'' or WIPP WAC (DOE Report WIPP-DOE-069), 40 CFR 261-270, and DOE Order 5820.2A (Radioactive Waste Management), specifically Chapter II which is entitled ''Management of Transuranic Waste''. The primary purpose of the LANL WAC is the establishment of those criteria that must be met by generators of TRU mixed waste before such waste can be accepted by the Waste Management Group. An annotated outline of a genetic TRU mixed waste acceptance criteria document was prepared from those requirements contained in the WIPP WAC, 40 CFR 261-270, and 5820.2A, and is based solely upon those requirements

TRU partnership-Working smarter-Not harder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, D.W.; Briggs, S.R.; Martin, M.R.; Turner, D.R.

1994-01-01

The open-quotes TRU Partnershipclose quotes was initiated and continues to function under the catch phrase philosophy of open-quotes work smarter, not harderclose quotes. The parntership participants have realized that DOE no longer has the funding available to reinvent the wheel at each site. Information and experiences from each site need to accurately and timely provided to the other sites for their use. The project teams from the different TRU waste handling sites benefit enormously from the strong network that has developed between TRU partnership participants. The partnership working interface places design manager in touch with design manager, project manager with project manager, etc. across site boundaries, and equally important, across corporate boundaries. The TRU Partnership has created a team atmosphere for the participants. The team focus is on the common challenge of managing TRU waste projects to support site needs and the needs of the national TRU waste program. Although consistency of approach for all projects at any given site is important, the TRU Partnership provides an intersite forum to establish consistency and understanding across all DOE projects managing TRU waste. The TRU Partnership has adopted the Westinghouse Electric Corporation open-quotes Savings Through Sharingclose quotes philosophy as an integral part of its organizational objectives. As applied by the group, the approach concentrates on information and experiences that can enhance development and reduce costs for (TRU) waste projects

Basic data report for Drillhole AEC 7 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

AEC 7 is a borehole drilled in western Lea County, New Mexico, in section 31, T.21S.,R.32E. AEC 7 was drilled to 3918 feet in 1974 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Sandia deepened the hole to 4732 ft in 1979. The borehole provided stratigraphic and lithologic information in the initial and final drilling. The borehole was used extensively for tests of borehole plugs and plugging operations. AEC 7 penetrated, in descending order, Holocene sands and Mescalero caliche (8 ft), Santa Rosa Sandstone (109 ft), Dewey Lake Red Beds (542 ft), Rustler Formation (325 ft), Salado Formation (2014 ft), Castile Formation (1521 ft), and the upper Bell Canyon Formation (197 ft). Cores were obtained from much of the borehole. An extensive suite of geophysical logs provides information on stratigraphy, lithology, and structure. Beds were in normal stratigraphic sequence and without structural deformation except in the lower Castile. Anhydrite II and Halite II appear to be repeated in the borehole. This section was penetrated during deepening by Sandia; the structural complication is consistent with deformation found nearby in ERDA 6. The potential site on which AEC 7 is located was abandoned in 1976 after ERDA 6 was drilled. The WIPP is a demonstration facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste from defense programs. The WIPP will also provide a research facility to investigate the interactions between bedded salt and high level wastes

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 19 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-03-01

WIPP 19 is an exploratory borehole whose objective was to determine the nature of the near-surface formations after seismic information indicated a possible fault. The borehole is located in section 20, T.22S., R.31E., in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, and was drilled between April 6 and May 4, 1978. The hole was drilled to a depth of 1038.2 feet and encountered, from top to bottom, surficial Holocene deposits (7', including artificial fill for drill pad), the Mescalero caliche (7'), the Santa Rosa Sandstone (82'), the Dewey Lake Red Beds (494'), the Rustler Formation (315'), and the upper portion of the Salado Formation (143'). Cuttings were collected at 10-foot intervals. A suite of geophysical logs was run to measure acoustic velocities, density, and radioactivity. On the basis of comparison with other geologic sections drilled in the area, the WIPP 19 section is a normal stratigraphic sequence and it does not show structural disruption. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes. The WIPP will also provide facilities to research interactions between high-level waste and salt

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 21 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-03-01

WIPP 21 is an exploratory borehole whose objective is to determine the nature of the near-surface formations after seismic information indicated a possible fault. The borehole is located in section 20, T.22S., R.31E., in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, and was drilled between May 24 and 26, 1978. The hole was drilled to a depth of 1046 feet and encountered, from top to bottom, surficial Holocene deposits (6', including artificial fill for drill pad), the Mescalero caliche (6'), the Santa Rosa Sandstone (34'), the Dewey Lake Red Beds (487'), the Rustler Formation (308'), and the upper portion of the Salado Formation (178'). Cuttings were collected at 10-foot intervals. A suite of goephysical logs was run to measure acoustic velocities, density, and radioactivity. On the basis of comparison with other geologic sections drilled in the area, the WIPP 21 section is a normal stratigraphic sequence and it does not show structural disruption. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes. The WIPP will also provide facilities to research interactions between high-level waste and salt

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 18 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-03-01

WIPP 18 is an exploratory borehole whose objective is to determine the nature of the near-surface formations after seismic information indicated a possible fault. The borehole is located in section 20, T.22S., R.31E., in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, and was drilled between March 14 and 30, 1978. The hole was drilled to a depth of 1060 feet and encountered, from top to bottom, surficial Holocene deposits (5', including artificial fill for drill pad), the Mescalero caliche (4'), the Santa Rosa Sandstone (129'), the Dewey Lake Red Beds (475'), the Rustler Formation (315'), and the upper portion of the Salado Formation (132'). Cuttings were collected at 10-foot intervals. A suite of geophysical logs was run to measure acoustic velocities, density, and radioactivity. On the basis of comparison with other geologic sections drilled in the area, the WIPP 18 section is a normal stratigraphic sequence and it does not show structural disruption. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes. The WIPP will also provide facilities to research interactions between high-level waste and salt

Basic data report for Drillhole WIPP 22 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-03-01

WIPP 22 is an exploratory borehole whose objective is to determine the nature of the near-surface formations after seismic information indicated a possible fault. The borehole is located in section 20, T.22S., R.31E., in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, and was drilled between March 14 and 30, 1978. The hole was drilled to a depth of 1448 feet and encountered, from top to bottom, surficial Holocene deposits (6', including artificial fill for drill pad), the Mescalero caliche (7'), the Santa Rosa Sandstone (68'), the Dewey Lake Red Beds (492'), the Rustler Formation (311'), and the upper portion of the Salado Formation (565'). Cuttings were collected at 10-foot intervals. A suite of geophysical logs was run to measure acoustic velocities, density, and radioactivity. On the basis of comparison with other geologic sections drilled in the area, the WIPP 22 section is a normal stratigraphic sequence and it does not show structural disruption. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes. The WIPP will also provide facilities to research interactions between high-level waste and salt

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 26 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-08-01

WIPP 26 was drilled in Nash Draw (SE 1/4 NE 1/4, sec. 29, T22S, R30E) in Eddy County, New Mexico, to determine subsurface stratigraphy and examine dissolution features above undisturbed salt in the Salado Formation. Determination of dissolution rates will refine previous estimates and provide short-term (geologically) rates for WIPP risk assessments. The borehole encountered, from top to bottom, surficial deposits (10 ft with full materials for pad), Rustler Formation (299 ft), and the upper 194 ft of the Salado Formation. A dissolution residue, 11 ft thick, is at the top of the Salado Formation overlying halite-rich beds. In addition to obtaining nearly continuous core from the surface to total depth (503 ft), geophysical logs were taken to measure acoustic velocities, density, radioactivity, and formation resistivity. An interpretive report on dissolution in Nash Draw will be based on combined borehole basin data, surface mapping, and laboratory analyses of Nash Draw rocks and fluids. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes and to then be converted to a repository. The WIPP will also provide research facilities for interactions between high-level waste and salt

Management of remote-handled defense transuranic wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebra, M.A.; Pierce, G.D.; Carson, P.H.

1988-01-01

Transuranic (TRU) wastes generated by defense-related activities are scheduled for emplacement at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico beginning in October 1988. After five years of operation as a research and development facility, the WIPP may be designated as a permanent repository for these wastes, if it has been demonstrated that this deep, geologically stable formation is a safe disposal option. Defense TRU wastes are currently stored at various Department of Energy (DOE) sites across the nation. Approximately 2% by volume of currently stored TRU wastes are defined, on the basis of dose rates, as remote-handled (RH). RH wastes continue to be generated at various locations operated by DOE contractors. They require special handling and processing prior to and during emplacement in the WIPP. This paper describes the strategy for managing defense RH TRU wastes

Mobile/Modular Deployment Project-Enhancing Efficiencies within the National Transuranic Waste Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triay, I.R.; Basabilvazo, G.B.; Countiss, S.; Moody, D.C.; Behrens, R.G.; Lott, S.A.

2002-01-01

In 1999, the National Transuranic (TRU) Waste Program (NTP) achieved two significant milestones. First, the Waste Isolation Plant (WIPP) opened in March for the permanent disposal of TRU waste generated by, and temporarily stored at, various sites supporting the nation's defense programs. Second, the Hazardous Waste Facility Permit, issued by the New Mexico Environment Department, for WIPP became effective in November. While the opening of WIPP brought to closure a number of scientific, engineering, regulatory, and political challenges, achieving this major milestone led to a new set of challenges-how to achieve the Department of Energy's (DOE's) NTP end-state vision: All TRU waste from DOE sites scheduled for closure is removed All legacy TRU waste from DOE sites with an ongoing nuclear mission is disposed 0 All newly generated TRU waste is disposed as it is generated The goal is to operate the national TRU waste program safely, cost effectively, in compliance with applicable regulations and agreements, and at full capacity in a fully integrated mode. The existing schedule for TRU waste disposition would achieve the NTP vision in 2034 at an estimated life-cycle cost of $16B. The DOE's Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) seeks to achieve this vision early-by at least 10 years- while saving the nation an estimated $48 to $6B. CBFO's approach is to optimize, or to make as functional as possible, TRU waste disposition. That is, to remove barriers that impede waste disposition, and increase the rate and cost efficiency of waste disposal at WIPP, while maintaining safety. The Mobile/Modular Deployment Project (MMDP) is the principal vehicle for implementing DOE's new commercial model of using best business practices of national authorization basis, standardization, and economies of scale to accelerate the completion of WIPP's mission. The MMDP is one of the cornerstones of the National TRU Waste System Optimization Project (1). The objective of the MMDP is to increase TRU

Development of the remote-handled transuranic waste radioassay data quality objectives. An evaluation of RH-TRU waste inventories, characteristics, radioassay methods and capabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meeks, A.M.; Chapman, J.A.

1997-09-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant will accept remote-handled transuranic waste as early as October of 2001. Several tasks must be accomplished to meet this schedule, one of which is the development of Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) and corresponding Quality Assurance Objectives (QAOs) for the assay of radioisotopes in RH-TRU waste. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was assigned the task of providing to the DOE QAO, information necessary to aide in the development of DQOs for the radioassay of RH-TRU waste. Consistent with the DQO process, information needed and presented in this report includes: identification of RH-TRU generator site radionuclide data that may have potential significance to the performance of the WIPP repository or transportation requirements; evaluation of existing methods to measure the identified isotopic and quantitative radionuclide data; evaluation of existing data as a function of site waste streams using documented site information on fuel burnup, radioisotope processing and reprocessing, special research and development activities, measurement collection efforts, and acceptable knowledge; and the current status of technologies and capabilities at site facilities for the identification and assay of radionuclides in RH-TRU waste streams. This report is intended to provide guidance in developing the RH-TRU waste radioassay DQOs, first by establishing a baseline from which to work, second, by identifying needs to fill in the gaps between what is known and achievable today and that which will be required before DQOs can be formulated, and third, by recommending measures that should be taken to assure that the DQOs in fact balance risk and cost with an achievable degree of certainty.

Development of the remote-handled transuranic waste radioassay data quality objectives. An evaluation of RH-TRU waste inventories, characteristics, radioassay methods and capabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meeks, A.M.; Chapman, J.A.

1997-09-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant will accept remote-handled transuranic waste as early as October of 2001. Several tasks must be accomplished to meet this schedule, one of which is the development of Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) and corresponding Quality Assurance Objectives (QAOs) for the assay of radioisotopes in RH-TRU waste. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was assigned the task of providing to the DOE QAO, information necessary to aide in the development of DQOs for the radioassay of RH-TRU waste. Consistent with the DQO process, information needed and presented in this report includes: identification of RH-TRU generator site radionuclide data that may have potential significance to the performance of the WIPP repository or transportation requirements; evaluation of existing methods to measure the identified isotopic and quantitative radionuclide data; evaluation of existing data as a function of site waste streams using documented site information on fuel burnup, radioisotope processing and reprocessing, special research and development activities, measurement collection efforts, and acceptable knowledge; and the current status of technologies and capabilities at site facilities for the identification and assay of radionuclides in RH-TRU waste streams. This report is intended to provide guidance in developing the RH-TRU waste radioassay DQOs, first by establishing a baseline from which to work, second, by identifying needs to fill in the gaps between what is known and achievable today and that which will be required before DQOs can be formulated, and third, by recommending measures that should be taken to assure that the DQOs in fact balance risk and cost with an achievable degree of certainty

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 32 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-11-01

WIPP 32 is an exploratory borehole drilled to examine the subsurface at a small topographic high in Nash Draw. The borehole is located in east-central Eddy County, New Mexico, in NE 1/4 SE 1/4 Sec. 33, T.22S., R.29E. and was drilled in August, 1979. The hole was drilled to a depth of 390 feet, and encountered, from top to bottom, the Rustler Formation (166') and the upper Salado Formation (224'). Core was taken from 4 to 353 feet. Geophysical logs were run the full length of the hole to measure formation properties. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes. The WIPP will also provide facilities to research interactions between high-level waste and salt

TRUPACT-II, a regulatory perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregory, P.C.; Spooner, O.R.

1995-01-01

The Transuranic Package Transporter II (TRUPACT-II) is a US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) certified Type B packaging for the shipment of contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) material by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The NRC approved the TRUPACT-II design as meeting the requirements of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 71 (10 CFR 71) and issued Certificate of Compliance (CofC) Number 9218 to the DOE. There are currently 15 certified TRUPACT-IIs. Additional TRUPACT-IIs will be required to make more than 15,000 shipments of CH-TRU waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The TRUPACT-II may also be used for the DOE inter-site and intra-site shipments of CH-TRU waste. The Land Withdrawal Act (Public Law 102-579), enacted by the US Congress, October 30, 1992, and an agreement between the DOE and the State of New Mexico, signed August 4, 1987, both stipulate that only NRC approved packaging may be used for shipments of TRU waste to the WIPP. Early in the TRUPACT-II development phase it was decided that the transportation system (tractor, trailer, and TRUPACT-II) should be highway legal on all routes without the need for oversize and/or overweight permits. In large measure, public acceptance of the DOE's efforts to safely transport CH-TRU waste depends on the public's perception that the TRUPACT-II is in compliance with all applicable regulations, standards, and quality assurance requirements. This paper addresses some of the numerous regulations applicable to Type B packaging, and it describes how the TRUPACT-II complies with these regulations

Evaluation of proposed panel closure modifications at WIPP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, Lawrence E.; Silva, Matthew K.; Channell, James K.; Abel, John F.; Morgan, Dudley R.

2001-12-31

A key component in the design of the WIPP repository is the installation of concrete structures as panel seals in the intake and exhaust drifts after a panel has been filled with waste containers. As noted in the EPA final rule, the panel seal closure system is intended to block brine flow between the waste panels at the WIPP. On April 17, 2001, the DOE proposed seven modifications to the EPA concerning the design of the panel closure system. EPA approval of these modifications is necessary since the details of the panel design are specified in EPA’s final rule as a condition for WIPP certification. However, the EPA has not determined whether a rulemaking would be required for these proposed design modifications. On September 4, 2001, the DOE withdrew the request, noting that it would be resubmitted on a future date. The Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) contracted with two engineers, Dr. John Abel and Dr. Rusty Morgan, to evaluate the proposed modifications. The EEG has accepted the conclusions and recommendations from these two experts: 1) replacement of Salado Mass Concrete with a generic salt-based concrete; 2) replacement of the explosion wall with a construction wall; 3) replacement of freshwater grouting with salt-based grouting; 4) option to allow surface or underground mixing; and 5) option to allow up to one year for completion of closure. The proposed modification to allow local carbonate river rock as aggregate is acceptable pending demonstration that no problems will exist in the resulting concrete. The proposed modification to give the contractor discretion in removal of steel forms is not supported. Instead, several recommendations are made to specifically reduce the number of forms left, thereby reducing potential migration pathways.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) research and development program: in situ testing plan, March 1982

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matalucci, R.V.; Christensen, C.L.; Hunter, T.O.; Molecke, M.A.; Munson, D.E.

1982-12-01

The WIPP in southeast New Mexico is being developed as an R and D facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive defense wastes in bedded salt. The tests are done first without radioactive materials and then with transuranic (TRU) waste and Defense High-Level Waste (DHLW). The thermal/structural itneraction experiments include (a) geomechanical evaluations of access drifts, vertical shafts, and isothermal TRU disposal rooms during the Site and Preliminary Validation Program, (b) tests that represent the reference DHLW room configuraton (5.5 m x 5.5 m) and areal thermal loading of 12 W/m 2 , (c) an overtest of the DHLW congfiguration heated to about four times the reference thermal loading; (d) geomechanical evaluations of various room widths up to 9.1 m, variable pillar widths, and a long-drift intersection, (e) an 11-m-dia axisymmetric heated pillar test, and (f) miscellaneous tests to determine stress field and clay seam sliding resistance. The plugging and sealing experiments include (a) salt permeability tests, (b) tests to determine effects of size and scale on behavior of plugs and to determine backfill material behavior and emplacement techniques, and (c) a plug test matrix to evaluate candidate sealing materials. Waste package interaction experiments include (a) simulated-waste package tests that use several design options and engineered barrier materials under reference and accelerated DHLW environments, (b) confirmatory brine migration tests, (c) TRU drum durability tests in dry and wet conditions, (d) options for radiation-source tests using cesium capsules, and (e) actual DHLW tests using up to 40 canisters for technical demonstrations and for addressing concerns of wasteform chemistry, leaching, and near-field radionuclide migration

WIPP Project Records Management Handbook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Records Management Handbook provides the WIPP Project Records Management personnel with a tool to use to fulfill the requirements of the WIPP Records Program and direct their actions in the important area of records management. The handbook describes the various project areas involved in records management, and how they function. The handbook provides the requirements for Record Coordinators and Master Record Center (MRC) personnel to follow in the normal course of file management, records scheduling, records turnover, records disposition, and records retrieval. More importantly, the handbook provides a single reference which encompasses the procedures set fourth in DOE Order 1324.2A, ''Records Disposition'' ASME NQA-1, ''Quality Assurance Program Requirements for Nuclear Facilities'' and DOE-AL 5700.6B, ''General Operations Quality Assurance.'' These documents dictate how an efficient system of records management will be achieved on the WIPP Project

Unresolved issues for the disposal of remote-handled transuranic waste in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, M.K.; Neill, R.H.

1994-09-01

The purpose of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is to dispose of 176,000 cubic meters of transuranic (TRU) waste generated by the defense activities of the US Government. The envisioned inventory contains approximately 6 million cubic feet of contact-handled transuranic (CH TRU) waste and 250,000 cubic feet of remote handled transuranic (RH TRU) waste. CH TRU emits less than 0.2 rem/hr at the container surface. Of the 250,000 cubic feet of RH TRU waste, 5% by volume can emit up to 1,000 rem/hr at the container surface. The remainder of RH TRU waste must emit less than 100 rem/hr. These are major unresolved problems with the intended disposal of RH TRU waste in the WIPP. (1) The WIPP design requires the canisters of RH TRU waste to be emplaced in the walls (ribs) of each repository room. Each room will then be filled with drums of CH TRU waste. However, the RH TRU waste will not be available for shipment and disposal until after several rooms have already been filled with drums of CH TRU waste. RH TRU disposal capacity will be loss for each room that is first filled with CH TRU waste. (2) Complete RH TRU waste characterization data will not be available for performance assessment because the facilities needed for waste handling, waste treatment, waste packaging, and waste characterization do not yet exist. (3) The DOE does not have a transportation cask for RH TRU waste certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). These issues are discussed along with possible solutions and consequences from these solutions. 46 refs

Recommendations for a Software Quality Assurance Plan for the CMR Facility at LANL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, K.; Matthews, S. D.; McQueen, M. A.

1998-01-01

The Nuclear Materials Technology (NMT) organizations 1 and 3 within the Chemical and Metallurgical Research (CMR) facility at the Los Alamos National Laboratory are working to achieve Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) certification to enable them to transport their TRU waste to WIPP. This document is intended to provide not only recommendations to address the necessary software quality assurance activities to enable the NMT-1 and NMT-3 organizations to be WIPP compliant but is also meant to provide a template for the final Software Quality Assurance Plan (SQAP). This document specifically addresses software quality assurance for all software used in support of waste characterization and analysis. Since NMT-1 and NMT-3 currently have several operational software products that are used for waste characterization and analysis, these software quality assurance recommendations apply to the operations, maintenance and retirement of the software and the creation and development of any new software required for waste characterization and analyses

Basic data report for Drillhole WIPP 28 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-08-01

WIPP 28 was drilled in Nash Draw (NE 1/4, sec. 18, T.21S., R.31E.) in Eddy County, New Mexico, to determine subsurface stratigraphy and examine dissolution features above undisturbed salt in the Salado Formation. Determination of dissolution rates will refine previous estimates and provide short-term (geologically) rates for WIPP risk assessments. The borehole encountered, from top to bottom, Mescalero caliche (12 ft with fill material for pad), Dewey Lake Red Beds (203 ft), Rustler Formation (316 ft), and the upper 270 ft of the Salado Formation. A dissolution residue, 58 ft thick, is at the top of the Salado Formation overlying halite-rich beds. In addition to obtaining nearly continuous core from the surface to total depth (801 ft), geophysical logs were taken to measure acoustic velocities, density, radioactivity, and formation resistivity. An interpretive report on dissolution in Nash Draw will be based on combined borehole basin data, surface mapping, and laboratory analyses of Nash Draw rocks and fluids. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes and to then be converted to a repository. The WIPP will also provide research facilities for interactions between high-level waste and salt

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 25 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant - WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-09-01

WIPP 25 was drilled on the eastern edge of Nash Draw (SW 1/4, Sec. 15, T22S, R30E) in Eddy County, New Mexico, to determine subsurface stratigraphy and examine dissolution features above undisturbed salt in the Salado Formation. Determination of dissolution rates will refine previous estimates and provide short-term (geologically) rates for WIPP risk assessments. The borehole encountered, from top to bottom, Pleistocene sediments (17 ft with fill material for pad), Dewey Lake Red Beds (215 ft, Rustler Formation (333 ft, and 90 ft of the upper Salado Formation. A dissolution residue, 37 ft thick, is at the top of the Salado Formation overlying halite-rich beds. In addition to obtaining nearly continuous core from the surface to total depth (655 ft, geophysical logs were taken to measure acoustic velocities, density, radioactivity, and formation resistivity. An interpretive report on dissolution in Nash Draw will be based on combined borehole basin data, surface mapping, and laboratory analyses of Nash Draw rocks and fluids. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes and to then be converted to a repository. The WIPP will also provide research facilities for interactions between high-level waste and salt

Transuranic waste examination quality assurance at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bower, J.M.

1987-01-01

Since 1954, defense-generated transuranic (TRU) waste has been received at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). A major objective of the Department of Energy (DOE) Nuclear Waste Management Programs is the proper management of the defense-generated TRU waste. The Stored Waste Examination Pilot Plant (SWEPP) is providing nondestructive examination and assay of retrievably stored contact handled TRU waste in order to certify it to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Waste Acceptance Crtieria (WIPP-WAC). SWEPP's capabilities for certifying contact handled waste containers include weighing, real-time radiographic examination, fissile material assay examination, container integrity examination, radiological surveys and labeling of waste containers. These processes involve not only instrument accuracy but also a wide range of technician interpretation from moderate on the assay to 100% on the radiograph. This, therefore, requires a variety of quality assurance techniques to ensure that the examinations and certifications are being performed correctly. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the methods utilized by SWEPP for checking on the examination process and to ensure that waste certifications are being properly performed. Included is the application of the quality assurance techniques to each examination system, the management of the data generated by the examination, and the verifications to ensure accurate certification. 1 ref

Project Management Plan for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Experimental Test Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connolly, M.J.; Sayer, D.L.

1993-11-01

EG ampersand G Idaho, Inc. and Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W) are participating in the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory's (INEL's) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Experimental Test Program (WETP). The purpose of the INEL WET is to provide chemical, physical, and radiochemical data on transuranic (TRU) waste to be stored at WIPP. The waste characterization data collected will be used to support the WIPP Performance Assessment (PA), development of the disposal No-Migration Variance Petition (NMVP), and to support the WIPP disposal decision. The PA is an analysis required by the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Title 40, Part 191 (40 CFR 191), which identifies the processes and events that may affect the disposal system (WIPP) and examines the effects of those processes and events on the performance of WIPP. A NMVP is required for the WIPP by 40 CFR 268 in order to dispose of land disposal restriction (LDR) mixed TRU waste in WIPP. It is anticipated that the detailed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) waste characterization data of all INEL retrievably-stored TRU waste to be stored in WIPP will be required for the NMVP. Waste characterization requirements for PA and RCRA may not necessarily be identical. Waste characterization requirements for the PA will be defined by Sandia National Laboratories. The requirements for RCRA are defined in 40 CFR 268, WIPP RCRA Part B Application Waste Analysis Plan (WAP), and WIPP Waste Characterization Program Plan (WWCP). This Project Management Plan (PMP) addresses only the characterization of the contact handled (CH) TRU waste at the INEL. This document will address all work in which EG ampersand G Idaho is responsible concerning the INEL WETP. Even though EG ampersand G Idaho has no responsibility for the work that ANL-W is performing, EG ampersand G Idaho will keep a current status and provide a project coordination effort with ANL-W to ensure that the INEL, as a whole, is effectively and

Plutonium-238 Decision Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, Mike; Lechel, David J.; Leigh, C.D.

1999-01-01

Five transuranic (TRU) waste sites in the Department of Energy (DOE) complex, collectively, have more than 2,100 cubic meters of Plutonium-238 (Pu-238) TRU waste that exceed the wattage restrictions of the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-11). The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is being developed by the DOE as a repository for TRU waste. With the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) opening in 1999, these sites are faced with a need to develop waste management practices that will enable the transportation of Pu-238 TRU waste to WIPP for disposal. This paper describes a decision analysis that provided a logical framework for addressing the Pu-238 TRU waste issue. The insights that can be gained by performing a formalized decision analysis are multifold. First and foremost, the very process. of formulating a decision tree forces the decision maker into structured, logical thinking where alternatives can be evaluated one against the other using a uniform set of criteria. In the process of developing the decision tree for transportation of Pu-238 TRU waste, several alternatives were eliminated and the logical order for decision making was discovered. Moreover, the key areas of uncertainty for proposed alternatives were identified and quantified. The decision analysis showed that the DOE can employ a combination approach where they will (1) use headspace gas analyses to show that a fraction of the Pu-238 TRU waste drums are no longer generating hydrogen gas and can be shipped to WIPP ''as-is'', (2) use drums and bags with advanced filter systems to repackage Pu-238 TRU waste drums that are still generating hydrogen, and (3) add hydrogen getter materials to the inner containment vessel of the TRUPACT-11to relieve the build-up of hydrogen gas during transportation of the Pu-238 TRU waste drums

Development of the Conceptual Models for Chemical Conditions and Hydrology Used in the 1996 Performance Assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

LARSON, KURT W.

2000-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a US Department of Energy (DOE) facility for the permanent disposal of defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations specify that the DOE must demonstrate on a sound basis that the WIPP disposal system will effectively contain long-lived alpha-emitting radionuclides within its boundaries for 10,000 years following closure. In 1996, the DOE submitted the ''40 CFR Part 191 Compliance Certification Application for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant'' (CCA) to the EPA. The CCA proposed that the WIPP site complies with EPA's regulatory requirements. Contained within the CCA are descriptions of the scientific research conducted to characterize the properties of the WIPP site and the probabilistic performance assessment (PA) conducted to predict the containment properties of the WIPP disposal system. In May 1998, the EPA certified that the TRU waste disposal at the WIPP complies with its regulations. Waste disposal operations at WIPP commenced on March 28, 1999. The 1996 WIPP PA model of the disposal system included conceptual and mathematical representations of key hydrologic and geochemical processes. These key processes were identified over a 22-year period involving data collection, data interpretation, computer models, and sensitivity studies to evaluate the importance of uncertainty and of processes that were difficult to evaluate by other means. Key developments in the area of geochemistry were the evaluation of gas generation mechanisms in the repository; development of a model of chemical conditions in the repository and actinide concentrations in brine; selecting MgO backfill and demonstrating its effects experimentally; and determining the chemical retardation capability of the Culebra. Key developments in the area of hydrology were evacuating the potential for groundwater to dissolve the Salado Formation (the repository host formation), development of a regional model for

Development of the conceptual models for chemical conditions and hydrology used in the 1996 performance assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larson, K.W.

2000-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a US Department of Energy (DOE) facility for the permanent disposal of defense-related transuranic (TRU) waste. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations specify that the DOE must demonstrate on a sound basis that the WIPP disposal system will effectively contain long-lived alpha-emitting radionuclides within its boundaries for 10,000 years following closure. In 1996, the DOE submitted the 40 CFR Part 191 Compliance Certification Application for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (CCA) to the EPA. The CCA proposed that the WIPP site complies with EPA's regulatory requirements. Contained within the CCA are descriptions of the scientific research conducted to characterize the properties of the WIPP site and the probabilistic performance assessment (PA) conducted to predict the containment properties of the WIPP disposal system. In May 1998, the EPA certified that the TRU waste disposal at the WIPP complies with its regulations. Waste disposal operations at WIPP commenced on 28 March 1999. The 1996 WIPP PA model of the disposal system included conceptual and mathematical representations of key hydrologic and geochemical processes. These key processes were identified over a 22-year period involving data collection, data interpretation, computer models, and sensitivity studies to evaluate the importance of uncertainty and of processes that were difficult to evaluate by other means. Key developments in the area of geochemistry were the evaluation of gas generation mechanisms in the repository; development of a model of chemical conditions in the repository and actinide concentrations in brine; selecting MgO backfill and demonstrating its effects experimentally; and, determining the chemical retardation capability of the Culebra. Key developments in the area of hydrology were evaluating the potential for groundwater to dissolve the Salado Formation (the repository host formation); development of a regional model for

WIPP operations planning: an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miskimin, P.A.; Cossel, S.C.; Plung, D.L.

1985-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the first-of-a-kind facility for emplacement of radioactive waste in a geologic repository. The concern for safe and efficient operations - coupled with the domestic and international significance of this project - necessitates that WIPP be a ''model plant.'' To develop WIPP as a model plant, a unique planning methodology was employed to identify, evaluate, incorporate, and implement these elements that together will form the best possible overall operation. The resulting improvements in communication among project participants and the smooth transition being made from construction are equally attributable to the methodology employed and the operating program plan developed. 1 fig

Gas generation and migration analysis for TRU waste disposal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ando, Kenichi; Noda, Masaru; Yamamoto, Mikihiko; Mihara, Morihiro

2005-09-01

In TRU waste disposal system, significant quantities of gases may be generated due to metal corrosion, radiolysis effect and microorganism activities. It is therefore recommended that the potential impact of gas generation and migration on TRU waste repository should be evaluated. In this study, gas generation rates were calculated in the repository and gas migration analysis in the disposal system were carried out using two phase flow model with results of gas generation rates. First, the time dependencies of gas generation rate in each TRU waste repositories were evaluated based on amounts of metal, organic matter and radioactivity. Next, the accumulation pressure of gases and expelled pore water volume nuclides in the repository were calculated by TOUGH2 code. After that, the results showed that the increase of gas pressure was the range of 1.3 to 1.4 MPa. In the repository with and without buffer, the rate of expelled pore water was 0.006 - 0.009 m 3 /y and 0.018 - 0.24m 3 /y, respectively. In addition, the radioactive gas migration through the repository and geosphere are evaluated. And re-saturation analysis is also performed to evaluate the initial condition of the system. (author)

Transuranic (TRU) Waste Repackaging at the Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Di Sanza, E.F.; Pyles, G.; Ciucci, J.; Arnold, P.

2009-01-01

This paper describes the activities required to modify a facility and the process of characterizing, repackaging, and preparing for shipment the Nevada Test Site's (NTS) legacy transuranic (TRU) waste in 58 oversize boxes (OSB). The waste, generated at other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sites and shipped to the NTS between 1974 and 1990, requires size-reduction for off-site shipment and disposal. The waste processing approach was tailored to reduce the volume of TRU waste by employing decontamination and non-destructive assay. As a result, the low-level waste (LLW) generated by this process was packaged, with minimal size reduction, in large sea-land containers for disposal at the NTS Area 5 Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC). The remaining TRU waste was repackaged and sent to the Idaho National Laboratory Consolidation Site for additional characterization in preparation for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The DOE National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office and the NTS Management and Operating (M and O) contractor, NSTec, successfully partnered to modify and upgrade an existing facility, the Visual Examination and Repackaging Building (VERB). The VERB modifications, including a new ventilation system and modified containment structure, required an approved Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis prior to project procurement and construction. Upgrade of the VERB from a radiological facility to a Hazard Category 3 Nuclear Facility required new rigor in the design and construction areas and was executed on an aggressive schedule. The facility Documented Safety Analysis required that OSBs be vented prior to introduction into the VERB. Box venting was safely completed after developing and implementing two types of custom venting systems for the heavy gauge box construction. A remotely operated punching process was used on boxes with wall thickness of up to 3.05 mm (0.120 in) to insert aluminum

Performance Demonstration Program Plan for Nondestructive Assay of Drummed Wastes for the TRU Waste Characterization Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DOE Carlsbad Field Office

2001-01-01

The Performance Demonstration Program (PDP) for nondestructive assay (NDA) consists of a series of tests to evaluate the capability for NDA of transuranic (TRU) waste throughout the Department of Energy (DOE) complex. Each test is termed a PDP cycle. These evaluation cycles provide an objective measure of the reliability of measurements obtained from NDA systems used to characterize the radiological constituents of TRU waste. The primary documents governing the conduct of the PDP are the Waste Acceptance Criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WAC; DOE 1999a) and the Quality Assurance Program Document (QAPD; DOE 1999b). The WAC requires participation in the PDP; the PDP must comply with the QAPD and the WAC. The WAC contains technical and quality requirements for acceptable NDA. This plan implements the general requirements of the QAPD and applicable requirements of the WAC for the NDA PDP. Measurement facilities demonstrate acceptable performance by the successful testing of simulated waste containers according to the criteria set by this PDP Plan. Comparison among DOE measurement groups and commercial assay services is achieved by comparing the results of measurements on similar simulated waste containers reported by the different measurement facilities. These tests are used as an independent means to assess the performance of measurement groups regarding compliance with established quality assurance objectives (QAO's). Measurement facilities must analyze the simulated waste containers using the same procedures used for normal waste characterization activities. For the drummed waste PDP, a simulated waste container consists of a 55-gallon matrix drum emplaced with radioactive standards and fabricated matrix inserts. These PDP sample components are distributed to the participating measurement facilities that have been designated and authorized by the Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO). The NDA Drum PDP materials are stored at these sites under secure conditions to

Technical requirements for the actinide source-term waste test program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phillips, M.L.F.; Molecke, M.A.

1993-10-01

This document defines the technical requirements for a test program designed to measure time-dependent concentrations of actinide elements from contact-handled transuranic (CH TRU) waste immersed in brines similar to those found in the underground workings of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This test program wig determine the influences of TRU waste constituents on the concentrations of dissolved and suspended actinides relevant to the performance of the WIPP. These influences (which include pH, Eh, complexing agents, sorbent phases, and colloidal particles) can affect solubilities and colloidal mobilization of actinides. The test concept involves fully inundating several TRU waste types with simulated WIPP brines in sealed containers and monitoring the concentrations of actinide species in the leachate as a function of time. The results from this program will be used to test numeric models of actinide concentrations derived from laboratory studies. The model is required for WIPP performance assessment with respect to the Environmental Protection Agency`s 40 CFR Part 191B.

Technical requirements for the actinide source-term waste test program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, M.L.F.; Molecke, M.A.

1993-10-01

This document defines the technical requirements for a test program designed to measure time-dependent concentrations of actinide elements from contact-handled transuranic (CH TRU) waste immersed in brines similar to those found in the underground workings of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). This test program wig determine the influences of TRU waste constituents on the concentrations of dissolved and suspended actinides relevant to the performance of the WIPP. These influences (which include pH, Eh, complexing agents, sorbent phases, and colloidal particles) can affect solubilities and colloidal mobilization of actinides. The test concept involves fully inundating several TRU waste types with simulated WIPP brines in sealed containers and monitoring the concentrations of actinide species in the leachate as a function of time. The results from this program will be used to test numeric models of actinide concentrations derived from laboratory studies. The model is required for WIPP performance assessment with respect to the Environmental Protection Agency's 40 CFR Part 191B

Designing a database for performance assessment: Lessons learned from WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martell, M.A.; Schenker, A.

1997-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application (CCA) Performance Assessment (PA) used a relational database that was originally designed only to supply the input parameters required for implementation of the PA codes. Reviewers used the database as a point of entry to audit quality assurance measures for control, traceability, and retrievability of input information used for analysis, and output/work products. During these audits it became apparent that modifications to the architecture and scope of the database would benefit the EPA regulator and other stakeholders when reviewing the recertification application. This paper contains a discussion of the WPP PA CCA database and lessons learned for designing a database

Transuranic waste baseline inventory report. Revision No. 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-06-01

The Transuranic Waste Baseline Inventory Report (TWBIR) establishes a methodology for grouping wastes of similar physical and chemical properties from across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) transuranic (TRU) waste system into a series of open-quotes waste profilesclose quotes that can be used as the basis for waste form discussions with regulatory agencies. The purpose of Revisions 0 and 1 of this report was to provide data to be included in the Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) performance assessment (PA) processes for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Revision 2 of the document expanded the original purpose and was also intended to support the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act (LWA) requirement for providing the total DOE TRU waste inventory. The document included a chapter and an appendix that discussed the total DOE TRU waste inventory, including nondefense, commercial, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)-contaminated, and buried (predominately pre-1970) TRU wastes that are not planned to be disposed of at WIPP

Structural evaluation of WIPP disposal room raised to clay seam G

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Byoung Yoon; Holland, John F.

2007-01-01

An error was discovered in the ALGEBBRA script used to calculate the disturbed rock zone around the disposal room and the shear failure zone in the anhydrite layers in the original version. To correct the error, a memorandum of correction was submitted according to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Quality Assurance program. The recommended course of action was to correct the error, to repeat the post-process, and to rewrite Section 7.4, 7.5, 8, and Appendix B in the original report. The sections and appendix revised by the post-process using the corrected ALGEBRA scripts are provided in this revision. The original report summarizes a series of structural calculations that examine effects of raising the WIPP repository horizon from the original design level upward 2.43 meters. Calculations were then repeated for grid changes appropriate for the new horizon raised to Clay Seam G. Results are presented in three main areas: (1) Disposal room porosity, (2) Disturbed rock zone characteristics, and (3) Anhydrite marker bed failure. No change to the porosity surface for the compliance re-certification application is necessary to account for raising the repository horizon, because the new porosity surface is essentially identical. The disturbed rock zone evolution and devolution are charted in terms of a stress invariant criterion over the regulatory period. This model shows that the propagation of the DRZ into the surrounding rock salt does not penetrate through MB 139 in the case of both the original horizon and the raised room. Damaged salt would be expected to heal in nominally 150 years. The shear failure does not occur in either the upper or lower anhydrite layers at the moment of excavation, but appears above and below the middle of the pillar one day after the excavation. The damaged anhydrite is not expected to heal as the salt in the DRZ is expected to

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Annual Site Enviromental Report for 2008

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

The purpose of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Annual Site Environmental Report for 2008 (ASER) is to provide information required by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 231.1A, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting. Specifically, the ASER presents summary environmental data to characterize site environmental management performance; summarize environmental occurrences and responses reported during the calendar year; confirm compliance with environmental standards and requirements; highlight significant facility programs and efforts; and describe how compliance and environmental improvement is accomplished through the WIPP Environmental Management System (EMS). The DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) and the management and operating contractor (MOC), Washington TRU Solutions LLC (WTS), maintain and preserve the environmental resources at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). DOE Order 231.1A; DOE Order 450.1A, Environmental Protection Program; and DOE Order 5400.5, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment, require that the affected environment at and near DOE facilities be monitored to ensure the safety and health of the public and workers, and preservation of the environment. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1A, which requires that DOE facilities submit an ASER to the DOE Headquarters Chief Health, Safety, and Security Officer. The WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (HWFP) Number NM4890139088-TSDF (treatment, storage, and disposal facility) further requires that the ASER be provided to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). The WIPP mission is to safely dispose of transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste generated by the production of nuclear weapons and other activities related to the national defense of the United States. In 2008, 5,265 cubic meters (m3) of TRU waste were disposed of at the WIPP facility, including 5,216 m3 of contact-handled (CH) TRU waste and 49 m3 of remote-handled (RH) TRU waste. From the first

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Annual Site Enviromental Report for 2008

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington Regulatory and Enviromnetal Services

2009-09-21

The purpose of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Annual Site Environmental Report for 2008 (ASER) is to provide information required by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Order 231.1A, Environment, Safety, and Health Reporting. Specifically, the ASER presents summary environmental data to characterize site environmental management performance; summarize environmental occurrences and responses reported during the calendar year; confirm compliance with environmental standards and requirements; highlight significant facility programs and efforts; and describe how compliance and environmental improvement is accomplished through the WIPP Environmental Management System (EMS). The DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) and the management and operating contractor (MOC), Washington TRU Solutions LLC (WTS), maintain and preserve the environmental resources at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). DOE Order 231.1A; DOE Order 450.1A, Environmental Protection Program; and DOE Order 5400.5, Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment, require that the affected environment at and near DOE facilities be monitored to ensure the safety and health of the public and workers, and preservation of the environment. This report was prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1A, which requires that DOE facilities submit an ASER to the DOE Headquarters Chief Health, Safety, and Security Officer. The WIPP Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (HWFP) Number NM4890139088-TSDF (treatment, storage, and disposal facility) further requires that the ASER be provided to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). The WIPP mission is to safely dispose of transuranic (TRU) radioactive waste generated by the production of nuclear weapons and other activities related to the national defense of the United States. In 2008, 5,265 cubic meters (m3) of TRU waste were disposed of at the WIPP facility, including 5,216 m3 of contact-handled (CH) TRU waste and 49 m3 of remote-handled (RH) TRU waste. From the first

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant disposal phase final supplemental environmental impact statement. Summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-09-01

The purpose of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Disposal Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS-II) is to provide information on environmental impacts regarding the Department of Energy''s (DOE) proposed disposal operations at WIPP. The Proposed Action describes the treatment and disposal of the Basic inventory of TRU waste over a 35-year period. The Action Alternatives proposed the treatment of the Basic Inventory and an Additional Inventory as well as the transportation of the treated waste to WIPP for disposal over a 150- to 190-year period. The three Action Alternatives include the treatment of TRU waste at consolidation sites to meet WIPP planning-basic Waste Acceptance Criteria, the thermal treatment of TRU waste to meet Land Disposal Restrictions, and the treatment of TRU waste by a shred and grout process. SEIS-II evaluates environmental impacts resulting from the various treatment options; the transportation of TRU waste to WIPP using truck, a combination of truck and regular rail service, and a combination of truck and dedicated rail service; and the disposal of this waste in the repository. Evaluated impacts include those to the general environment and to human health. Additional issues associated with the implementation of the alternatives are discussed to provide further understanding of the decisions to be reached and to provide the opportunity for public input on improving DOE''s Environmental Management Program

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Annual Site Environmental Report for 2005

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The purpose of this report is to provide information needed by the DOE to assess WIPP's environmental performance and to make WIPP environmental information available to stakeholders and members of the public. This report has been prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1A and DOE guidance. This report documents WIPP's environmental monitoring programs and their results for 2004. The WIPP Project is authorized by the DOE National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-164). After more than 20 years of scientific study and public input, WIPP received its first shipment of waste on March 26, 1999. Located in southeastern New Mexico, WIPP is the nation's first underground repository permitted to safely and permanently dispose of TRU radioactive and mixed waste (as defined in the WIPP LWA) generated through defense activities and programs. TRU waste is defined, in the WIPP LWA, as radioactive waste containing more than 100 nanocuries (3,700 becquerels [Bq]) of alpha-emitting TRU isotopes per gram of waste, with half-lives greater than 20 years except for high-level waste, waste that has been determined not to require the degree of isolation required by the disposal regulations, and waste the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved for disposal. Most TRU waste is contaminated industrial trash, such as rags and old tools; sludges from solidified liquids; glass; metal; and other materials from dismantled buildings. TRU waste is eligible for disposal at WIPP if it has been generated in whole or in part by one or more of the activities listed in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 10101, et seq.), including naval reactors development, weapons activities, verification and control technology, defense nuclear materials production, defense nuclear waste and materials by-products management,defense nuclear materials security and safeguards and security investigations, and defense

Potential microbial impact on transuranic wastes under conditions expected in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Annual report, October 1, 1978-September 30, 1979

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barnhart, B.J.; Campbell, E.W.; Martinez, E.; Caldwell, D.E.; Hallett, R.

1980-07-01

Previous results were confirmed showing elevated frequencies of radiation-resistant bacteria in microorganisms isolated from shallow transuranic (TRU) burial soil that exhibits nanocurie levels of beta and gamma radioactivity. Research to determine whether plutonium could be methylated by the microbially produced methyl donor, methylcobalamine, was terminated when literature and consulting radiochemists confirmed that other alkylated transuranic elements are extremely short-lived in the presence of oxygen. Emphasis was placed on investigation of the dissolution of plutonium dioxide by complex formation between plutonium and a polyhydroxamate chelate similar to that produced by microorganisms. New chromatographic and spectrophotometric evidence supports previous results showing enhanced dissolution of alpha radioactivity when 239 Pu dioxide was mixed with the chelate Desferol. Microbial degradation studies of citrate, ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA), and nitrilo triacetate (NTA) chelates of europium are in progress. Current results are summarized. All of the chelates were found to degrade. The average half-life for citrate, NTA, and EDTA was 3.2, 8.0, and 28 years, respectively. Microbial CO 2 generation is also in progress in 72 tests on several waste matrices under potential WIPP isolation conditions. The mean rate of gas generation was 5.97 μg CO 2 /g waste/day. Increasing temperature increased rates of microbial gas generation across treatments of brine, varying water content, nutrient additions, and anaerobic conditions. No microbial growth was detected in experiments to enumerate and identify the microorganisms in rocksalt cores from the proposed WIPP site. This report contains the year's research results and recommendations derived for the design of safe storage of TRU wastes under geologic repository conditions

Performance assessment in support of the 1996 compliance certification application for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: A decision analysis perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Helton, J.C.; Basabilvazo, G.

1998-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is under development by the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the geologic disposal of transuranic waste. The primary regulatory requirements (i.e., 40 CFR 191 and 40 CFR 194) placed on the WIPP by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) involve a complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) for normalized radionuclide releases to the accessible environment. The interpretation and use of this CCDF from a decision analysis perspective is discussed and illustrated with results from the 1996 performance assessment for the WIPP, which was carried out to support a compliance certification application by the DOE to the EPA for the WIPP

The WIPP Water Quality Sampling Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uhland, D.; Morse, J.G.; Colton, D.

1986-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a Department of Energy facility, will be used for the underground disposal of wastes. The Water Quality Sampling Program (WQSP) is designed to obtain representative and reproducible water samples to depict accurate water composition data for characterization and monitoring programs in the vicinity of the WIPP. The WQSP is designed to input data into four major programs for the WIPP project: Geochemical Site Characterization, Radiological Baseline, Environmental Baseline, and Performance Assessment. The water-bearing units of interest are the Culebra and Magneta Dolomite Members of the Rustler Formation, units in the Dewey Lake Redbeds, and the Bell Canyon Formation. At least two chemically distinct types of water occur in the Culebra, one being a sodium/potassium chloride water and the other being a calcium/magnesium sulfate water. Water from the Culebra wells to the south of the WIPP site is distinctly fresher and tends to be of the calcium/magnesium sulfate type. Water in the Culebra in the north and around the WIPP site is distinctly fresher and tends to be of the sodium/potassium chloride type and is much higher in total dissolved solids. The program, which is currently 1 year old, will continue throughout the life of the facility as part of the Environmental Monitoring Program

Quality Certification 4 (QC4) for RE4 Performance Plots

CERN Document Server

CMS Collaboration

2013-01-01

The installation of two new wheels in the end-caps of the RPC system (RE4) is expected during LHC Long Shutdown (LS1). The RE4 upgrade project consists of 72 Super Modules (SM), each one made with 2 RPC chambers, for a total of 144 double-gap RPC chambers. To ensure the quality of the chambers several steps have been established for the Quality Certification (QC) of the RPC chamber production: QC1 (for components), QC2 (for gaps), QC3 (for chambers), QC4 (for chambers and super modules) and QC5 (Commissioning at P5). The results from the QC4 tests, performed for the new RPC, are presented in this note.

Sensitivity of Transmutation Capability to Recycling Scenarios in KALIMER-600 TRU Burner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Yong Kyo; Kim, Myung Hyun

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to test transmutation and design feasibility of KALIMER burner caused from many limitations in recycling options; such as low recovery factors and external feed. Design impact from many recycling options will be tested as a sensitivity to various recycling process parameters under many recycling scenarios. Through this study, possibilities when Pyro-processing is realized with SFR can be expected in the recycling scenarios. For the development of sodium-cooled fast reactor(SFR) technology, prototype KALIMER plant is now under R and D stage in Korea. For the future application of SFR for waste transmutation, KALIMER core was designed for TRU burner by KAERI. Feasibility of TRU burner cannot be evaluated exactly because overall functional parameters in pyro-processing recycling process has not been verified yet. There is great possibility to accept undesirable process functions in pyro-processing. Only TRU nuclides composition a little differs between PWR SF and CANDU SF so first scenario has no problem operating SFR. In second scenario, the radiotoxicity of waste at 99% of TRU RF have to be confirmed whether it is proper level to reposit as Low and Intermediate Level Wastes or not. And the reactor safety at high RF of RE must be inspected. Not only third scenario but also several scenarios for good measure are being calculated and will be evaluated

Certification plan transuranic waste: Hazardous Waste Handling Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-06-01

The purpose of this plan is to describe the organization and methodology for the certification of transuranic (TRU) waste handled in the Hazardous Waste Handling Facility at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL). The plan incorporates the applicable elements of waste reduction, which include both up-front minimization and end-product treatment to reduce the volume and toxicity of the waste; segregation of the waste as it applies to certification; an executive summary of the Quality Assurance Implementing Management Plan (QAIMP) for the HWBF; and a list of the current and planned implementing procedures used in waste certification

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 2005 Site Environmental Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington Regulatory and Environmental Services

2006-10-13

The purpose of this report is to provide information needed by the DOE to assess WIPP's environmental performance and to make WIPP environmental information available to stakeholders and members of the public. This report has been prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1A and DOE guidance. This report documents WIPP's environmental monitoring programs and their results for 2004. The WIPP Project is authorized by the DOE National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-164). After more than 20 years of scientific study and public input, WIPP received its first shipment of waste on March 26, 1999. Located in southeastern New Mexico, WIPP is the nation's first underground repository permitted to safely and permanently dispose of TRU radioactive and mixed waste (as defined in the WIPP LWA) generated through defense activities and programs. TRU waste is defined, in the WIPP LWA, as radioactive waste containing more than 100 nanocuries (3,700 becquerels [Bq]) of alpha-emitting TRU isotopes per gram of waste, with half-lives greater than 20 years except for high-level waste, waste that has been determined not to require the degree of isolation required by the disposal regulations, and waste the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved for disposal. Most TRU waste is contaminated industrial trash, such as rags and old tools; sludges from solidified liquids; glass; metal; and other materials from dismantled buildings. TRU waste is eligible for disposal at WIPP if it has been generated in whole or in part by one or more of the activities listed in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] §10101, et seq.), including naval reactors development, weapons activities, verification and control technology, defense nuclear materials production, defense nuclear waste and materials by-products management,defense nuclear materials security and safeguards and security

WIPP R and D in situ test program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyler, L.D.

1987-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a Department of Energy (DOE) RandD Facility for the purpose of developing the technology needed for the safe disposal of the United States' defense-related radioactive waste. The in situ test program focus is to provide the models and data to demonstrate the facility performance for isolation of waste at WIPP. The program is defined for the WIPP sealing system, thermal-structural interactions and waste package performance. A number of integrated large-scale underground tests have been operational since 1983 and are ongoing. The tests address the issues of both systems design and long-term isolation performance of the WIPP repository

Radiological Characterization Methodology for INEEL-Stored Remote-Handled Transuranic (RH TRU) Waste from Argonne National Laboratory-East

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuan, P.; Bhatt, R.N.

2003-01-01

An Acceptable Knowledge (AK)-based radiological characterization methodology is being developed for RH TRU waste generated from ANL-E hot cell operations performed on fuel elements irradiated in the EBR-II reactor. The methodology relies on AK for composition of the fresh fuel elements, their irradiation history, and the waste generation and collection processes. Radiological characterization of the waste involves the estimates of the quantities of significant fission products and transuranic isotopes in the waste. Methods based on reactor and physics principles are used to achieve these estimates. Because of the availability of AK and the robustness of the calculation methods, the AK-based characterization methodology offers a superior alternative to traditional waste assay techniques. Using the methodology, it is shown that the radiological parameters of a test batch of ANL-E waste is well within the proposed WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria limits

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Part B Permit Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-02-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project was authorized by the Department of Energy National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-164) as a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe, environmentally sound disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes derived from the defense activities of the United States. The WIPP facility is owned and operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The TRU waste to be received at WIPP consists largely of such items as laboratory glassware and utensils, tools, scrap metal, shielding, personnel protection equipment, and solidified sludges from the treatment of waste water. Approximately 60 percent of this waste is ''mixed,'' that is, it is also contaminated with hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and by the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (HWMR-5). Therefore, emplacement of TRU mixed waste in the WIPP repository is subject to regulation under HWMR-5 and RCRA. The permit application under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act for WIPP is divided into five volumes. This document, Volume 2, contains Appendices B1, C1, and C2. These appendices describe the surface hydrology of the area, provide a description of the physical and chemical characteristics of wastes to be placed in WIPP, and outline a waste analysis plan which gives an overview of the total waste inventory planned for WIPP. 34 refs., 107 figs., 27 tabs

Technical issues for WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunter, T.O.

1979-01-01

Emplacement of wastes in the WIPP will include experiments on various waste types which will provide essential data on waste-rock interaction and repository response. These experiments will include evolution of the synergistic effects of both heat production, radiation, and actual waste forms. While these studies will provide essential data on the validity of waste isolation in bedded salt, they will be preceded by a broad-based experimental program which will resolve many of the current technical issues providing not only an assessment of the safety of performing such experiments but also the technical basis for assurance that the appropriate experiments are performed. Data and predictive modeling techniques, which are currently available, can bound the consequences associated with these technical issues. Predictions of the impact on public safety based on these analyses indicate that safe waste disposal in WIPP salt beds is achievable; however, a major use of WIPP will be to conduct realistic experiments with HLW forms to address some of the unresolved details of these waste/salt interactions

Methodologies for certification of transuranic waste packages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, R.N.; Kok, K.D.

1980-10-01

The objective of this study was to postulate methodologies for certification that a waste package is acceptable for disposal in a licensed geologic repository. Within the context of this report, certification means the overall process which verifies that a waste package meets the criteria or specifications established for acceptance for disposal in a repository. The overall methodology for certification will include (1) certifying authorities, (2) tests and procedures, and (3) documentation and quality assurance programs. Each criterion will require a methodology that is specific to that criterion. In some cases, different waste forms will require a different methodology. The purpose of predicting certification methodologies is to provide additional information as to what changes, if any, are needed for the TRU waste in storage

Status of ERDA TRU waste packaging study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doty, J.W. Jr.

1977-01-01

This paper discusses the status of Task 3 of the TRU Waste Cyclone Drum Incinerator and Treatment System program. This task covers acceptable TRU packaging for interim storage and terminal isolation. The kind of TRU wastes generated by contractors and its transport are discussed. Both drum and box systems are desirable

Hydraulic Characterization Activities in Support of the Shaft-Seals Fluid-Flow Modeling Integration into the WIPP EPA Compliance Certification Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knowles, M.K.; Hurtado, L.D.; Dale, Tim

1997-12-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a planned geologic repository for permanent disposal of transuranic waste generated by the U.S. Department of Energy. Disposal regions consist of panels and drifts mined from the bedded salt of the Salado Formation at a depth of approximately 650 m below the surface. This lithology is part of the 225 million year old Delaware Basin, and is geographically located in southeastern New Mexico. Four shafts service the facility needs for air intake, exhaust, waste handling, and salt handling. As the science advisor for the project, Sandia National Laboratories developed the WIPP shaft sealing system design. This design is a fundamental component of the application process for facility licensing, and has been found acceptable by stakeholders and regulatory agencies. The seal system design is founded on results obtained from laboratory and field experiments, numerical modeling, and engineering judgment. This paper describes a field test program to characterize the fluid flow properties in the WIPP shafts at representative seal locations. This work was conducted by Duke Engineering and Services under contract to Sandia National Laboratories in support of the seal system design

Development of waste packages for TRU-disposal. 5. Development of cylindrical metal package for TRU wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mine, Tatsuya; Mizubayashi, Hiroshi; Asano, Hidekazu; Owada, Hitoshi; Otsuki, Akiyoshi

2005-01-01

Development of the TRU waste package for hulls and endpieces compression canisters, which include long-lived and low sorption nuclides like C-14 is essential and will contribute a lot to a reasonable enhancement of safety and economy of the TRU-disposal system. The cylindrical metal package made of carbon steel for canisters to enhance the efficiency of the TRU-disposal system and to economically improve their stacking conditions was developed. The package is a welded cylindrical construction with a deep drawn upper cover and a disc plate for a bottom cover. Since the welding is mainly made only for an upper cover and a bottom disc plate, this package has a better containment performance for radioactive nuclide and can reduce the cost for construction and manufacturing including its welding control. Furthermore, this package can be laid down in pile for stacking in the circular cross section disposal tunnel for the sedimentary rock, which can drastically minimize the space for disposal tunnel as mentioned previously in TRU report. This paper reports the results of the study for application of newly developed metal package into the previous TRU-disposal system and for the stacking equipment for the package. (author)

NDA BATCH 2002-02

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

2009-12-09

QC sample results (daily background checks, 20-gram and 100-gram SGS drum checks) were within acceptable criteria established by WIPP's Quality Assurance Objectives for TRU Waste Characterization. Replicate runs were performed on 5 drums with IDs LL85101099TRU, LL85801147TRU, LL85801109TRU, LL85300999TRU and LL85500979TRU. All replicate measurement results are identical at the 95% confidence level as established by WIPP criteria. Note that the batch covered 5 weeks of SGS measurements from 23-Jan-2002 through 22-Feb-2002. Data packet for SGS Batch 2002-02 generated using gamma spectroscopy with the Pu Facility SGS unit is technically reasonable. All QC samples are in compliance with established control limits. The batch data packet has been reviewed for correctness, completeness, consistency and compliance with WIPP's Quality Assurance Objectives and determined to be acceptable. An Expert Review was performed on the data packet between 28-Feb-02 and 09-Jul-02 to check for potential U-235, Np-237 and Am-241 interferences and address drum cases where specific scan segments showed Se gamma ray transmissions for the 136-keV gamma to be below 0.1 %. Two drums in the batch showed Pu-238 at a relative mass ratio more than 2% of all the Pu isotopes.

Evaluation of the WIPP Project`s compliance with the EPA radiation protection standards for disposal of transuranic waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neill, R.H.; Chaturvedi, L.; Rucker, D.F.; Silva, M.K.; Walker, B.A.; Channell, J.K.; Clemo, T.M. [Environmental Evaluation Group, Albuquerque, NM (United States)]|[Environmental Evaluation Group, Carlsbad, NM (United States)

1998-03-01

The US Environmental Protection Agency`s (EPA) proposed rule to certify that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) meets compliance with the long-term radiation protection standards for geologic repositories (40CFR191 Subparts B and C), is one of the most significant milestones to date for the WIPP project in particular, and for the nuclear waste issue in general. The Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) has provided an independent technical oversight for the WIPP project since 1978, and is responsible for many improvements in the location, design, and testing of various aspects of the project, including participation in the development of the EPA standards since the early 1980s. The EEG reviewed the development of documentation for assessing the WIPP`s compliance by the Sandia National Laboratories following the 1985 promulgation by EPA, and provided many written and verbal comments on various aspects of this effort, culminating in the overall review of the 1992 performance assessment. For the US Department of Energy`s (DOE) compliance certification application (CCA), the EEG provided detailed comments on the draft CCA in March, 1996, and additional comments through unpublished letters in 1997 (included as Appendices 8.1 and 8.2 in this report). Since the October 30, 1997, publication of the EPA`s proposed rule to certify WIPP, the EEG gave presentations on important issues to the EPA on December 10, 1997, and sent a December 31, 1997 letter with attachments to clarify those issues (Appendix 8.3). The EEG has raised a number of questions that may have an impact on compliance. In spite of the best efforts by the EEG, the EPA reaction to reviews and suggestions has been slow and apparently driven by legal considerations. This report discusses in detail the questions that have been raised about containment requirements. Also discussed are assurance requirements, groundwater protection, individual protection, and an evaluation of EPA`s responses to EEG`s comments.

DOE's plan for buried transuranic (TRU) contaminated waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathur, J.; D'Ambrosia, J.; Sease, J.

1987-01-01

Prior to 1970, TRU-contaminated waste was buried as low-level radioactive waste. In the Defense Waste Management Plan issued in 1983, the plan for this buried TRU-contaminated waste was to monitor the buried waste, take remedial actions, and to periodically evaluate the safety of the waste. In March 1986, the General Accounting Office (GAO) recommended that the Department of Energy (DOE) provide specific plans and cost estimates related to buried TRU-contaminated waste. This plan is in direct response to the GAO request. Buried TRU-contaminated waste and TRU-contaminated soil are located in numerous inactive disposal units at five DOE sites. The total volume of this material is estimated to be about 300,000 to 500,000 m 3 . The DOE plan for TRU-contaminated buried waste and TRU-contaminated soil is to characterize the disposal units; assess the potential impacts from the waste on workers, the surrounding population, and the environment; evaluate the need for remedial actions; assess the remedial action alternatives; and implement and verify the remedial actions as appropriate. Cost estimates for remedial actions for the buried TRU-contaminated waste are highly uncertain, but they range from several hundred million to the order of $10 billion

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant disposal phase: Draft supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-11-01

Purpose of this SEIS-II is to provide information on environmental impacts regarding DOE's proposed disposal operations at WIPP. To that end, SEIS-II was prepared to assess the potential impacts of continuing the phased development of WIPP as a geologic repository for the safe disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. SEIS-II evaluates a Proposed Action, three Action Alternatives, and two No Action Alternatives. The Proposed Action describes the treatment and disposal of the Basic Inventory of TRU waste over a 35-year period. SEIS-II evaluates environmental impacts resulting from the various treatment options; transportation of TRU waste to WIPP using truck, a combination of truck and regular rail service, and a combination of truck and dedicated rail service; and the disposal of this waste in the repository. Evaluated impacts include those to the general environment and to human health. Additional issues associated with implementation of the alternatives are discussed

The transuranic waste management program at Savannah River

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Ambrosia, J.

1986-01-01

Defense transuranic waste at the Savannah River site results from the Department of Energy's national defense activities, including the operation of production reactors, fuel reprocessing plants, and research and development activities. TRU waste has been retrievably stored at the Savannah River Plant since 1974 awaiting disposal. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, now under construction in New Mexico, is a research and development facility for demonstrating the safe disposal of defense TRU waste, including that in storage at the Savannah River Plant. The major objective of the TRU Program at SR is to support the TRU National Program, which is dedicated to preparing waste for, and emplacing waste in, the WIPP. Thus, the SR Program also supports WIPP operations. The SR site specific goals are to phase out the indefinite storage of TRU waste, which has been the mode of waste management since 1974, and to dispose of the defense TRU waste. This paper describes the specific activities at SR which will provide for the disposal of this TRU waste

EXAMPLE OF A RISK-BASED DISPOSAL APPROVAL: SOLIDIFICATION OF HANFORD SITE TRANSURANIC (TRU) WASTE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PRIGNANO AL

2007-01-01

The Hanford Site requested, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 approved, a Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) risk-based disposal approval (RBDA) for solidifying approximately four cubic meters of waste from a specific area of one of the K East Basin: the North Loadout Pit (NLOP). The NLOP waste is a highly radioactive sludge that contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) regulated under TSCA. The prescribed disposal method for liquid PCB waste under TSCA regulations is either thermal treatment or decontamination. Due to the radioactive nature of the waste, however, neither thermal treatment nor decontamination was a viable option. As a result, the proposed treatment consisted of solidifying the material to comply with waste acceptance criteria at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico, or possibly the Environmental Restoration Disposal Facility at the Hanford Site, depending on the resulting transuranic (TRU) content of the stabilized waste. The RBDA evaluated environmental risks associated with potential airborne PCBs. In addition, the RBDA made use of waste management controls already in place at the treatment unit. The treatment unit, the T Plant Complex, is a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA)-permitted facility used for storing and treating radioactive waste. The EPA found that the proposed activities did not pose an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment. Treatment took place from October 26,2005 to June 9,2006, and 332 208-liter (55-gallon) containers of solidified waste were produced. All treated drums assayed to date are TRU and will be disposed at WIPP

Basic data report for drillhole ERDA 9 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-01-01

ERDA 9 was drilled in eastern Eddy County, New Mexico, to investigate and test salt beds for the disposal of nuclear wastes. The hole was placed near the SE corner of section 20, T22S,R31E. It was drilled between April 28 and June 4, 1976, to a depth of 2889 ft (measured from a kelly bushing altitude of 3,420.4 ft MSL). The borehole encountered, from top to bottom, Holocene deposits (including artificial fill) of 22 ft, the Pleistocene Mescalero Caliche (5 ft) and Gatuna Formation (27 ft), 9 ft of the Triassic Santa Rosa Sandstone, and 487 ft of the Dewey Lake Red Beds, 290 ft of the Rustler Formation, 1976 ft of the Salado Formation and 53 ft of the Castile Formation, all of Permian age. Cuttings were collected at 5-ft intervals for the land surface to a depth of 1090 ft, and consecutive cores were taken to a depth of 2876.6 ft. A suite of wireline geophysical logs was run the full length of the borehole to measure distribution of radioactive elements and hydrogen, and variations in rock density and elastic velocity. On the basis of the borehole findings and related hydrological and geophysical programs, the site was judged suitable to pursue the extensive geological characterization program which followed. The core from ERDA 9 provided a suite of samples extensively tested for rock mechanics, physical properties, and mineralogy. Drill-stem tests in ERDA 9 indicated no significant fluids or permeability in the Salado beds of interest. The WIPP is a demonstration facility for the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste from defense programs. The WIPP will also provide a research facility to investigate the interactions between bedded salt and high level wastes

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant disposal phase final supplemental environmental impact statement. Volume 1, Chapters 1--6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-09-01

The purpose of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Disposal Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS-II) is to provide information on environmental impacts regarding the Department of Energy's (DOE) proposed disposal operations at WIPP. The Proposed Action describes the treatment and disposal of the Basic inventory of TRU waste over a 35-year period. The Action Alternatives proposed the treatment of the Basic Inventory and an Additional Inventory as well as the transportation of the treated waste to WIPP for disposal over a 150- to 190-year period. The three Action Alternatives include the treatment of TRU waste at consolidation sites to meet WIPP planning-basic Waste Acceptance Criteria, the thermal treatment of TRU waste to meet Land Disposal Restrictions, and the treatment of TRU waste by a shred and grout process. SEIS-II evaluates environmental impacts resulting from the various treatment options; the transportation of TRU waste to WIPP using truck, a combination of truck and regular rail service, and a combination of truck and dedicated rail service; and the disposal of this waste in the repository. Evaluated impacts include those to the general environment and to human health. Additional issues associated with the implementation of the alternatives are discussed to provide further understanding of the decisions to be reached and to provide the opportunity for public input on improving DOE's Environmental Management Program. Chapters 1--6 include an introduction, background information, description of the proposed action and alternatives, description of the affected environments, environmental impacts, and consultations and permits

WIPP conceptual design report. Addendum L. Mine safety code review for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-06-01

An initial review of New Mexico and Federal mining standards and regulations has been made to determine their applicability to the WIPP conceptual design. These standards and regulations are reviewed point by point and the enclosed listing includes comments and recommendations for those which will affect the design and/or eventual operations of WIPP. The majority of the standards, both federal and state, are standard safe mining practices. Those standards are listed which are thought should be emphasized for development of the design; also those that would increase the hazard risk by strict compliance. Because the WIPP facility is different in many respects from mines for which the regulations were intended, strict compliance in some respects would provide an increased hazard, while in other instances the regulations are less strict than is desirable. These are noted in the attached review

Innovations in the Assay of Un-Segregated Multi-Isotopic Grade TRU Waste Boxes with SuperHENC and FRAM Technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, A. P.; Barber, S.; Abdurrahman, N. M.

2006-01-01

The Super High Efficiency Neutron Coincidence Counter (SuperHENC) was originally developed by BIL Solutions Inc., Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) for assay of transuranic (TRU) waste in Standard Waste Boxes (SWB) at Rocky Flats. This mobile system was a key component in the shipment of over 4,000 SWBs to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Carlsbad, New Mexico. The system was WIPP certified in 2001 and operated at the site for four years. The success of this system, a passive neutron coincidence counter combined with high resolution gamma spectroscopy, led to the order of two new units, delivered to Hanford in 2004. Several new challenges were faced at Hanford: For example, the original RFETS system was calibrated for segregated waste streams such that metals, plastics, wet combustibles and dry combustibles were separated by 'Item Description Codes' prior to assay. Furthermore, the RFETS mission of handling only weapons grade plutonium, enabled the original SuperHENC to benefit from the use of known Pu isotopics. Operations at Hanford, as with most other DOE sites, generate un-segregated waste streams, with a wide diversity of Pu isotopics. Consequently, the new SuperHENCs are required to deal with new technical challenges. The neutron system's software and calibration methodology have been modified to encompass these new requirements. In addition, PC-FRAM software has been added to the gamma system, providing a robust isotopic measurement capability. Finally a new software package has been developed that integrates the neutron and gamma data to provide a final assay results and analysis report. The new system's performance has been rigorously tested and validated against WIPP quality requirements. These modifications, together with the mobile platform, make the new SuperHENC far more versatile in handling diverse waste streams and allow for rapid redeployment around the DOE complex. (authors)

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Part B permit application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-02-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project was authorized by the Department of Energy National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-164) as a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe, environmentally sound disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes derived from the defense activities of the United States. The WIPP facility is owned and operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The TRU waste to be received at WIPP consists largely of such items as laboratory glassware and utensils, tools, scrap metal, shielding, personnel protection equipment, and solidified sludges from the treatment of waste water. Approximately 60 percent of this waste is ''mixed,'' that is, it is also contaminated with hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and by the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (HWMR-5). Therefore, emplacement of TRU mixed waste in the WIPP repository is subject to regulation under HWMR-5 and RCRA. The permit application under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act for WIPP is divided into five volumes. This document, Volume 1, contains a site and facility description of WIPP; procedures for waste analysis and characterization, testing, monitoring, inspection, and training; hazard prevention, safety and security plans; plans for closure; and a discussion of other applicable laws. Also included are maps, photographs, and diagrams of the facilities and surrounding areas. 180 refs., 75 figs., 24 tabs

TRU waste transportation -- The flammable gas generation problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connolly, M.J.; Kosiewicz, S.T.

1997-01-01

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has imposed a flammable gas (i.e., hydrogen) concentration limit of 5% by volume on transuranic (TRU) waste containers to be shipped using the TRUPACT-II transporter. This concentration is the lower explosive limit (LEL) in air. This was done to minimize the potential for loss of containment during a hypothetical 60 day period. The amount of transuranic radionuclide that is permissible for shipment in TRU waste containers has been tabulated in the TRUPACT-II Safety Analysis Report for Packaging (SARP, 1) to conservatively prevent accumulation of hydrogen above this 5% limit. Based on the SARP limitations, approximately 35% of the TRU waste stored at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Lab (INEEL), Los Alamos National Lab (LANL), and Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) cannot be shipped in the TRUPACT-II. An even larger percentage of the TRU waste drums at the Savannah River Site (SRS) cannot be shipped because of the much higher wattage loadings of TRU waste drums in that site's inventory. This paper presents an overview of an integrated, experimental program that has been initiated to increase the shippable portion of the Department of Energy (DOE) TRU waste inventory. In addition, the authors will estimate the anticipated expansion of the shippable portion of the inventory and associated cost savings. Such projection should provide the TRU waste generating sites a basis for developing their TRU waste workoff strategies within their Ten Year Plan budget horizons

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Dry Bin-Scale Integrated Systems Checkout Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-04-01

In order to determine the long-term performance of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) disposal system, in accordance with the requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Standard 40 CFR 191, Subpart B, Sections 13 and 15, two performance assessment tests will be conducted. The tests are titled WIPP Bin-Scale Contact Handled (CH) Transuranic (TRU) Waste Tests and WIPP In Situ Alcove CH TRU Waste Tests. These tests are designed to measure the gas generation characteristics of CH TRU waste. Much of the waste will be specially prepared to provide data for a better understanding of the interactions due to differing degradation modes, waste forms, and repository environmental affects. The bin-scale test is designed to emplace nominally 146 bins. The majority of the bins will contain various forms of waste. Eight bins will be used as reference bins and will contain no waste. This checkout plan exercises the systems, operating procedures, and training readiness of personnel to safely carry out those specifically dedicated activities associated with conducting the bin-scale test plan for dry bins only. The plan does not address the entire WIPP facility readiness state. 18 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs

Shuffler calibration and measurement of mixtures of uranium and plutonium TRU-waste in a plant environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hurd, J.R.

1998-01-01

The active-passive shuffler installed and certified a few years ago in Los Alamos National Laboratory's plutonium facility has now been calibrated for different matrices to measure Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)-destined transuranic (TRU)-waste. Little or no data presently exist for these types of measurements in plant environments where there may be sudden large changes in the neutron background radiation which causes distortions in the results. Measurements and analyses of twenty-two 55-gallon drums, consisting of mixtures of varying quantities of uranium and plutonium, have been recently completed at the plutonium facility. The calibration and measurement techniques, including the method used to separate out the plutonium component, will be presented and discussed. Particular attention will be directed to those problems identified as arising from the plant environment. The results of studies to quantify the distortion effects in the data will be presented. Various solution scenarios will be indicated, along with those adopted here

Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis Results Obtained in the 1996 Performance Assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bean, J.E.; Berglund, J.W.; Davis, F.J.; Economy, K.; Garner, J.W.; Helton, J.C.; Johnson, J.D.; MacKinnon, R.J.; Miller, J.; O'Brien, D.G.; Ramsey, J.L.; Schreiber, J.D.; Shinta, A.; Smith, L.N.; Stockman, C.; Stoelzel, D.M.; Vaughn, P.

1998-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WPP) is located in southeastern New Mexico and is being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the geologic (deep underground) disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. A detailed performance assessment (PA) for the WIPP was carried out in 1996 and supports an application by the DOE to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the certification of the WIPP for the disposal of TRU waste. The 1996 WIPP PA uses a computational structure that maintains a separation between stochastic (i.e., aleatory) and subjective (i.e., epistemic) uncertainty, with stochastic uncertainty arising from the many possible disruptions that could occur over the 10,000 yr regulatory period that applies to the WIPP and subjective uncertainty arising from the imprecision with which many of the quantities required in the PA are known. Important parts of this structure are (1) the use of Latin hypercube sampling to incorporate the effects of subjective uncertainty, (2) the use of Monte Carlo (i.e., random) sampling to incorporate the effects of stochastic uncertainty, and (3) the efficient use of the necessarily limited number of mechanistic calculations that can be performed to support the analysis. The use of Latin hypercube sampling generates a mapping from imprecisely known analysis inputs to analysis outcomes of interest that provides both a display of the uncertainty in analysis outcomes (i.e., uncertainty analysis) and a basis for investigating the effects of individual inputs on these outcomes (i.e., sensitivity analysis). The sensitivity analysis procedures used in the PA include examination of scatterplots, stepwise regression analysis, and partial correlation analysis. Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis results obtained as part of the 1996 WIPP PA are presented and discussed. Specific topics considered include two phase flow in the vicinity of the repository, radionuclide release from the repository, fluid flow and radionuclide

Uncertainty and Sensitivity Analysis Results Obtained in the 1996 Performance Assessment for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bean, J.E.; Berglund, J.W.; Davis, F.J.; Economy, K.; Garner, J.W.; Helton, J.C.; Johnson, J.D.; MacKinnon, R.J.; Miller, J.; O' Brien, D.G.; Ramsey, J.L.; Schreiber, J.D.; Shinta, A.; Smith, L.N.; Stockman, C.; Stoelzel, D.M.; Vaughn, P.

1998-09-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WPP) is located in southeastern New Mexico and is being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the geologic (deep underground) disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. A detailed performance assessment (PA) for the WIPP was carried out in 1996 and supports an application by the DOE to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the certification of the WIPP for the disposal of TRU waste. The 1996 WIPP PA uses a computational structure that maintains a separation between stochastic (i.e., aleatory) and subjective (i.e., epistemic) uncertainty, with stochastic uncertainty arising from the many possible disruptions that could occur over the 10,000 yr regulatory period that applies to the WIPP and subjective uncertainty arising from the imprecision with which many of the quantities required in the PA are known. Important parts of this structure are (1) the use of Latin hypercube sampling to incorporate the effects of subjective uncertainty, (2) the use of Monte Carlo (i.e., random) sampling to incorporate the effects of stochastic uncertainty, and (3) the efficient use of the necessarily limited number of mechanistic calculations that can be performed to support the analysis. The use of Latin hypercube sampling generates a mapping from imprecisely known analysis inputs to analysis outcomes of interest that provides both a display of the uncertainty in analysis outcomes (i.e., uncertainty analysis) and a basis for investigating the effects of individual inputs on these outcomes (i.e., sensitivity analysis). The sensitivity analysis procedures used in the PA include examination of scatterplots, stepwise regression analysis, and partial correlation analysis. Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis results obtained as part of the 1996 WIPP PA are presented and discussed. Specific topics considered include two phase flow in the vicinity of the repository, radionuclide release from the repository, fluid flow and radionuclide

Preliminary radiological analysis of the transportation of contact-handled transuranic waste within the state of New Mexico. Revision 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tappen, J.; Fredrickson, C.; Daer, G.

1985-06-01

This analysis assesses the potential radiological impacts on the citizens of New Mexico from the transport of CH-TRU waste to WIPP by rail or by truck. Assuming exclusive use of the truck transport mode, the combined annual exposure to the public from accident-free shipment of waste is estimated to be 3.3 person-rem/year. It is estimated that a theoretical member of the public receiving maximum exposure to the combined truck shipments of CH-TRU waste to WIPP would receive an annual whole body dose equivalent of 0.000016 rem. Such an exposure is insignificant in comparison to the average annual whole body dose equivalent to an individual living in the Colorado Plateau area of between 0.075 and 0.140 rem from natural occurring radiation. The combined annual radiological risk to the public living along the new Mexico truck routes to WIPP from potential accidents is projected as 0.031 person-rem/year. Assuming exclusive use of the rail transport mode, the combined annual exposure to the public from accident-free shipment of waste is estimated to be 1.2 person-rem/year. A theoretical member of the public receiving combined maximum exposure to rail shipments of CH-TRU waste to WIPP would receive an annual whole body dose equivalent of 0.000012 rem. The combined annual radiological risk to the public living along the New Mexico rail routes to WIPP from potential accidents is projected as 0.0022 person-rem/year. An estimate of the radiological impacts in a year of maximum waste receipt can be made by multiplying the above results for rail or truck by 2. This estimate is based upon the WIPP design waste throughput rate of 500,000 ft 3 per year. An estimate of the radiological impacts of CH-TRU waste transport to WIPP over the facility life can be made by multiplying the above results by 25

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 2003 Site Environmental Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington Regulatory and Environmental Services

2005-09-03

The purpose of this report is to provide information needed by the DOE to assess WIPP's environmental performance and to convey that performance to stakeholders and members of the public. This report has been prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1A and DOE guidance. This report documents WIPP's environmental monitoring programs and their results for 2003. The WIPP Project is authorized by the DOE National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-164). After more than 20 years of scientific study and public input, WIPP received its first shipment of waste on March 26, 1999. Located in southeastern New Mexico, WIPP is the nation's first underground repository permitted to safely and permanently dispose of TRU radioactive and mixed waste (as defined in the WIPP LWA) generated through the research and production of nuclear weapons and other activities related to the national defense of the United States. TRU waste is defined in the WIPP LWA as radioactive waste containing more than 100 nanocuries (3,700 becquerels [Bq]) of alpha-emitting transuranic isotopes per gram of waste, with half-lives greater than 20 years. Exceptions are noted as high-level waste, waste that has been determined not to require the degree of isolation required by the disposal regulations, and waste the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved for disposal. Most TRU waste is contaminated industrial trash, such as rags and old tools, and sludges from solidified liquids; glass; metal; and other materials from dismantled buildings. A TRU waste is eligible for disposal at WIPP if it has been generated in whole or in partby one or more of the activities listed in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] §10101, et seq.), including naval reactors development, weapons activities, verification and control technology, defense nuclear materials production, defense nuclear waste and materials by

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 2003 Site Environmental Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The purpose of this report is to provide information needed by the DOE to assess WIPP's environmental performance and to convey that performance to stakeholders and members of the public. This report has been prepared in accordance with DOE Order 231.1A and DOE guidance. This report documents WIPP's environmental monitoring programs and their results for 2003. The WIPP Project is authorized by the DOE National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96-164). After more than 20 years of scientific study and public input, WIPP received its first shipment of waste on March 26, 1999. Located in southeastern New Mexico, WIPP is the nation's first underground repository permitted to safely and permanently dispose of TRU radioactive and mixed waste (as defined in the WIPP LWA) generated through the research and production of nuclear weapons and other activities related to the national defense of the United States. TRU waste is defined in the WIPP LWA as radioactive waste containing more than 100 nanocuries (3,700 becquerels [Bq]) of alpha-emitting transuranic isotopes per gram of waste, with half-lives greater than 20 years. Exceptions are noted as high-level waste, waste that has been determined not to require the degree of isolation required by the disposal regulations, and waste the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved for disposal. Most TRU waste is contaminated industrial trash, such as rags and old tools, and sludges from solidified liquids; glass; metal; and other materials from dismantled buildings. A TRU waste is eligible for disposal at WIPP if it has been generated in whole or in partby one or more of the activities listed in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 10101, et seq.), including naval reactors development, weapons activities, verification and control technology, defense nuclear materials production, defense nuclear waste and materials by

History of Rocky Flats waste streams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luckett, L.L.; Dickman, A.A.; Wells, C.R.; Vickery, D.J.

1982-01-01

An analysis of the waste streams at Rocky Flats was done to provide information for the Waste Certification program. This program has involved studying the types and amounts of retrievable transuranic (TRU) waste from Rocky Flats that is stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). The information can be used to estimate the types and amounts of waste that will need to be permanently stored in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The study covered mostly the eight-year period from June 1971 to June 1979. The types, amounts, and plutonium content of TRU waste and the areas or operations responsible for generating the waste are summarized in this waste stream history report. From the period studied, a total of 24,546,153 lbs of waste containing 211,148 g of plutonium currently occupies 709,497 cu ft of storage space at INEL

WIPP: why are we waiting?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barker, K.

1991-01-01

Rooms cut into salt almost half a mile below the state of New Mexico could become the United States' first underground repository for defence generated transuranic waste. The Department of Energy (DoE) was hoping to ship the first waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) this August, but the $800 million project has faced bureaucratic delays and a definite date has yet to be set. The state of New Mexico established the Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) to perform an independent technical evaluation of the project with respect to potential radiation exposure for people or environmental degradation in the area around the WIPP site. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant has two objectives: to perform scientific investigations into the behaviour of salt rock and its interactions with transuranic and mixed waste under a variety of conditions; and to demonstrate that transuranic waste can be safely handled, transported and stored in a geologic repository. The EEG is unhappy about proposed in-repository tests to assess the long term performance of WIPP. (author)

Transuranic waste transportation issues in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Channell, J.K.; Rodgers, J.C.; Neill, R.H.

1988-01-01

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) expects to begin disposal of defence transuranic wastes at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Southeastern New Mexico before the end of 1988. Approximately 25,000 truck shipments involving 35 million vehicle kilometers will be required to transport about 175,000 m 3 of contact-handled transuranic waste. Up to 5,000 shipments of remote-handled transuranic waste (RH-TRU) will also be shipped to WIPP in shielded casks. This paper addresses the shipment of CH-TRU wastes

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Part B Permit Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-02-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project was authorized by the Department of Energy National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-164) as a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe, environmentally sound disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes derived from the defense activities of the United States. The WIPP facility is owned and operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The TRU waste to be received at WIPP consists largely of such items as laboratory glassware and utensils, tools, scrap metal, shielding, personnel protection equipment, and solidified sludges from the treatment of waste water. Approximately 60 percent of this waste is ''mixed,'' that is, it is also contaminated with hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and by the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (HWMR-5). Therefore, emplacement of TRU mixed waste in the WIPP repository is subject to regulation under HWMR-5 and RCRA. The permit application under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act for WIPP is divided into five volumes. This document, Volume 4, contains Appendices C3, C4, and D1--D10. These appendices cover information on environmental impacts, site characterization, geology and hydrology of the area, monitoring of the environment, compatibility of waste forms and containers, and removal of volatile organic compounds (VOC)

Enhancing TRU burning and Am transmutation in Advanced Recycling Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikeda, Kazumi; Kochendarfer, Richard A.; Moriwaki, Hiroyuki; Kunishima, Shigeru

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → This ARR is an oxide fueled sodium cooled reactor based on innovative technologies to destruct TRU. → TRU burning core is designed to burn TRU at 28 kg/TW th h, adding moderator pins of B 4 C (Enriched B-11). → Am transmutation core can transmute Am at 34 kg/TW th h, adding uranium free AmN blanket to TRU burning core. → The TRU burning core improves TRU burning by 40-50% than the previous core. → The Am transmutation core can transmute Am effectively, keeping the void reactivity acceptable. - Abstract: This paper presents about conceptual designs of Advanced Recycling Reactor (ARR) focusing on enhancement in transuranics (TRU) burning and americium (Am) transmutation. The design has been conducted in the context of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) seeking to close nuclear fuel cycle in ways that reduce proliferation risks, reduce the nuclear waste in the US and further improve global energy security. This study strives to enhance the TRU burning and the Am transmutation, assuming the development of related technologies in this study, while the ARR based on mature technologies was designed in the previous study. It has followed that the provided TRU burning core is designed to burn TRU at 28 kg/TW th h, by adding moderator pins of B 4 C (Enriched B-11) and the Am transmutation core will be able to transmute Am at 34 kg/TW th h, by locating Am blanket of AmN around the TRU burning core. It indicates that these concepts improve TRU burning by 40-50% than the previous core and can transmute Am effectively, keeping the void reactivity acceptable.

Evaluation of the WIPP Project's compliance with the EPA radiation protection standards for disposal of transuranic waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neill, R.H.; Chaturvedi, L.; Rucker, D.F.; Silva, M.K.; Walker, B.A.; Channell, J.K.; Clemo, T.M.

1998-03-01

The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed rule to certify that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) meets compliance with the long-term radiation protection standards for geologic repositories (40CFR191 Subparts B and C), is one of the most significant milestones to date for the WIPP project in particular, and for the nuclear waste issue in general. The Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) has provided an independent technical oversight for the WIPP project since 1978, and is responsible for many improvements in the location, design, and testing of various aspects of the project, including participation in the development of the EPA standards since the early 1980s. The EEG reviewed the development of documentation for assessing the WIPP's compliance by the Sandia National Laboratories following the 1985 promulgation by EPA, and provided many written and verbal comments on various aspects of this effort, culminating in the overall review of the 1992 performance assessment. For the US Department of Energy's (DOE) compliance certification application (CCA), the EEG provided detailed comments on the draft CCA in March, 1996, and additional comments through unpublished letters in 1997 (included as Appendices 8.1 and 8.2 in this report). Since the October 30, 1997, publication of the EPA's proposed rule to certify WIPP, the EEG gave presentations on important issues to the EPA on December 10, 1997, and sent a December 31, 1997 letter with attachments to clarify those issues (Appendix 8.3). The EEG has raised a number of questions that may have an impact on compliance. In spite of the best efforts by the EEG, the EPA reaction to reviews and suggestions has been slow and apparently driven by legal considerations. This report discusses in detail the questions that have been raised about containment requirements. Also discussed are assurance requirements, groundwater protection, individual protection, and an evaluation of EPA's responses to EEG's comments

Conclusions regarding geotechnical acceptability of the WIPP site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weart, W.D.

1983-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) was authorized by Congress in 1980 as an unlicensed research and development (R and D) facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive wastes arising from the defense activities and programs of the United States. WIPP is now being constructed in southeast New Mexico, using salt beds about 655 m below the surface of the ground. Construction of the full WIPP facility will not commence until a preliminary underground excavation phase, called Site and Preliminary Design Validation (SPDV), is satisfactorily concluded in the summer of 1983. This SPDV program permits confirmation of subsurface geology, in drifts at planned facility depth that extend for 1555 m in a north-south direction, and in the two vertical shafts that provide access to these drifts. The subsurface studies are nearing completion, and it is therefore appropriate to draw conclusions regarding the geotechnical acceptability of the WIPP site. Four geotechnical elements are discussed: dissolution, deformation, hydrologic regime, and natural resources

Draft no-migration variance petition. Volume 7, Appendices: SUM, SURV, VOC, WAP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The Department of Energy is responsible for the disposition of transuranic (TRU) waste generated by national defense-related activities. Approximately 2,6 million cubic feet of these waste have been generated and are stored at various facilities across the country. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), was sited and constructed to meet stringent disposal requirements. In order to permanently dispose of TRU waste, the DOE has elected to petition the US EPA for a variance from the Land Disposal Restrictions of RCRA. This document fulfills the reporting requirements for the petition. This report is volume 7 of the petition which presents details about the waste analysis plan for WIPP. VOC screening methodologies; and a summary of the site characterization studies conducted from 1983 through 1987 at WIPP

Status and Growth of Underground Science at WIPP

Science.gov (United States)

Rempe, Norbert T.

2008-10-01

The science community is increasingly taking advantage of research opportunities in the government-owned Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), 655m underground near Carlsbad, NM. Discoveries so far include viable bacteria, cellulose, and DNA in 250 million-year old salt, preserved in an ultra-low background-radiation setting. Supplementing the overburden's shielding against cosmic radiation, terrestrial background from the host formation is less than five percent that of average crustal rock. In the past, WIPP accommodated development and testing of neutral current detectors for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory and dark matter research, and it currently hosts two experiments pursuing neutrino-less double-beta decay. That scientists can listen to whispers from the universe in proximity to megacuries of radioactive waste lends, of course, credibility to the argument that WIPP itself is very safe. Almost a century of regional petroleum and potash extraction history and more than three decades of WIPP studies have generated a comprehensive body of knowledge on geology, mining technology, rock mechanics, geochemistry, and other disciplines relevant to underground science. Existing infrastructure is being used and can be expanded to fit experimental needs. WIPP's exemplary safety and regulatory compliance culture, low excavating and operating cost, and the high probability of the repository operating at least another 40 years make its available underground space attractive for future research and development. Recent proposals include low-photon energy counting to study internal dose received decades ago, investigations into ultra-low radiation dose response in cell cultures and laboratory animals (e.g., hormesis vs. linear no-threshold) and detectors for dark matter, solar and supernova neutrinos, and proton decay. Additional proposals compatible with WIPP's primary mission are welcome.

WIPP performance assessment: impacts of human intrusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, D.R.; Hunter, R.L.; Bertram-Howery, S.G.; Lappin, A.R.

1989-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico is a research and development facility that may become the USA's first and only mined geologic repository for transuranic waste. Human intrusion into the WIPP repository after closure has been shown by preliminary sensitivity analyses and calculations of consequences to be an important, and perhaps the most important, factor in long-term repository performance

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act: Part B, Permit application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-02-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project was authorized by the Department of Energy National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-164) as a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe, environmentally sound disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes derived from the defense activities of the United States. The WIPP facility is owned and operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The TRU waste to be received at WIPP consists largely of such items as laboratory glassware and utensils, tools, scrap metal, shielding, personnel protection equipment, and solidified sludges from the treatment of waste water. Approximately 60 percent of this waste is ''mixed,'' that is, it is also contaminated with hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and by the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (HWMR-5). Therefore, emplacement of TRU mixed waste in the WIPP repository is subject to regulation under HWMR-5 and RCRA. The permit application under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act for WIPP is divided into five volumes. This document, Volume 5, contains Appendices E1, H1, I1--3, K1, K2, and L1. These appendices cover a RCRA ground water monitoring waiver, a list of job titles, the operational closure plan, the waste retrieval plan for wastes placed during the test phase, and listings of agreements between WIPP, DOE, and various state and federal agencies. 91 refs., 21 figs., 3 tabs

Performance demonstration program plan for RCRA constituent analysis of solidified wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-06-01

Performance Demonstration Programs (PDPS) are designed to help ensure compliance with the Quality Assurance Objectives (QAOs) for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The PDPs are intended for use by the Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Area Office (CAO) to assess and approve the laboratories and other measurement facilities supplying services for the characterization of WIPP TRU waste. The PDPs may also be used by CAO in qualifying laboratories proposing to supply additional analytical services that are required for other than waste characterization, such as WIPP site operations. The purpose of this PDP is to test laboratory performance for the analysis of solidified waste samples for TRU waste characterization. This performance will be demonstrated by the successful analysis of blind audit samples of simulated, solidified TRU waste according to the criteria established in this plan. Blind audit samples (hereinafter referred to as PDP samples) will be used as an independent means to assess laboratory performance regarding compliance with the QAOs. The concentration of analytes in the PDP samples will address levels of regulatory concern and will encompass the range of concentrations anticipated in actual waste characterization samples. Analyses that are required by the WIPP to demonstrate compliance with various regulatory requirements and which are included in the PDP must be performed by laboratories that demonstrate acceptable performance in the PDP. These analyses are referred to as WIPP analyses and the samples on which they are performed are referred to as WIPP samples for the balance of this document

A Novel and Cost Effective Approach to the Decommissioning and Decontamination of Legacy Glove Boxes - Minimizing TRU Waste and Maximizing LLW Waste - 13634

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pancake, Daniel; Rock, Cynthia M.; Creed, Richard [Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Lemont, IL 60439 (United States); Donohoue, Tom; Martin, E. Ray; Mason, John A. [ANTECH Corporation 9050 Marshall Court, Westminster, CO, 80031 (United States); Norton, Christopher J.; Crosby, Daniel [Environmental Alternatives, Inc., 149 Emerald Street, Suite R, Keene, NH 03431 (United States); Nachtman, Thomas J. [InstaCote, Inc., 160 C. Lavoy Road, Erie, MI, 48133 (United States)

2013-07-01

This paper describes the process of decommissioning two gloveboxes at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) that were employed for work with plutonium and other radioactive materials. The decommissioning process involved an initial phase of clearing tools and materials from the glove boxes and disconnecting them from the laboratory infrastructure. The removed materials, assessed as Transuranic (TRU) waste, were packaged into 55 gallon (200 litre) drums and prepared for ultimate disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) at Carlsbad New Mexico. The boxes were then sampled to determine the radioactive contents by means of smears that were counted with alpha and beta detectors to determine the residual surface contamination, especially in terms of alpha particle emitters that are an indicator of TRU activity. Paint chip samples were also collected and sent for laboratory analysis in order to ascertain the radioactive contamination contributing to the TRU activity as a fixed contamination. The investigations predicted that it may be feasible to reduce the residual surface contamination and render the glovebox structure low level waste (LLW) for disposal. In order to reduce the TRU activity a comprehensive decontamination process was initiated using chemical compounds that are particularly effective for lifting and dissolving radionuclides that adhere to the inner surfaces of the gloveboxes. The result of the decontamination process was a reduction in the TRU surface activity on the inner surfaces of the gloveboxes by four orders of magnitude in terms of disintegrations per unit area (DPA). The next phase of the process involved a comprehensive assay of the gloveboxes using a combination of passive neutron and gamma ray scintillation detectors and a shielded and collimated high purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma ray detector. The HPGe detector was used to obtain gamma ray spectra for a variety of measurement positions within the glovebox. The spectra were used to

A Novel and Cost Effective Approach to the Decommissioning and Decontamination of Legacy Glove Boxes - Minimizing TRU Waste and Maximizing LLW Waste - 13634

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pancake, Daniel; Rock, Cynthia M.; Creed, Richard; Donohoue, Tom; Martin, E. Ray; Mason, John A.; Norton, Christopher J.; Crosby, Daniel; Nachtman, Thomas J.

2013-01-01

This paper describes the process of decommissioning two gloveboxes at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) that were employed for work with plutonium and other radioactive materials. The decommissioning process involved an initial phase of clearing tools and materials from the glove boxes and disconnecting them from the laboratory infrastructure. The removed materials, assessed as Transuranic (TRU) waste, were packaged into 55 gallon (200 litre) drums and prepared for ultimate disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) at Carlsbad New Mexico. The boxes were then sampled to determine the radioactive contents by means of smears that were counted with alpha and beta detectors to determine the residual surface contamination, especially in terms of alpha particle emitters that are an indicator of TRU activity. Paint chip samples were also collected and sent for laboratory analysis in order to ascertain the radioactive contamination contributing to the TRU activity as a fixed contamination. The investigations predicted that it may be feasible to reduce the residual surface contamination and render the glovebox structure low level waste (LLW) for disposal. In order to reduce the TRU activity a comprehensive decontamination process was initiated using chemical compounds that are particularly effective for lifting and dissolving radionuclides that adhere to the inner surfaces of the gloveboxes. The result of the decontamination process was a reduction in the TRU surface activity on the inner surfaces of the gloveboxes by four orders of magnitude in terms of disintegrations per unit area (DPA). The next phase of the process involved a comprehensive assay of the gloveboxes using a combination of passive neutron and gamma ray scintillation detectors and a shielded and collimated high purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma ray detector. The HPGe detector was used to obtain gamma ray spectra for a variety of measurement positions within the glovebox. The spectra were used to

Comprehensive implementation plan for the DOE defense buried TRU- contaminated waste program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Everette, S.E.; Detamore, J.A.; Raudenbush, M.H.; Thieme, R.E.

1988-02-01

In 1970, the US Atomic Energy Commission established a ''transuranic'' (TRU) waste classification. Waste disposed of prior to the decision to retrievably store the waste and which may contain TRU contamination is referred to as ''buried transuranic-contaminated waste'' (BTW). The DOE reference plan for BTW, stated in the Defense Waste Management Plan, is to monitor it, to take such remedial actions as may be necessary, and to re-evaluate its safety as necessary or in about 10-year periods. Responsibility for management of radioactive waste and byproducts generated by DOE belongs to the Secretary of Energy. Regulatory control for these sites containing mixed waste is exercised by both DOE (radionuclides) and EPA (hazardous constituents). Each DOE Operations Office is responsible for developing and implementing plans for long-term management of its radioactive and hazardous waste sites. This comprehensive plan includes site-by-site long-range plans, site characteristics, site costs, and schedules at each site. 13 figs., 15 tabs

An approach for the reasonable TRU waste management in NUCEF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mineo, H.; Dojiri, S.; Takeshita, I.; Tsujino, T.; Matsumura, T.; Nishizawa, I.; Sugikawa, S.

1995-01-01

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle Safety Engineering Research Facility (NUCEF) has started its hot operation at the beginning of 1995, where TRU (transuranic) elements are used. The management of TRU waste arisen in the facility is very important issue. Liquid and solid wastes containing TRU elements are generated mainly from the Fuel Treatment System for critical experiments and from the researches of reprocessing process and TRU waste management for reprocessing plants using hot cells and glove-boxes. The TRU waste management in NUCEF is based on the classification of waste, and is to maximize the recycle of reagents and the reuse of TRU elements separated from the waste, as well as to reduce the waste volume and to lower the risk of waste by advanced separation and solidification. In the future, the separation and solidification of TRU elements in the tanks of liquid waste, and the classification and discrimination of solid wastes, will be carried out applying the outcomes of the development by the researches in NUCEF. (authors)

Study on integrated TRU multi-recycling in sodium cooled fast reactor CDFR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Yun; Xu Mi; Wang Kan

2010-01-01

In view of recently proposed closed fuel cycle strategy which would recycle the integrated transuranics (TRU) from PWR spent fuel in the fast reactors, the neutronics characteristics of TRU recycled in China Demonstration Fast Reactor (CDFR) are studied in this paper. The results show that loading integrated TRU to substitute pure Pu as driver fuel will mainly make the influence on sodium void worth and negligible effects on other parameters, and hence TRU recycling in CDFR is feasible from viewpoint of core neutronics. If TRU is multi-recycled, the variation of TRU composition depends on fuel types and the ratio of TRU and U when recycling. It is indicated that, when TRU is multi-recycled in CDFR with MOX fuel, the minor actinides (MA) fraction in TRU will firstly decrease to ∼7.24% (minimum) within 8 TRU recycle times and then slowly increase to ∼7.7% after 20 TRU recycle times; while when TRU is multi-recycled in CDFR with metal fuel (TRU-U-10Zr), the MA fraction in TRU will gradually approach to an equilibrium state with the MA fraction of ∼3.8%, demonstrating better MA transmutation effect in metal fuel core. No matter 7.7 or 3.8%, they are both lower than ∼10% in PWR spent fuel with burnup of 45 GWd/tU, which presents satisfying effect of MA amount controlling for TRU multi-recycling strategy. On the other hand, the corresponding recycling parameters such as TRU heat release and neutron emission rate are also much lower in metal fuel than those in MOX fuel. Moreover, TRU recycled in metal fuel will bring greater fissile Pu isotopes equilibrium fraction due to better breeding capability of metal fuel. Finally, it could be summarized that integrated TRU multi-recycling in fast reactor can make contributions to both breeding and transmutation, and such strategy is a prospective closed fuel cycle manner to achieve the object of effective control of cumulated MA amount and sustainable development of nuclear energy.

User's manual for remote-handled transuranic waste container welding and inspection fixture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hauptmann, J.P.

1985-09-01

Rockwell Hanford Operations (Rockwell) has designed built, and tested a prototype remotely operated welding and inspection fixture to be used in making the closure weld on the remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste container. The RH-TRU waste container has an average TRU concentration in excess of 100 nCi/gm, and a surface radiation dose rate in excess of 200 mrem/h, but not exceeding 100 rem/h. The RH-TRU waste container is to be used by defense waste generator sites in the United States for final packaging of RH-TRU wastes and is compatible with the requirements of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and the WIPP handling system. Standard and stacked RH-TRU container designs are available. The standard container is 26 in. in dia. by 121 in. high; the stacked containers are 26 in. in dia. by 61.25 in. high. After loading, two stacked containers are fitted and welded together to form the identical measurements of the standard 121-in. container. The prototype RH-TRU waste container welding and inspection fixture was intended for test and evaluation only, and not for installation in an operating facility. The final RH-TRU waste container welding and inspection fixture drawings (see appendix) incorporate several changes made following operational testing of the original fixture. These modifications are identified in this manual. However, not all modifications have been functionally tested. The purpose of this manual is to aid waste generator sites in designing a remotely operated welding and inspection fixture that will conform to their own requirements. Modifications to the Rockwell design must be evaluated for structural and WIPP handling requirements. This manual also provides design philosophy, component vendor information, and cost estimates

The waste isolation pilot plant: A new regulatory environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frei, M.W.; Schneider, S.P.; Saris, E.C.; Austin, P.W.

1993-01-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is ready to embark on a multiyear test program, using radioactive waste, at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The WIPP is a deep geologic repository, constructed in ancient salt beds in southeastern New Mexico. It was authorized by Congress in 1979 as a research and development facility to demonstrate safe disposal of the nation's defense transuranic (TRU) waste. Nonradioactive testing in the repository has been under way for several years. The DOE is now ready to begin underground experiments at WIPP with small amounts of TRU waste. Radioactive waste testing in an actual repository environment will reduce uncertainties associated with predictions of long-term repository performance. However, the authority for DOE to begin this new phase of the test program no longer resides within the department. The WIPP is now subject to a new level of regulatory oversight by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies, as set forth by Public Law 102-579, the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, signed by the President on October 30, 1992. This paper discusses the act's new regulatory requirements for WIPP

RH-TRU Waste Content Codes (RH TRUCON)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The Remote-Handled Transuranic (RH-TRU) Content Codes (RH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of RH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (RH-TRAMPAC).1 The RH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the RH-TRU 72-B. This document is a catalog of RH-TRU 72-B authorized contents by site. A content code is defined by the following components: (1) A two-letter site abbreviation that designates the physical location of the generated/stored waste (e.g., ID for Idaho National Laboratory [INL]). The site-specific letter designations for each of the sites are provided in Table 1. (2) A three-digit code that designates the physical and chemical form of the waste (e.g., content code 317 denotes TRU Metal Waste). For RH-TRU waste to be transported in the RH-TRU 72-B, the first number of this three-digit code is ''3''. The second and third numbers of the three-digit code describe the physical and chemical form of the waste. Table 2 provides a brief description of each generic code. Content codes are further defined as subcodes by an alpha trailer after the three-digit code to allow segregation of wastes that differ in one or more parameter(s). For example, the alpha trailers of the subcodes ID 322A and ID 322B may be used to differentiate between waste packaging configurations. As detailed in the RH-TRAMPAC, compliance with flammable gas limits may be demonstrated through the evaluation of compliance with either a decay heat limit or flammable gas generation rate (FGGR) limit per container specified in approved content codes. As applicable, if a container meets the watt*year criteria specified by the RH-TRAMPAC, the decay heat limits based on the dose-dependent G value may be used as specified in an approved content code. If a site implements the administrative controls outlined in the RH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 2.4 of the RH-TRU Payload Appendices, the decay heat or FGGR

RH-TRU Waste Content Codes (RH TRUCON)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Washington TRU Solutions

2007-05-01

The Remote-Handled Transuranic (RH-TRU) Content Codes (RH-TRUCON) document describes the inventory of RH-TRU waste within the transportation parameters specified by the Remote-Handled Transuranic Waste Authorized Methods for Payload Control (RH-TRAMPAC).1 The RH-TRAMPAC defines the allowable payload for the RH-TRU 72-B. This document is a catalog of RH-TRU 72-B authorized contents by site. A content code is defined by the following components: • A two-letter site abbreviation that designates the physical location of the generated/stored waste (e.g., ID for Idaho National Laboratory [INL]). The site-specific letter designations for each of the sites are provided in Table 1. • A three-digit code that designates the physical and chemical form of the waste (e.g., content code 317 denotes TRU Metal Waste). For RH-TRU waste to be transported in the RH-TRU 72-B, the first number of this three-digit code is “3.” The second and third numbers of the three-digit code describe the physical and chemical form of the waste. Table 2 provides a brief description of each generic code. Content codes are further defined as subcodes by an alpha trailer after the three-digit code to allow segregation of wastes that differ in one or more parameter(s). For example, the alpha trailers of the subcodes ID 322A and ID 322B may be used to differentiate between waste packaging configurations. As detailed in the RH-TRAMPAC, compliance with flammable gas limits may be demonstrated through the evaluation of compliance with either a decay heat limit or flammable gas generation rate (FGGR) limit per container specified in approved content codes. As applicable, if a container meets the watt*year criteria specified by the RH-TRAMPAC, the decay heat limits based on the dose-dependent G value may be used as specified in an approved content code. If a site implements the administrative controls outlined in the RH-TRAMPAC and Appendix 2.4 of the RH-TRU Payload Appendices, the decay heat or FGGR

TRU waste form and package criteria meeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1977-08-01

The broad subject of the meeting is the overall ERDA TRU waste management program, although the discussions also cover performance criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and their implications for the overall TRU program. Separate abstracts were prepared for all ten presentations. (DLC)

WIPP site and vicinity geological field trip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaturvedi, L.

1980-10-01

The Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) is conducting an assessment of the radiological health risks to people from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). As a part of this work, EEG is making an effort to improve the understanding of those geological issues concerning the WIPP site which may affect the radiological consequences of the proposed repository. One of the important geological issues to be resolved is the timing and the nature of the dissolution processes which may have affected the WIPP site. EEG organized a two-day conference of geological scientists, titled Geotechnical Considerations for Radiological Hazard Assessment of WIPP on January 17-18, 1980. During this conference, it was realized that a field trip to the site would further clarify the different views on the geological processes active at the site. The field trip of June 16-18, 1980 was organized for this purpose. This report provides a summary of the field trip activities along with the participants post field trip comments. Important field stops are briefly described, followed by a more detailed discussion of critical geological issues. The report concludes with EEG's summary and recommendations to the US Department of Energy for further information needed to more adequately resolve concerns for the geologic and hydrologic integrity of the site

Transuranic waste management at Sandia National Laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Humphrey, Betty [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bland, Jesse John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2018-01-01

This paper documents the history of the TRU program at Sandia, previous and current activities associated with TRU material and waste, interfaces with other TRU waste generator sites and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plan (WIPP), and paths forward for TRU material and waste. This document is a snapshot in time of the TRU program and should be updated as necessary, or when significant changes have occurred in the Sandia TRU program or in the TRU regulatory environment. This paper should serve as a roadmap to capture past TRU work so that efforts are not repeated and ground is not lost due to future inactivity and personnel changes.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Part B permit application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-02-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project was authorized by the Department of Energy National Security and Military Applications of Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-164) as a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe, environmentally sound disposal of transuranic (TRU) radioactive wastes derived from the defense activities of the United States. The WIPP facility is owned and operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The TRU waste to be received at WIPP consists largely of such items as laboratory glassware and utensils, tools, scrap metal, shielding, personnel protection equipment, and solidified sludges from the treatment of waste water. Approximately 60 percent of this waste is ''mixed,'' that is, it is also contaminated with hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents as defined by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and by the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Management Regulations (HWMR-5). Therefore, emplacement of TRU mixed waste in the WIPP repository is subject to regulation under HWMR-5 and RCRA. The permit application under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act for WIPP is divided into five volumes. This document, Volume 3, is Appendix C2 continued. This appendix contains information on shipping; inventories of chemicals present in waste; chemical compatibility of wastes; the methodology to determine compatibility; analytical data regarding volatile organic compounds (VOC), metals, and solvents; and a description of sampling programs of waste drum gases

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Part B Permit Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Project was authorized by the US Department of Energy 5 (DOE) National Security and Military Applications of the Nuclear Energy Authorization Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-164). Its legislative mandate is to provide a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive waste resulting from national defense programs and activities. To fulfill this mandate, the WIPP facility has been designed to perform scientific investigations of the behavior of bedded salt as a repository medium and the interactions between the soft and radioactive wastes. In 1991, DOE proposed to initiate a experimental Test Phase designed to demonstrate the performance of the repository. The Test Phase activities involve experiments using transuranic (TRU) waste typical of the waste planned for future disposal at the WIPP facility. Much of this TRU waste is co-contaminated with chemical constituents which are defined as hazardous under HWMR-7, Pt. II, sec. 261. This waste is TRU mixed waste and is the subject of this application. Because geologic repositories, such as the WIPP facility, are defined under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) as land disposal facilities, the groundwater monitoring requirements of HWMR-7, PLV, Subpart X, must be addressed. HWMR-7, Pt. V, Subpart X, must be addressed. This appendix demonstrates that groundwater monitoring is not needed in order to demonstrate compliance with the performance standards; therefore, HWMR-7, Pt.V, Subpart F, will not apply to the WIPP facility

Final environmental impact statement. Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-10-01

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared this document as environmental input to future decisions regarding the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which would include the disposal of transuranic waste, as currently authorized. The alternatives covered in this document are the following: (1) Continue storing transuranic (TRU) waste at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) as it is now or with improved confinement. (2) Proceed with WIPP at the Los Medanos site in southeastern New Mexico, as currently authorized. (3) Dispose of TRU waste in the first available repository for high-level waste. The Los Medanos site would be investigated for its potential suitability as a candidate site. This is administration policy and is the alternative preferred by the DOE. (4) Delay the WIPP to allow other candidate sites to be evaluated for TRU-waste disposal. This environmental impact statement is arranged in the following manner: Chapter 1 is an overall summary of the analysis contained in the document. Chapters 2 and 4 set forth the objectives of the national waste-management program and analyze the full spectrum of reasonable alternatives for meeting these objectives, including the WIPP. Chapter 5 presents the interim waste-acceptance criteria and waste-form alternatives for the WIPP. Chapters 6 through 13 provide a detailed description and environmental analysis of the WIPP repository and its site. Chapter 14 describes the permits and approvals necessary for the WIPP and the interactions that have taken place with Federal, State, and local authorities, and with the general public in connection with the repository. Chapter 15 analyzes the many comments received on the DEIS and tells what has been done in this FEIS in response. The appendices contain data and discussions in support of the material in the text

Final environmental impact statement. Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-10-01

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the US Department of Energy (DOE) has prepared this document as environmental input to future decisions regarding the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which would include the disposal of transuranic waste, as currently authorized. The alternatives covered in this document are the following: (1) Continue storing transuranic (TRU) waste at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) as it is now or with improved confinement. (2) Proceed with WIPP at the Los Medanos site in southeastern New Mexico, as currently authorized. (3) Dispose of TRU waste in the first available repository for high-level waste. The Los Medanos site would be investigated for its potential suitability as a candidate site. This is administration policy and is the alternative preferred by the DOE. (4) Delay the WIPP to allow other candidate sites to be evaluated for TRU-waste disposal. This environmental impact statement is arranged in the following manner: Chapter 1 is an overall summary of the analysis contained in the document. Chapters 2 and 4 set forth the objectives of the national waste-management program and analyze the full spectrum of reasonable alternatives for meeting these objectives, including the WIPP. Chapter 5 presents the interim waste-acceptance criteria and waste-form alternatives for the WIPP. Chapters 6 through 13 provide a detailed description and environmental analysis of the WIPP repository and its site. Chapter 14 describes the permits and approvals necessary for the WIPP and the interactions that have taken place with Federal, State, and local authorities, and with the general public in connection with the repository. Chapter 15 analyzes the many comments received on the DEIS and tells what has been done in this FEIS in response. The appendices contain data and discussions in support of the material in the text.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant disposal phase final supplemental environmental impact statement. Volume 2: Appendices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-09-01

The purpose of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Disposal Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS-II) is to provide information on environmental impacts regarding the Department of Energy's (DOE) proposed disposal operations at WIPP. The Proposed Action describes the treatment and disposal of the Basic inventory of TRU waste over a 35-year period. The Action Alternatives proposed the treatment of the Basic Inventory and an Additional Inventory as well as the transportation of the treated waste to WIPP for disposal over a 150- to 190-year period. The three Action Alternatives include the treatment of TRU waste at consolidation sites to meet WIPP planning-basic Waste Acceptance Criteria, the thermal treatment of TRU waste to meet Land Disposal Restrictions, and the treatment of TRU waste by a shred and grout process. SEIS-II evaluates environmental impacts resulting from the various treatment options; the transportation of TRU waste to WIPP using truck, a combination of truck and regular rail service, and a combination of truck and dedicated rail service; and the disposal of this waste in the repository. Evaluated impacts include those to the general environment and to human health. Additional issues associated with the implementation of the alternatives are discussed to provide further understanding of the decisions to be reached and to provide the opportunity for public input on improving DOE's Environmental Management Program. This volume contains the following appendices: Waste inventory; Summary of the waste management programmatic environmental impact statement and its use in determining human health impacts at treatment sites; Air quality; Life-cycle costs and economic impacts; Transportation; Human health; Facility accidents; Long-term consequence analysis for proposed action and action alternatives; Long-term consequence analysis for no action alternative 2; and Updated estimates of the DOE's transuranic waste volumes

WIPP conceptual design report. Addendum C. Cost worksheets for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-04-01

The cost worksheets for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) are presented. A summary cost estimate, cost estimate for surface facilities, and cost estimate for shafts and underground facilities are included

Geotechnical Perspectives on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francke, Chris T.; Hansen, Frank D.; Knowles, M. Kathyn; Patchet, Stanley J.; Rempe, Norbert T.

1999-01-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is the first nuclear waste repository certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Success in regulatory compliance resulted from an excellent natural setting for such a repository, a facility with multiple, redundant safety systems, and from a rigorous, transparent scientific and technical evaluation. The WIPP story, which has evolved over the past 25 years, has generated a library of publications and analyses. Details of the multifaceted program are contained in the cited references. Selected geotechnical highlights prove the eminent suitability of the WIPP to serve its congressionally mandated purpose

Compliance For Hanford Waste Retrieval: Radioactive Air Emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simmons, F.M.

2009-01-01

(sm b ullet) Since 1970, approximately 38,000 suspect transuranic (TRU) and TRU waste cont∼iners have been placed in retrievable storage on the Hanford Site in the 200Area's burial grounds. (sm b ullet) TRU waste is defined as waste containing greater than 100 nanocuries/gram of alpha emitting transuranic isotopes with half lives greater than 20 years. (sm b ullet) The United States currentl∼permanently disposes of TRU waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

No-migration variance petition: Draft. Volume 4, Appendices DIF, GAS, GCR (Volume 1)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-05-31

The Department of Energy is responsible for the disposition of transuranic (TRU) waste generated by national defense-related activities. Approximately 2.6 million cubic feet of the se waste have been generated and are stored at various facilities across the country. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), was sited and constructed to meet stringent disposal requirements. In order to permanently dispose of TRU waste, the DOE has elected to petition the US EPA for a variance from the Land Disposal Restrictions of RCRA. This document fulfills the reporting requirements for the petition. This report is volume 4 of the petition which presents details about the transport characteristics across drum filter vents and polymer bags; gas generation reactions and rates during long-term WIPP operation; and geological characterization of the WIPP site.

No-migration variance petition: Draft. Volume 4, Appendices DIF, GAS, GCR (Volume 1)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The Department of Energy is responsible for the disposition of transuranic (TRU) waste generated by national defense-related activities. Approximately 2.6 million cubic feet of the se waste have been generated and are stored at various facilities across the country. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), was sited and constructed to meet stringent disposal requirements. In order to permanently dispose of TRU waste, the DOE has elected to petition the US EPA for a variance from the Land Disposal Restrictions of RCRA. This document fulfills the reporting requirements for the petition. This report is volume 4 of the petition which presents details about the transport characteristics across drum filter vents and polymer bags; gas generation reactions and rates during long-term WIPP operation; and geological characterization of the WIPP site

Assessment of gas flammability in transuranic waste container

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connolly, M.J.; Loehr, C.A.; Djordjevic, S.M.; Spangler, L.R.

1995-01-01

The Safety Analysis Report for the TRUPACT-II Shipping Package [Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) SARP] set limits for gas generation rates, wattage limits, and flammable volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations in transuranic (TRU) waste containers that would be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Based on existing headspace gas data for drums stored at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) and the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS), over 30 percent of the contact-handled TRU waste drums contain flammable VOC concentrations greater than the limit. Additional requirements may be imposed for emplacement of waste in the WIPP facility. The conditional no-migration determination (NMD) for the test phase of the facility required that flame tests be performed if significant levels of flammable VOCs were present in TRU waste containers. This paper describes an approach for investigating the potential flammability of TRU waste drums, which would increase the allowable concentrations of flammable VOCS. A flammability assessment methodology is presented that will allow more drums to be shipped to WIPP without treatment or repackaging and reduce the need for flame testing on drums. The approach includes experimental work to determine mixture lower explosive limits (MLEL) for the types of gas mixtures observed in TRU waste, a model for predicting the MLEL for mixtures of VOCS, hydrogen, and methane, and revised screening limits for total flammable VOCs concentrations and concentrations of hydrogen and methane using existing drum headspace gas data and the model predictions

Results from simulated contact-handled transuranic waste experiments at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molecke, M.A.; Sorensen, N.R.; Krumhansl, J.L.

1993-01-01

We conducted in situ experiments with nonradioactive, contact-handled transuranic (CH TRU) waste drums at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) facility for about four years. We performed these tests in two rooms in rock salt, at WIPP, with drums surrounded by crushed salt or 70 wt % salt/30 wt % bentonite clay backfills, or partially submerged in a NaCl brine pool. Air and brine temperatures were maintained at ∼40C. These full-scale (210-L drum) experiments provided in situ data on: backfill material moisture-sorption and physical properties in the presence of brine; waste container corrosion adequacy; and, migration of chemical tracers (nonradioactive actinide and fission product simulants) in the near-field vicinity, all as a function of time. Individual drums, backfill, and brine samples were removed periodically for laboratory evaluations. Waste container testing in the presence of brine and brine-moistened backfill materials served as a severe overtest of long-term conditions that could be anticipated in an actual salt waste repository. We also obtained relevant operational-test emplacement and retrieval experience. All test results are intended to support both the acceptance of actual TRU wastes at the WIPP and performance assessment data needs. We provide an overview and technical data summary focusing on the WIPP CH TRU envirorunental overtests involving 174 waste drums in the presence of backfill materials and the brine pool, with posttest laboratory materials analyses of backfill sorbed-moisture content, CH TRU drum corrosion, tracer migration, and associated test observations

A regional water balance for the WIPP site and surrounding area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hunter, R.L.

1987-01-01

A water balance or budget is developed as an accounting of the components of a closed hydrologic system. In the WIPP study area, water-budget techniques have previously been used to compute leakage from Lake Avalon and from potash refinery spoil ponds. A general expression for a closed hydrologic system is presented. In a developed area like the WIPP region, the water budget must include many usage factors, such as municipal or industrial pumpage. In the WIPP water-budget study area, inflows are precipitation, surface- and ground-water inflow, and the artificial addition of surface and ground water. Outflows are surface runoff, evaporation and transpiration, and ground-water outflow. Changes in storage in the WIPP region have also been documented. The WIPP water balance described here is based on a combination of long-term averages and figures for 1980. 12 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

75 FR 41421 - Notification of Completeness of the Department of Energy's Compliance Recertification Application...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-16

... research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive wastes resulting from the... Land Withdrawal Act (LWA; Pub. L. 102-579) \\1\\ limits radioactive waste disposal in WIPP to TRU... alternate method of disposal by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The TRU radioactive waste proposed for...

Test plan for hydrogen getters project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mroz, G.; Weinrach, J.

1998-01-01

Hydrogen levels in many transuranic (TRU) waste drums are above the compliance threshold, therefore deeming the drums non-shippable to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Hydrogen getters (alkynes and dialkynes) are known to react irreversibly with hydrogen in the presence of certain catalysts. The primary purpose of this investigation is to ascertain the effectiveness of a hydrogen getter in an environment that contains gaseous compounds commonly found in the headspace of drums containing TRU waste. It is not known whether the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) commonly found in the headspace of TRU waste drums will inhibit (poison) the effectiveness of the hydrogen getter. The results of this study will be used to assess the feasibility of a hydrogen-getter system, which is capable of removing hydrogen from the payload containers or the Transuranic package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) inner containment vessel to increase the quantity of TRU waste that can be shipped to the WIPP

Draft test plan for hydrogen getters project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mroz, G.; Weinrach, J.

1998-01-01

Hydrogen levels in many transuranic (TRU) waste drums are above the compliance threshold, therefore deeming the drums non-shippable to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Hydrogen getters (alkynes and dialkynes) are known to react irreversibly with hydrogen in the presence of certain catalysts. The primary purpose of this investigation is to ascertain the effectiveness of a hydrogen getter in an environment that contains gaseous compounds commonly found in the headspace of drums containing TRU waste. It is not known whether the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) commonly found in the headspace of TRU waste drums will inhibit (poison) the effectiveness of the hydrogen getter. The results of this study will be used to assess the feasibility of a hydrogen-getter system, which is capable of removing hydrogen from the payload containers or the Transuranic Package Transporter-II (TRUPACT-II) inner containment vessel to increase the quantity of TRU waste that can be shipped to the WIPP

Integration of long-range planning for management of defense transuranic waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gilbert, K.V.; McFadden, M.H.; Raudenbush, M.H.; Smith, L.J.

1984-01-01

As described in The Defense Waste Management Plan, the defense TRU program goal is to achieve permanent disposal and to end interim storage. TRU waste is currently stored at six Department of Energy (DOE) sites, and new waste is generated at several more sites. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project is well defined, and it has been necessary to integrate the activities of other parts of the TRU program in support of DOE Headquarters policy and the WIPP schedules and technical requirements. The strategy is described in the Defense Transuranic Waste Program Strategy Document. More detailed, quantitative plans have been developed through the use of several system models, with a Long-Range Master Plan for Defense Transuranic Waste Management as the focal point for coordination of proposed plans with all the parties involved

Preparation and certification of Re-Os dating reference materials: Molybdenites HLP and JDC

Science.gov (United States)

Du, A.; Wu, S.; Sun, D.; Wang, Shaoming; Qu, W.; Markey, R.; Stain, H.; Morgan, J.; Malinovskiy, D.

2004-01-01

Two Re-Os dating reference material molybdenites were prepared. Molybdenite JDC and molybdenite HLP are from a carbonate vein-type molybdenum-(lead)- uranium deposit in the Jinduicheng-Huanglongpu area of Shaanxi province, China. The samples proved to be homogeneous, based on the coefficient of variation of analytical results and an analysis of variance test. The sampling weight was 0.1 g for JDC and 0.025 g for HLP. An isotope dilution method was used for the determination of Re and Os. Sample decomposition and preconcentration of Re and Os prior to measurement were accomplished using a variety of methods: acid digestion, alkali fusion, ion exchange and solvent extraction. Negative thermal ionisation mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry were used for the determination of Re and 187Os concentration and isotope ratios. The certified values include the contents of Re and Os and the model ages. For HLP, the Re content was 283.8 ?? 6.2 ??g g-1, 187Os was 659 ?? 14 ng g-1 and the Re-Os model age was 221.4 ?? 5.6 Ma. For JDC, the Re content was 17.39 ?? 0.32 ng g-1, 187Os was 25.46 ?? 0.60 ng g-1 and the Re-Os model age was 139.6 ?? 3.8 Ma. Uncertainties for both certified reference materials are stated at the 95% level of confidence. Three laboratories (from three countries: P.R. China, USA, Sweden) joined in the certification programme. These certified reference materials are primarily useful for Re-Os dating of molybdenite, sulfides, black shale, etc.

Comparison between TRU burning reactors and commercial fast reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimura, Koji; Sanda, Toshio; Ogawa, Takashi

2001-03-01

Research and development for stabilizing or shortening the radioactive wastes including in spent nuclear fuel are widely conducted in view point of reducing the environmental impact. Especially it is effective way to irradiate and transmute long-lived TRU by fast reactors. Two types of loading way were previously proposed. The former is loading relatively small amount of TRU in all commercial fast reactors and the latter is loading large amount of TRU in a few TRU burning reactors. This study has been intended to contribute to the feasibility studies on commercialized fast reactor cycle system. The transmutation and nuclear characteristics of TRU burning reactors were evaluated and compared with those of conventional transmutation system using commercial type fast reactor based upon the investigation of technical information about TRU burning reactors. Major results are summarized as follows. (1) Investigation of technical information about TRU burning reactors. Based on published reports and papers, technical information about TRU burning reactor concepts transmutation system using convectional commercial type fast reactors were investigated. Transmutation and nuclear characteristics or R and D issue were investigated based on these results. Homogeneously loading of about 5 wt% MAs on core fuels in the conventional commercial type fast reactor may not cause significant impact on the nuclear core characteristics. Transmutation of MAs being produced in about five fast reactors generating the same output is feasible. The helium cooled MA burning fast reactor core concept propose by JAERI attains criticality using particle type nitride fuels which contain more than 60 wt% MA. This reactor could transmute MAs being produced in more than ten 1000 MWe-LWRs. Ultra-long life core concepts attaining more than 30 years operation without refueling by utilizing MA's nuclear characteristics as burnable absorber and fertile nuclides were proposed. Those were pointed out that

Characterization of the Old Hydrofracture Facility (OHF) waste tanks located at ORNL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keller, J.M.; Giaquinto, J.M.; Meeks, A.M.

1997-04-01

The Old Hydrofracture Facility (OHF) is located in Melton Valley within Waste Area Grouping (WAG) 5 and includes five underground storage tanks (T1, T2, T3, T4, and T9) ranging from 13,000 to 25,000 gal. capacity. During the period of 1996--97 there was a major effort to re-sample and characterize the contents of these inactive waste tanks. The characterization data summarized in this report was needed to address waste processing options, examine concerns dealing with the performance assessment (PA) data for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), evaluate the waste characteristics with respect to the waste acceptance criteria (WAC) for WIPP and Nevada Test Site (NTS), address criticality concerns, and to provide the data needed to meet DOT requirements for transporting the waste. This report discusses the analytical characterization data collected on both the supernatant and sludge samples taken from three different locations in each of the OHF tanks. The isotopic data presented in this report supports the position that fissile isotopes of uranium ( 233 U and 235 U) do not satisfy the denature ratios required by the administrative controls stated in the ORNL LLLW waste acceptance criteria (WAC). The fissile isotope of plutonium ( 239 Pu and 241 Pu) are diluted with thorium far above the WAC requirements. In general, the OHF sludge was found to be hazardous (RCRA) based on total metal content and the transuranic alpha activity was well above the 100 nCi/g limit for TRU waste. The characteristics of the OHF sludge relative to the WIPP WAC limits for fissile gram equivalent, plutonium equivalent activity, and thermal power from decay heat were estimated from the data in this report and found to be far below the upper boundary for any of the remote-handled transuranic waste (RH-TRU) requirements for disposal of the waste in WIPP

Overview of stakeholders issues and activities: report of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forinash, Betsy

2004-01-01

Over the past year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) has implemented a new, more interactive stakeholder program in preparation for conducting a comprehensive technical update of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) after its first five years of operation. As the national repository for long-lived transuranic radioactive waste from U.S. defense activities and site clean-up, the facility continues to be of great interest both locally and nationally. We have worked actively with stakeholders since Congress established EPA as the regulator at WIPP in 1992. Early on, we visited with local communities near WIPP to understand their concerns and information needs. In response, we established toll-free telephone information lines and developed numerous public documents. During the technical review and regulatory decision regarding WIPP's safety, we provided numerous public hearings and solicited written comments on important topics. Ultimately, we issued the WIPP certification decision (1998), finding WIPP in compliance with EPA's radioactive waste disposal regulations and allowing it to open (1999). During 'lessons learned' assessments afterwards, we found that stakeholders appreciated some aspects of our program but were frustrated with the lack of two-way dialogue and were interested in getting clearer information on technical issues. We are using the 'lessons learned' in formulating our stakeholder activities for WIPP's first re-certification review, begun in March 2004. The re-certification review is intended to confirm that the WIPP continues to comply with EPA's regulations, taking into account the changes and new information gained over its first five years of operation. Key aspects of the stakeholder program are summarized below: - Define the goals for public information and participation. Our goal is to gain public acceptance, not necessarily full agreement, of our actions. We want to foster in the public

Concentration of uranium in the drinking and surface water around the WIPP site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khaing, H.; Lemons, B.G.; Thakur, P.

2016-01-01

Activity concentration of uranium isotopes ( 238 U, 234 U and 235 U) were analyzed in drinking and surface water samples collected in the vicinity of the WIPP site using alpha spectroscopy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in uranium concentrations (if any) in the vicinity of the WIPP site and whether the February 14, 2014 radiation release event at the WIPP had any detectable impact on the water bodies around the WIPP. (author)

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Strategic Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-03-01

The purpose of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Strategic Plan is to provide decision makers, project participants, and the public with a high-level overview of the objectives, issues, and strategiesthat impact a decision on the suitability of WIPP as a permanent, safe disposal facility for transuranic (TRU) waste that has resulted from defense activities. This document is a component of an integrated planning process and is a key management tool that is coordinated and consistent with the Secretary's Disposal Decision Plan and the Environmental Restoration and Waste Management (EM) Five-Year Plan. This documentsupports other US Department of Energy (DOE) planning efforts, including the TRU Waste Program. The WIPP Strategic Plan addresses the WIPP Program Test Phase, Disposal Decision, Disposal Phase, and Decommissioning Phase (decontamination and decommissioning). It describes the actions and activities that the DOE will conduct to ensure that WIPP will comply with applicable, relevant, and appropriate requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), State of New Mexico, and other applicable federal and state regulations. It also includes the key assumptions under which the strategy was developed. A comprehensive discussion of the multitude of activities involved in the WIPP Program cannot be adequately presented in this document. The specific details of these activities are presented in other, more detailed WIPP planningdocuments

Major Components of the National TRU Waste System Optimization Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moody, D.C.; Bennington, B.; Sharif, F.

2002-01-01

The National Transuranic (TRU) Program (NTP) is being optimized to allow for disposing of the legacy TRU waste at least 10 years earlier than originally planned. This acceleration will save the nation an estimated $713. The Department of Energy's (DOE'S) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) has initiated the National TRU Waste System Optimization Project to propose, and upon approvaI, implement activities that produce significant cost saving by improving efficiency, thereby accelerating the rate of TRU waste disposal without compromising safety. In its role as NTP agent of change, the National TRU Waste System Optimization Project (the Project) (1) interacts closely with all NTP activities. Three of the major components of the Project are the Central Characterization Project (CCP), the Central Confirmation Facility (CCF), and the MobiIe/Modular Deployment Program.

WIPP Status and Plans - 2013 - 13379

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelson, R.A.; Franco, J. [U.S. Department of Energy, PO Box 3090, Carlsbad, NM 88220 (United States)

2013-07-01

An up-to-date look at the many aspects of America's only deep geologic long-lived radioactive waste repository is presented in this paper. WIPP's mission includes coordination of all Department of Energy (DOE) sites to prepare, package and characterize defense transuranic waste for final shipment and emplacement in WIPP. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is completing its 14. year of operations. Five of the ten planned disposal panels have been filled and sealed from ventilation, with about half of the legislated volume capacity consumed. About 11,000 shipments have been made successfully, traveling more than 40 million kilometers across the nation's highways. A fleet of new Type B shipping packages, the TRUPACT-III, has been added to the transportation capability, with an ongoing campaign to de-inventory large waste items from the Savannah River Site, while minimizing size reduction and repackaging. A new shipping and emplacement method for remote handled waste in shielded containers has been approved for disposal, and will significantly improve operational efficiency. Remote handled waste packaged in these shielded containers will be shipped, handled and emplaced as contact handled waste. Also described is a new criticality control over-pack container, which will improve efficiency when shipping high fissile-content waste streams consisting of Special Nuclear Material declared as waste from nuclear weapons sites. The paper describes the importance of the infrastructure at WIPP to ensure disposal site availability for defense transuranic waste sites across the weapons complex. With the facility reaching its original design lifetime, there are many infrastructure maintenance and improvements being planned and performed. (authors)

Use of acceptable knowledge to demonstrate TRAMPAC compliance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whitworth, Julia; Becker, Blair; Guerin, David; Shokes, Tamara

2004-01-01

Recently, Los Alamos National Laboratory-Carlsbad Operations (LANL-CO) has supported the Central Characterization Project (CCP) managed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the shipment of transuranic (TRU) waste from various small-quantity TRU waste generators to hub sites or other DOE sites in TRUPACT-II shipping containers. This support has involved using acceptable knowledge (AK) to demonstrate compliance with various requirements of Revision 19 of the TRUPACT-II Authorized Methods of Payload Compliance (TRAMPAC). LANL-CO has worked to facilitate TRUPACT-II shipments from the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR) and Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI) to Argonne National Laboratory-East (ANL-E) and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), respectively. The latter two sites have TRU waste certification programs approved to ship waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) for disposal. In each case, AK was used to satisfy the necessary information to ship the waste to other DOE facilities. For the purposes of intersite shipment, AK provided data to WIPP Waste Information System (WWIS) transportation modules to ensure that required information was obtained prior to TRUPACT-II shipments. The WWIS modules were used for the intersite shipments, not to enter certification data into WWIS, but rather to take advantage of a validated system to ensure that the containers to be shipped were compliant with TRAMPAC requirements, particularly in the evaluation of quantitative criteria. LANL-CO also assisted with a TRAMPAC compliance demonstration for homogeneous waste containers shipped in TRUPACT-II containers from ANL-E to Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) for the purpose of core sampling. The basis for the TRAMPAC compliance determinations was AK regarding radiological composition, chemical composition, TRU waste container packaging, and absence of prohibited items. Also, even in the case where AK is not used to

Continuous Improvement and the Safety Case for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Geologic Repository - 13467

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Luik, Abraham; Patterson, Russell; Nelson, Roger [US Department of Energy, Carlsbad Field Office, 4021 S. National parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM 88220 (United States); Leigh, Christi [Sandia National Laboratories Carlsbad Operations, 4100 S. National parks Highway, Carlsbad, NM 88220 (United States)

2013-07-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a geologic repository 2150 feet (650 m) below the surface of the Chihuahuan desert near Carlsbad, New Mexico. WIPP permanently disposes of transuranic waste from national defense programs. Every five years, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) submits an application to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to request regulatory-compliance re-certification of the facility for another five years. Every ten years, DOE submits an application to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) for the renewal of its hazardous waste disposal permit. The content of the applications made by DOE to the EPA for re-certification, and to the NMED for permit-renewal, reflect any optimization changes made to the facility, with regulatory concurrence if warranted by the nature of the change. DOE points to such changes as evidence for its having taken seriously its 'continuous improvement' operations and management philosophy. Another opportunity for continuous improvement is to look at any delta that may exist between the re-certification and re-permitting cases for system safety and the consensus advice on the nature and content of a safety case as being developed and published by the Nuclear Energy Agency's Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC) expert group. DOE at WIPP, with the aid of its Science Advisor and teammate, Sandia National Laboratories, is in the process of discerning what can be done, in a reasonably paced and cost-conscious manner, to continually improve the case for repository safety that is being made to the two primary regulators on a recurring basis. This paper will discuss some aspects of that delta and potential paths forward to addressing them. (authors)

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant contact-handled transuranic waste preoperational checkout: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-07-01

This report documents the results of the WIPP CH TRU Preoperational Checkout which was completed between June 8 and June 14, 1988 during which period, a total of 10 TRUPACT shipping containers were processed from site receipt through emplacement of the simulated waste packages in the underground storage area. Since the design of WIPP includes provisions to unload an internally contaminated TRUPACT, in the controlled environment of the Overpack and Repair Room, one TRUPACT was partially processed through this sequence of operations to verify this portion of the waste handling process as part of the checkout. The successful completion of the CH TRU Preoperational Checkout confirmed the acceptability of WIPP operating procedures, personnel, equipment, and techniques. Extrapolation of time-line data using a computer simulation model of the waste handling process has confirmed that WIPP operations can achieve the design throughput capability of 500,000 ft 3 /year, if required, using two waste handling shifts. The single shift throughput capability of 273,000 ft 3 /year exceeds the anticipated operating receival rate of about 230,000 ft 3 /year. At the 230,000 ft 3 /year rate, the combined CH TRU annual operator dose and the average individual dose (based on minimum crew size) is projected to be 13.7 rem and 0.7 rem, respectively. 6 refs., 27 figs., 3 tabs

Optimization of hybrid-type instrumentation for Pu accountancy of U/TRU ingot in pyroprocessing.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Hee; Won, Byung-Hee; Ahn, Seong-Kyu; Lee, Seung Kyu; Park, Se-Hwan; Park, Geun-Il; Menlove, Spencer H

2016-02-01

One of the final products of pyroprocessing for spent nuclear fuel recycling is a U/TRU ingot consisting of rare earth (RE), uranium (U), and transuranic (TRU) elements. The amounts of nuclear materials in a U/TRU ingot must be measured as precisely as possible in order to secure the safeguardability of a pyroprocessing facility, as it contains the most amount of Pu among spent nuclear fuels. In this paper, we propose a new nuclear material accountancy method for measurement of Pu mass in a U/TRU ingot. This is a hybrid system combining two techniques, based on measurement of neutrons from both (1) fast- and (2) thermal-neutron-induced fission events. In technique #1, the change in the average neutron energy is a signature that is determined using the so-called ring ratio method, according to which two detector rings are positioned close to and far from the sample, respectively, to measure the increase of the average neutron energy due to the increased number of fast-neutron-induced fission events and, in turn, the Pu mass in the ingot. We call this technique, fast-neutron energy multiplication (FNEM). In technique #2, which is well known as Passive Neutron Albedo Reactivity (PNAR), a neutron population's changes resulting from thermal-neutron-induced fission events due to the presence or absence of a cadmium (Cd) liner in the sample's cavity wall, and reflected in the Cd ratio, is the signature that is measured. In the present study, it was considered that the use of a hybrid, FNEM×PNAR technique would significantly enhance the signature of a Pu mass. Therefore, the performance of such a system was investigated for different detector parameters in order to determine the optimal geometry. The performance was additionally evaluated by MCNP6 Monte Carlo simulations for different U/TRU compositions reflecting different burnups (BU), initial enrichments (IE), and cooling times (CT) to estimate its performance in real situations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All

Actinide chemistry research supporting the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP): FY94 results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novak, C.F. [ed.

1995-08-01

This document contains six reports on actinide chemistry research supporting the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These reports, completed in FY94, are relevant to the estimation of the potential dissolved actinide concentrations in WIPP brines under repository breach scenarios. Estimates of potential dissolved actinide concentrations are necessary for WIPP performance assessment calculations. The specific topics covered within this document are: the complexation of oxalate with Th(IV) and U(VI); the stability of Pu(VI) in one WIPP-specific brine environment both with and without carbonate present; the solubility of Nd(III) in a WIPP Salado brine surrogate as a function of hydrogen ion concentration; the steady-state dissolved plutonium concentrations in a synthetic WIPP Culebra brine surrogate; the development of a model for Nd(III) solubility and speciation in dilute to concentrated sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate solutions; and the development of a model for Np(V) solubility and speciation in dilute to concentrated sodium Perchlorate, sodium carbonate, and sodium chloride media.

Actinide chemistry research supporting the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP): FY94 results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novak, C.F.

1995-08-01

This document contains six reports on actinide chemistry research supporting the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). These reports, completed in FY94, are relevant to the estimation of the potential dissolved actinide concentrations in WIPP brines under repository breach scenarios. Estimates of potential dissolved actinide concentrations are necessary for WIPP performance assessment calculations. The specific topics covered within this document are: the complexation of oxalate with Th(IV) and U(VI); the stability of Pu(VI) in one WIPP-specific brine environment both with and without carbonate present; the solubility of Nd(III) in a WIPP Salado brine surrogate as a function of hydrogen ion concentration; the steady-state dissolved plutonium concentrations in a synthetic WIPP Culebra brine surrogate; the development of a model for Nd(III) solubility and speciation in dilute to concentrated sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate solutions; and the development of a model for Np(V) solubility and speciation in dilute to concentrated sodium Perchlorate, sodium carbonate, and sodium chloride media

Environmental monitoring and cooperative resource management at the WIPP site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

This poster session by the Environmental Monitoring Section of the US DOE Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is to demonstrate that the DOE is committed to sound environmental management. This WIPP poster session demonstrates radiological as well as nonradiological environmental monitoring activities conducted routinely at the WIPP. And how data collected prior to the WIPP being operational is used to establish a preoperational baseline for environmental studies in which the samples collected during the operational phase will be compared. Cooperative Resource Management is a relatively new concept for governments agencies. It allows two or more agencies the ability to jointly share in funding a program or project and yet both agencies can benefit from the outcome. These programs are usually a biological type study. The WIPP cooperative agreement between the US BLM, DOE and its contractors is to continue the ongoing documentation of the diversity of the Chihuahuan desert

Guidebook for performance assessment parameters used in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant compliance certification application. Volume 2: Appendices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howarth, S.M.; Martell, M.A.; Weiner, R.; Lattier, C.

1998-06-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application (CCA) Performance Assessment (PA) Parameter Database and its ties to supporting information evolved over the course of two years. When the CCA was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October 1996, information such as identification of parameter value or distribution source was documented using processes established by Sandia National Laboratories WIPP Quality Assurance Procedures. Reviewers later requested additional supporting documentation, links to supporting information, and/or clarification for many parameters. This guidebook is designed to document a pathway through the complex parameter process and help delineate flow paths to supporting information for all WIPP CCA parameters. In addition, this report is an aid for understanding how model parameters used in the WIPP CCA were developed and qualified. To trace the source information for a particular parameter, a dual-route system was established. The first route uses information from the Parameter Records package as it existed when the CCA calculations were run. The second route leads from the EPA Parameter Database to additional supporting information

Preliminary radiological analysis of the transportation of remote-handled transuranic waste within the state of New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Daer, G.; Harvill, J.

1985-07-01

This analysis assesses the potential radiological impacts on the citizens of New Mexico from the transport of RH-TRU waste to the WIPP by rail or by truck. Assuming exclusive use of the truck transport mode, the combined annual exposure to the public from accident-free shipment of waste is estimated to be 11.5 person-rem/year. It is estimated that a theoretical member of the public receiving maximum exposure to the combined truck shipments of RH-TRU waste to the WIPP would receive an annual whole body dose equivalent of 0.00072 rem. Such an exposure is insignificant in comparison to the average annual whole body dose equivalent to an individual living in the Colorado Plateau area of between 0.075 and 0.140 rem from naturally occurring radiation. The highest average annual dose commitment to any organ from potential accidents along all New Mexico truck routes to the WIPP is projected as 0.012 person-rem/year to bone surfaces. Assuming sole use of the rail transport mode, the combined annual exposure to the public from accident-free shipment of waste is estimated to be 1.3 person-rem/year. A theoretical member of the public receiving combined maximum exposure to rail shipments of RH-TRU waste to the WIPP would receive an annual whole body dose equivalent of 0.000014 rem. The highest average annual dose commitment to any organ from potential accidents along the New Mexico rail routes to the WIPP is projected as 0.0004 person-rem/year to bone surfaces

TRU waste-assay instrumentation and application in nuclear-facility decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umbarger, C.J.

1982-01-01

The Los Alamos TRU waste assay program is developing measurement techniques for TRU and other radioactive waste materials generated by the nuclear industry, including decommissioning programs. Systems are now being fielded for test and evaluation purposes at DOE TRU waste generators. The transfer of this technology to other facilities and the commercial instrumentation sector is well in progress. 6 figures

Waste Receiving and Processing Facility Module 1: Volume 1, Preliminary Design report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-03-01

The Preliminary Design Report (Title 1) for the Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Module 1 provides a comprehensive narrative description of the proposed facility and process systems, the basis for each of the systems design, and the engineering assessments that were performed to support the technical basis of the Title 1 design. The primary mission of the WRAP 1 Facility is to characterize and certify contact-handled (CH) waste in 55-gallon drums for disposal. Its secondary function is to certify CH waste in Standard Waste Boxes (SWBs) for disposal. The preferred plan consist of retrieving the waste and repackaging as necessary in the Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) facility to certify TRU waste for shipment to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. WIPP is a research and development facility designed to demonstrate the safe and environmentally acceptable disposal of TRU waste from National Defense programs. Retrieved waste found to be Low-Level Waste (LLW) after examination in the WRAP facility will be disposed of on the Hanford site in the low-level waste burial ground. The Hanford Site TRU waste will be shipped to the WIPP for disposal between 1999 and 2013

Environmental Impact Statement: Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP): Executive summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-10-01

The purpose of this document is to provide a summary of the environmental impact statement for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the WIPP was published by the US Department of Energy (DOE) in April 1979. This document was reviewed and commented on by members of the general public, private organizations, and governmental agencies. The Final Environmental Impact Statement was subsequently published in October, 1980. This summary is designed to assist decision-maker and interested individuals in reviewing the material presented in the environmental impact statement for the WIPP project. To make this material widely available, this summary is published in both Spanish and English. Additional, more detailed information concerning the environmental and safety consequences of the WIPP project is available in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Written comments and public hearing comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement are available for review. 27 refs., 4 figs., 7 tabs

Global cooperation and conceptual design toward GNEP. Enhanced TRU burning fast reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikeda, Kazumi; Maddox, James W.; Nakazato, Wataru; Kunishima, Shigeru

2008-01-01

In support of the GNEP (Global Nuclear Energy Partnership) program, AREVA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) seek to develop an ARR (Advanced Recycling Reactor) in concern with a CFTC (Consolidated Fuel Treatment Facility). This report presents the examination of more effective transuranics (TRU) burning core. Therefore some innovative technologies have been examined under the safety requirements; MA bearing fuel with 50% TRU fraction, moderator pin, fuel of high Am fraction, and Am blanket. The function of moderator is to enhance TRU burning capability, while increasing the Doppler effect and reducing the positive sodium void effect. The aim of 50% TRU fraction is to increase TRU burning capability by curbing plutonium production. Both high Am fraction of fuel and Am blanket can promote Am transmutation. According to the detailed calculation of high TRU (MA 15%, Pu 35% average) contained oxide fueled core with moderator pins of 12% arranged driver fuel assemblies, TRU conversion ratio decreases down to 0.33 and TRU burning capability is improved to 67kg/TWeh. Deploying Am blanket which is oxide fuel with Am 50% and U 50%, the total of Am transmutation capability becomes 69 kg/TWeh. (author)

CSER-98-002: Criticality analysis for the storage of special nuclear material sources and standards in the WRAP Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldberg, H.J.

1998-01-01

The Waste Receiving and Processing (WRAP) Facility will store uranium and transuranic (TRU) sources and standards for certification that WRAP meets the requirements of the Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). In addition, WRAP must meet internal requirements for testing and validation of measuring instruments for nondestructive assay (NDA). In order to be certified for WIPP, WRAP will participate in the NDA Performance Demonstration Program (PDP). This program is a blind test of the NDA capabilities for TRU waste. It is intended to ensure that the NDA capabilities of this facility satisfy the requirements of the quality assurance program plan for the WIPP. The PDP standards have been provided by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for this program. These standards will be used in the WRAP facility. To internally check the accuracy and sensitivity of the NDA instruments, a further set of sources and standards will also be used by the facility. Each sealed source or standard will be referred to herein as a unit. Various combinations of these units will be placed in test drums and/or boxes which will be subject to their own limits until unloaded. There will be two sealed test drums with five grams of weapons grade plutonium loaded in them. These drums will be appropriately marked and will be subject to the unit limits rather than the drum limits. This analysis shows that the storage and use of special nuclear material sources and standards within the limited control facility of WRAP (Rooms 101 and 104) is safe from a criticality standpoint. With the form, geometry, and masses involved with this evaluation, a criticality is not possible. The limits given in Section 2 should be imposed on facility operations

Guidebook for performance assessment parameters used in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant compliance certification application. Volume 1: Main report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howarth, S.M.; Martell, M.A.; Weiner, R.; Lattier, C.

1998-06-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Compliance Certification Application (CCA) Performance Assessment (PA) Parameter Database and its ties to supporting information evolved over the course of two years. When the CCA was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October 1996, information such as identification of parameter value or distribution source was documented using processes established by Sandia National Laboratories WIPP Quality Assurance Procedures. Reviewers later requested additional supporting documentation, links to supporting information, and/or clarification for many parameters. This guidebook is designed to document a pathway through the complex parameter process and help delineate flow paths to supporting information for all WIPP CCA parameters. In addition, this report is an aid for understanding how model parameters used in the WIPP CCA were developed and qualified. To trace the source information for a particular parameter, a dual-route system was established. The first route uses information from the Parameter Records Package as it existed when the CCA calculations were run. The second route leads from the EPA Parameter Database to additional supporting information

Empātijas atšķirības improvizācijas teātru, amatierteātru un koru dalībniekiem

OpenAIRE

Nikolajeva, Inga

2012-01-01

Pētījuma mērķis ir noskaidrot empātijas atšķirības starp improvizācijas teātru, amatierteātru un koru dalībniekiem. Izlasi veido 106 respondenti, no tiem 41 improvizācijas teātru dalībnieks, 34 amatierteātru dalībnieki un 31 koru dalībnieks kā kontroles grupa – respondenti, kuriem tā ir brīvā laika aktivitāte ārpus darba. Dalībnieki ir 14 vīrieši un 92 sievietes vecumā no 18 līdz 30 gadiem, dalībnieku pieredzes ilgums aktiermākslā ir no 1 līdz 15 gadiem. Pētījumā tiek izmantota Saimona Barona...

DOE responses to the State of New Mexico's comments on ''summary of the results of the evaluation of the WIPP site and preliminary design validation program'' (WIPP-DOE-161)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-06-01

During the 60-day period provided for comments on the ''Summary of the Results of the Evaluation of the WIPP Site and Preliminary Design Validation Program'' (WIPP-DOE-161), written submittals and hearing testimony from about 133 individuals, 7 citizens groups and 6 state agencies were received by the Department of Energy (DOE). Approximately 25% of the public comment submittals were positive statements supporting the WIPP, with the remaining 75% reflecting concern with one or more aspects of the project. A portion of the state's comment package (submitted by the Governor of New Mexico) contained concerns relevant to WIPP which were unrelated to site suitability. Supportive comments formed the majority of the submittals from the New Mexico Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) which ''...is charged with the responsibility of evaluating the suitability of the site for carrying out the mission of WIPP by analyzing all the reports and other information which form the background to the DOE evaluation of the site''

Evaluation of alternatives for a second-generation transportation system for Department of Energy transuranic waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

Department of Energy (DOE) waste storage sites will ship their contact-handled (CH) and remote-handled (RH) transuranic (TRU) waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) beginning FY 1989. The CH-TRU waste will be shipped in the Transuranic Package Transported (TRUPACT-I), a new packaging being developed by Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque/Transportation Technology Center. Some of the DOE TRU waste, however, might be unsuitable for shipment in TRUPACT-I, and is designated special-shipped (SS) TRU waste. The purposes of this study were to: (1) identify the quantity and characteristics of SS-TRU waste stored and generated at DOE facilities; (2) identify alternatives for managing the SS-TRU waste; and (3) make overall recommendations for managing the SS-TRU waste. Data on quantity and characteristics were gathered through coordinating visits to the sites and extracting information from each site's records. Representatives of DOE organizations and contractors set objectives for managing the SS-TRU waste. Alternative shipping systems were then identified for CH SS-TRU waste and RH SS-TRU waste. Evaluations of these alternatives considered how well they would satisfy each objective, and associated potential problems. The study recommends delaying the decision on how best to transport the CH SS-TRU waste to WIPP until the amount of SS-TRU processed waste in heavy drums is known. These conditions and choices are presented: a relatively small number of processed, heavy drums could be shipped most economically via TRUPACT-I, mixed with lighter drums of unprocessed waste. If a large number of heavy drums is to be shipped, a shorter and narrower version of TRUPACT-I would be preferred alternative. The Defense High-Level Waste cask is the recommended alternative system for shipping RH SS-TRU waste. 12 references, 15 figures, 22 tables

TRU Self-Recycling in a High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Chang Keun

2013-01-01

Conclusions: • Evaluated the core characteristics and performance for SR-HTR. • Self-recycling of self-generated TRUs is feasible and deep-burning of the self-generated TRU can be achieved in SR-HTR. • From the results, ⇒ TRU discharge burnup is over 60% and the uranium fuel can also be utilized very efficiently in the SR-HTR core. ⇒ In the case of separate TRU loading, the power fraction of the TRU fueled zone is substantially smaller (~10%) than that of the uranium fueled zone. ⇒ The transmutation of Pu-239 is nearly complete (~99%) in the SR-HTR core and that of Pu-241 is also extremely high. ⇒ The decay heat of SR-HTR core is evaluated to be similar to that of the 3-ring UO 2 -only loaded HTR core. • A TF-coupled analysis is required for a more concrete evaluation of TRU deep-burn in an SR-HTR

Origin of the brines near WIPP from the drill holes ERDA-6 and WIPP-12 based on stable isotope concentrations of hydrogen and oxygen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spiegler, P.; Updegraff, D.

1983-03-01

Pathways which might alter the isotopic compositions of deuterium and oxygen-18 meteoric water, seawaters, and in hydration waters in gypsum to the isotopic compositions of brines encountered at ERDA-6 and WIPP-12 are discussed. Present geologic conditions do not favor the alteration of the isotopic compositions of waters that exist near the WIPP site to those of the brines by these pathways. It is concluded that the brines encountered at ERDA-6 and WIPP-12 are probably derived from ancient ocean waters that have been isotopically enriched in oxygen-18 by exchange interaction with rock. The dehydration of gypsum as a process of origin of these brines cannot be ruled out

Performance Demonstration Program Plan for Analysis of Simulated Headspace Gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The Performance Demonstration Program (PDP) for headspace gases distributes sample gases of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for analysis. Participating measurement facilities (i.e., fixed laboratories, mobile analysis systems, and on-line analytical systems) are located across the United States. Each sample distribution is termed a PDP cycle. These evaluation cycles provide an objective measure of the reliability of measurements performed for transuranic (TRU) waste characterization. The primary documents governing the conduct of the PDP are the Quality Assurance Program Document (QAPD) (DOE/CBFO-94-1012) and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Waste Analysis Plan (WAP) contained in the Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (NM4890139088-TSDF) issued by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). The WAP requires participation in the PDP; the PDP must comply with the QAPD and the WAP. This plan implements the general requirements of the QAPD and the applicable requirements of the WAP for the Headspace Gas (HSG) PDP. Participating measurement facilities analyze blind audit samples of simulated TRU waste package headspace gases according to the criteria set by this PDP Plan. Blind audit samples (hereafter referred to as PDP samples) are used as an independent means to assess each measurement facility's compliance with the WAP quality assurance objectives (QAOs). To the extent possible, the concentrations of VOC analytes in the PDP samples encompass the range of concentrations anticipated in actual TRU waste package headspace gas samples. Analyses of headspace gases are required by the WIPP to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements. These analyses must be performed by measurement facilities that have demonstrated acceptable performance in this PDP. These analyses are referred to as WIPP analyses and the TRU waste package headspace gas samples on which they are performed are referred to as WIPP samples in this document. Participating measurement

Performance Demonstration Program Plan for Analysis of Simulated Headspace Gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

The Performance Demonstration Program (PDP) for headspace gases distributes blind audit samples in a gas matrix for analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Participating measurement facilities (i.e., fixed laboratories, mobile analysis systems, and on-line analytical systems) are located across the United States. Each sample distribution is termed a PDP cycle. These evaluation cycles provide an objective measure of the reliability of measurements performed for transuranic (TRU) waste characterization. The primary documents governing the conduct of the PDP are the Quality Assurance Program Document (QAPD) (DOE/CBFO-94-1012) and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Waste Analysis Plan (WAP) contained in the Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (NM4890139088-TSDF) issued by the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). The WAP requires participation in the PDP; the PDP must comply with the QAPD and the WAP. This plan implements the general requirements of the QAPD and the applicable requirements of the WAP for the Headspace Gas (HSG) PDP. Participating measurement facilities analyze blind audit samples of simulated TRU waste package headspace gases according to the criteria set by this PDP Plan. Blind audit samples (hereafter referred to as PDP samples) are used as an independent means to assess each measurement facility's compliance with the WAP quality assurance objectives (QAOs). To the extent possible, the concentrations of VOC analytes in the PDP samples encompass the range of concentrations anticipated in actual TRU waste package headspace gas samples. Analyses of headspace gases are required by the WIPP to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements. These analyses must be performed by measurement facilities that have demonstrated acceptable performance in this PDP. These analyses are referred to as WIPP analyses and the TRU waste package headspace gas samples on which they are performed are referred to as WIPP samples in this document

Physical Properties of Hanford Transuranic Waste Sludge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poloski, A. P.

2004-01-01

This project has two primary objectives. The first is to understand the physical properties and behavior of the Hanford transuranic (TRU) tank sludges under conditions that might exist during retrieval, treatment, packaging, and transportation for disposal at WIPP. The second primary objective is to develop a fundamental understanding of these sludge suspensions by correlating the macroscopic properties with particle interactions occurring at the colloidal scale in the various liquid media. The results of this research effort will enhance the existing understanding of agglomeration phenomena and the properties of complex colloidal suspensions. In addition, the knowledge gained and capabilities developed during this effort will aid in the development and optimization of techniques to process the wastes at various DOE sites. These objectives will be accomplished by: (1) characterizing the TRU sludges contained in the Hanford tanks that are intended for shipment to WIPP; (2) determining the physical behavior of the Hanford TRU tank sludges under conditions that might exist during treatment and packaging; (3) and modeling the retrieval, treatment, and packaging operations that will be performed at Hanford to dispose of TRU tank sludges

Status Report on the Microbial Characterization of Halite and Groundwater Samples from the WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swanson, Juliet S.; Reed, Donald T.; Ams, David A.; Norden, Diana; Simmons, Karen A.

2012-01-01

This report summarizes the progress made in the ongoing task of characterizing the microbial community structures within the WIPP repository and in surrounding groundwaters. Through cultivation and DNA-based identification, the potential activity of these organisms is being inferred, thus leading to a better understanding of their impact on WIPP performance. Members of the three biological domains - Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya (in this case, Fungi) - that are associated with WIPP halite have been identified. Thus far, their activity has been limited to aerobic respiration; anaerobic incubations are underway. WIPP halite constitutes the near-field microbial environment. We expect that microbial activity in this setting will proceed from aerobic respiration, through nitrate reduction to focus on sulfate reduction. This is also the current WIPP performance assessment (PA) position. Sulfate reduction can occur at extremely high ionic strengths, and sulfate is available in WIPP brines and in the anhydrite interbeds. The role of methanogenesis in the WIPP remains unclear, due to both energetic constraints imposed by a high-salt environment and substrate selectivity, and it is no longer considered in PA. Archaea identified in WIPP halite thus far fall exclusively within the family Halobacteriaceae. These include Halobacterium noricense, cultivated from both low- and high-salt media, and a Halorubrum-like species. The former has also been detected in other salt mines worldwide; the latter likely constitutes a new species. Little is known of its function, but it was prevalent in experiments investigating the biodegradation of organic complexing agents in WIPP brines. Bacterial signatures associated with WIPP halite include members of the phylum Proteobacteria - Halomonas, Pelomonas, Limnobacter, and Chromohalobacter - but only the latter has been isolated. Also detected and cultivated were Salinicoccus and Nesterenkonia spp. Fungi were also isolated from halite. Although

Status Report on the Microbial Characterization of Halite and Groundwater Samples from the WIPP

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Swanson, Juliet S. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Reed, Donald T. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Ams, David A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Norden, Diana [Ohio State University; Simmons, Karen A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2012-07-10

This report summarizes the progress made in the ongoing task of characterizing the microbial community structures within the WIPP repository and in surrounding groundwaters. Through cultivation and DNA-based identification, the potential activity of these organisms is being inferred, thus leading to a better understanding of their impact on WIPP performance. Members of the three biological domains - Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya (in this case, Fungi) - that are associated with WIPP halite have been identified. Thus far, their activity has been limited to aerobic respiration; anaerobic incubations are underway. WIPP halite constitutes the near-field microbial environment. We expect that microbial activity in this setting will proceed from aerobic respiration, through nitrate reduction to focus on sulfate reduction. This is also the current WIPP performance assessment (PA) position. Sulfate reduction can occur at extremely high ionic strengths, and sulfate is available in WIPP brines and in the anhydrite interbeds. The role of methanogenesis in the WIPP remains unclear, due to both energetic constraints imposed by a high-salt environment and substrate selectivity, and it is no longer considered in PA. Archaea identified in WIPP halite thus far fall exclusively within the family Halobacteriaceae. These include Halobacterium noricense, cultivated from both low- and high-salt media, and a Halorubrum-like species. The former has also been detected in other salt mines worldwide; the latter likely constitutes a new species. Little is known of its function, but it was prevalent in experiments investigating the biodegradation of organic complexing agents in WIPP brines. Bacterial signatures associated with WIPP halite include members of the phylum Proteobacteria - Halomonas, Pelomonas, Limnobacter, and Chromohalobacter - but only the latter has been isolated. Also detected and cultivated were Salinicoccus and Nesterenkonia spp. Fungi were also isolated from halite. Although

Les certifications en Espagnol Langue Étrangère sur le marché français

OpenAIRE

Meléndez Quero, Carlos

2014-01-01

Dans un contexte difficile, marqué par les contradictions des discours officiels exigeant des lauréats aux concours de recrutement des personnels enseignants des premier et second degrés l’obtention d’un certificat de langue étrangère de niveau B2 du Cadre européen commun de référence pour les langues, cet article présente une comparaison des quatre certifications acceptées actuellement par le Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale pour attester de la compétence en langue espagnole (CLES, DCL, BU...

Resource conservation and recovery act draft hazardous waste facility permit: Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-08-01

Volume IV contains the following attachments for Module IV: VOC monitoring plan for bin-room tests (Appendix D12); bin emission control and VOC monitoring system drawings; bin scale test room ventilation drawings; WIPP supplementary roof support system, underground storage area, room 1, panel 1, DOE/WIPP 91-057; and WIPP supplementary roof support system, room 1, panel 1, geotechnical field data analysis bi-annual report, DOE/WIPP 92-024

Thermal treatment for TRU waste sorting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Toshiki; Aoyama, Yoshio; Yamashita, Toshiyuki

2009-03-01

A thermal treatment that can automatically unpack TRU waste and remove hazardous materials has been developed to reduce the risk of radiation exposure and save operation cost. The thermal treatment is a process of removing plastic wrapping and hazardous material from TRU waste by heating waste at 500 to 700degC. Plastic wrappings of simulated wastes were removed using a laboratory scale thermal treatment system. Celluloses and isoprene rubbers that must be removed from waste for disposal were pyrolyzed by the treatment. Although the thermal treatment can separate lead and aluminum from the waste, a further technical development is needed to separate lead and aluminum. A demonstration scale thermal treatment system that comprises a rotary kiln with a jacket water cooler and a rotating inner cage for lead and aluminum separation is discussed. A clogging prevention system against zinc chloride, a lead and aluminum accumulation system, and a detection system for spray cans that possibly cause explosion and fire are also discussed. Future technology development subjects for the TRU waste thermal treatment system are summarized. (author)

Mineralogy in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) facility stratigraphic horizon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stein, C.L.

1985-09-01

Forty-six samples were selected for this study from two cores, one extending 50 ft up through the roof of the WIPP facility and the other penetrating 50 ft below the facility floor. These samples, selected from approximately every other foot of core length, represent the major lithologies present in the immediate vicinity of the WIPP facility horizon: ''clean'' halite, polyhalitic halite, argillaceous halite, and mixed polyhalitic-argillaceous halite. Samples were analyzed for non-NaCl mineralogy by determining weight percents of water- and EDTA-insoluble residues, which were then identified by x-ray diffraction. In general, WIPP halite contains at most 5 wt % non-NaCl residue. The major mineral constituents are quartz, magnesite, anhydrite, gypsum, polyhalite, and clays. Results of this study confirm that, in previous descriptions of WIPP core, trace mineral quantities have been visually overestimated by approximately an order of magnitude. 9 refs., 5 figs., 5 tabs

Geotechnical evaluation of the proposed WIPP site in southeast New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weart, W.D.

1978-10-01

The Department of Energy is proposing to demonstrate the acceptability of geologic disposal of radioactive waste by locating a Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in the salt beds 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico. The WIPP will serve as a permanent repository for defense generated transuranic contaminated waste and will also be used as a facility in which experiments and demonstrations with all radioactive waste types can be conducted. The present area being proposed for the WIPP is the second such location in the Delaware Basin for which new site data have been developed; the first site proved geologically unacceptable. Ecologic and socioeconomic aspects have been investigated and extensive geophysical, geological and hydrologic studies have been conducted to allow an evaluation of site acceptability. Geotechnical aspects of site characterization are examined. These studies are now sufficiently complete that the site can be recommended for further development of the WIPP

Review of the scientific and technical criteria for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

The panel has evaluated the scientific and technical adequacy of work being done on the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) project to satisfy the charge to the panel set out in Chapter 1. The panel concluded that the scientific work has been carried out with a high degree of professional competence. The panel notes that the geology revealed by shaft sinking and excavation of drifts and the preliminary measurements generally confirm the geologic expectations derived from surface explorations and boreholes. The purity and volume of the salt, the absence of brine pockets at the repository horizon in the areas excavated, the absence of breccia pipes and of toxic gases, and the nearly horizontal bedding of the salt indicate that a repository can be constructed that will meet the geologic criteria for site selection. Thus, the important issues about the geology at the site have been resolved, but there remain some issues about the hydrology and design of the facility that should be resolved before large-scale transuranic (TRU) waste emplacement begins. The panel's conclusions and recommendations regarding the following studies are presented: site selection and characterization; in-situ tests and experiments; waste acceptance criteria; design and construction of underground facilities; and performance assessment. 65 references, 17 figures, 3 tables

The waste isolation pilot plant regulatory compliance program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mewhinney, J.A.; Kehrman, R.F.

1996-01-01

The passage of the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act of 1992 (LWA) marked a turning point for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) program. It established a Congressional mandate to open the WIPP in as short a time as possible, thereby initiating the process of addressing this nation's transuranic (TRU) waste problem. The DOE responded to the LWA by shifting the priority at the WIPP from scientific investigations to regulatory compliance and the completion of prerequisites for the initiation of operations. Regulatory compliance activities have taken four main focuses: (1) preparing regulatory submittals; (2) aggressive schedules; (3) regulator interface; and (4) public interactions

Projected transuranic waste loads requiring treatment, storage, and disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, K.; Kotek, T.

1996-01-01

This paper provides information on the volume of TRU waste loads requiring treatment, storage, and disposal at DOE facilities for three siting configurations. Input consisted of updated inventory and generation data from. Waste Isolation Pilot plant Transuranic Waste Baseline Inventory report. Results indicate that WIPP's design capacity is sufficient for the CH TRU waste found throughout the DOE Complex

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) startup plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-03-01

To allow the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to transition from a Major System Acquisition to an operating demonstration facility, the Acquisition Executive and the Energy System Acquisition Advisory Board (ESAAB) must concur in the facility's readiness to receive waste. This action, designated in DOE Order 4700.1 as Key Decision Four, concludes with the Chairman of the ESAAB issuing a Record of Decision. Since the meeting leading to the Record of Decision is scheduled for August 1988, plans must be made to ensure all activities contributing to that decision are completed in a clear and well-coordinated process. To support that effort, this Start-Up Plan was prepared to identify and track key events necessary to verify WIPP's readiness to receive waste; this provides a management/scheduling/tracking tool for the DOE WIPP Project Office (WPO) and a tracking mechanism for the DOE Albuquerque Operations Office (DOE-AL) and for DOE Headquarters (DOE-HQ); and describe the process to ensure readiness is documented by providing relevant data and reports to the cognizant decision makers. The methods by which these two purposes are achieved are discussed in further detail in the remainder of this plan

Site evaluation for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, L.R.

1979-01-01

Preliminary site selection activities for the WIPP are complete now; these consisted primarily of national and regional studies over the past fifteen years, and resulted in selection of the WIPP study area for geological characterization. The work of geological characterization should be considered to have begun with the drilling of ERDA 9 at the center of the WIPP study area and the initiation of seismic reflection work on the site. That geological characterization, which is primarily oriented to provide specific data concerning the present geology of the site, was virtually complete in December, 1978, when the Geological Characterization Report was submitted to the Department of Energy; much basic information has been gathered indicating no major technical problems with the site as it is now understood. Studies of long-term processes which might affect a repository or have an effect on safety analyses will now be the major geotechnical activity for the WIPP site evaluation team, some of these activities are already underway. These studies will deal with the age of significant features and the rates and processes which produce those features. The information so gained will be useful in increasing the confidence in evaluation of the safety of a repository

Behavior of nuclides at plasma melting of TRU wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amakawa, Tadashi; Adachi, Kazuo

2001-01-01

Arc plasma heating technique can easily be formed at super high temperature, and can carry out stable heating without any effect of physical and chemical properties of the wastes. By focussing to these characteristics, this technique was experimentally investigated on behavior of TRU nuclides when applying TRU wastes forming from reprocessing process of used fuels to melting treatment by using a mimic non-radioactive nuclide. At first, according to mechanism determining the behavior of TRU nuclides, an element (mimic nuclide) to estimate the behavior was selected. And then, to zircaloy with high melting point or steel can simulated to metal and noncombustible wastes and fly ash, the mimic nuclide was added, prior to melting by using the arc plasma heating technique. As a result, on a case of either melting sample, it was elucidated that the nuclides hardly moved into their dusts. Then, the technique seems to be applicable for melting treatment of the TRU wastes. (G.K.)

WIPP conceptual design report. Addendum M. Computer system and data processing requirements for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, R.

1977-06-01

Data-processing requirements for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) dictate a computing system that can provide a wide spectrum of data-processing needs on a 24-hour-day basis over an indeterminate time. A computer system is defined as a computer or computers complete with all peripheral equipment and extensive software and communications capabilities, including an operating system, compilers, assemblers, loaders, etc., all applicable to real-world problems. The computing system must be extremely reliable and easily expandable in both hardware and software to provide for future capabilities with a minimum impact on the existing applications software and operating system. The computer manufacturer or WIPP operating contractor must provide continuous on-site computer maintenance (maintain an adequate inventory of spare components and parts to guarantee a minimum mean-time-to-repair of any portion of the computer system). The computer operating system or monitor must process a wide mix of application programs and languages, yet be readily changeable to obtain maximum computer usage. The WIPP computing system must handle three general types of data processing requirements: batch, interactive, and real-time. These are discussed. Data bases, data collection systems, scientific and business systems, building and facilities, remote terminals and locations, and cables are also discussed

WIPP facility representative program plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

This plan describes the Department of Energy (DOE), Carlsbad Area Office (CAO) facility representative (FR) program at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). It provides the following information: (1) FR and support organization authorities and responsibilities; (2) FR program requirements; and (3) FR training and qualification requirements

WIPP: construction and progress on a successful nuclear waste repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooper, W.R.; Sankey, C.A.

1985-01-01

The Department of Energy is constructing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in Southeastern New Mexico. The facility will retrievably store transuranic waste from defense activities of the United States and conduct experiments with Defense high-level waste which will be retrieved at the end of the experiments. This paper describes the progress and the present status of activities at WIPP. 4 refs

Hanford site as it relates to an alternative site for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: an environmental description

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fecht, K.R. (ed.)

1978-12-01

The use of basalt at Hanford as an alternative for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) would require that the present Basalt Waste Isolation Program (BWIP) at Hanford be expanded to incorporate the planned WIPP functions, namely the permanent storage of transuranic (TRU) wastes. This report discusses: program costs, demography, ecology, climatology, physiography, hydrology, geology, seismology, and historical and archeological sites. (DLC)

Hanford site as it relates to an alternative site for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: an environmental description

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fecht, K.R.

1978-12-01

The use of basalt at Hanford as an alternative for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) would require that the present Basalt Waste Isolation Program (BWIP) at Hanford be expanded to incorporate the planned WIPP functions, namely the permanent storage of transuranic (TRU) wastes. This report discusses: program costs, demography, ecology, climatology, physiography, hydrology, geology, seismology, and historical and archeological sites

WIPP site and vicinity geological field trip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaturvedi, L.

1980-10-01

The Environmental Evaluation Group is conducting an assessment of the radiological health risks to people from the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant. As a part of this work, EEG is making an effort to improve the understanding of those geological issues concerning the WIPP site which may affect the radiological consequences of the proposed repository. One of the important geological issues to be resolved is the timing and the nature of the dissolution processes which may have affected the WIPP site. EEG organized a two-day conference of geological scientists, on January 17-18, 1980. On the basis of the January conference and the June field trip, EEG has formed the following conclusions: (1) it has not been clearly established that the site or the surrounding area has been attacked by deep dissolution to render it unsuitable for the nuclear waste pilot repository; (2) the existence of an isolated breccia pipe at the site unaccompanied by a deep dissolution wedge, is a very remote possibility; (3) more specific information about the origin and the nature of the brine reservoirs is needed. An important question that should be resolved is whether each encounter with artesian brine represents a separate pocket or whether these occurrences are interconnected; (4) Anderson has postulated a major tectonic fault or a fracture system at the Basin margin along the San Simon Swale; (5) the area in the northern part of the WIPP site, identified from geophysical and bore hole data as the disturbed zone, should be further investigated to cleary understand the nature and significance of this structural anomaly; and (6) a major drawback encountered during the discussions of geological issues related to the WIPP site is the absence of published material that brings together all the known information related to a particular issue

WIPP documentation plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plung, D.L.; Montgomery, T.T.; Glasstetter, S.R.

1986-01-01

In support of the programs at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), the Publications and Procedures Section developed a documentation plan that provides an integrated document hierarchy; further, this plan affords several unique features: 1) the format for procedures minimizes the writing responsibilities of the technical staff and maximizes use of the writing and editing staff; 2) review cycles have been structured to expedite the processing of documents; and 3) the numbers of documents needed to support the program have been appreciably reduced

Compliance status report for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-03-31

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for the disposition of transuranic (TRU) waste generated through national defense-related activities. Approximately 53,700 m{sup 2} of these wastes have been generated and are currently stored at government defense installations across the country. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located in southeastern New Mexico, has been sited and constructed to meet the criteria established by the scientific and regulatory community for the safe, long-term disposal of TRU and TRU-mixed wastes. This Compliance Status Report (CSR) provides an assessment of the progress of the WIPP Program toward compliance with long-term disposal regulations, set forth in Title 40 CFR 191 (EPA, 1993a), Subparts B and C, and Title 40 CFR {section}268.6 (EPA, 1993b), in order to focus on-going and future experimental and engineering activities. The CSR attempts to identify issues associated with the performance of the WIPP as a long-term repository and to focus on the resolution of these issues. This report will serve as a tool to focus project resources on the areas necessary to ensure complete, accurate, and timely submittal of the compliance application. This document is not intended to constitute a statement of compliance or a demonstration of compliance.

A study for the safety evaluation of geological disposal of TRU waste and influence on disposal site design by change of amount of TRU waste (Joint research)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasegawa, Makoto; Kondo, Hitoshi; Takahashi, Kuniaki; Funabashi, Hideaki; Kawatsuma, Shinji; Kamei, Gento; Hirano, Fumio; Mihara, Morihiro; Ueda, Hiroyoshi; Ohi, Takao; Hyodo, Hideaki

2011-02-01

In the safety evaluation of the geological disposal of the TRU waste, it is extremely important to share the information with the Research and development organization (JAEA: that is also the waste generator) by the waste disposal entrepreneur (NUMO). In 2009, NUMO and JAEA set up a technical commission to investigate the reasonable TRU waste disposal following a cooperation agreement between these two organizations. In this report, the calculation result of radionuclide transport for a TRU waste geological disposal system was described, by using the Tiger code and the GoldSim code at identical terms. Tiger code is developed to calculate a more realistic performance assessment by JAEA. On the other hand, GoldSim code is the general simulation software that is used for the computation modeling of NUMO TRU disposal site. Comparing the calculation result, a big difference was not seen. Therefore, the reliability of both codes was able to be confirmed. Moreover, the influence on the disposal site design (Capacity: 19,000m 3 ) was examined when 10% of the amount of TRU waste increased. As a result, it was confirmed that the influence of the site design was very little based on the concept of the Second Progress Report on Research and Development for TRU Waste Disposal in Japan. (author)

Proposed Changes to EPA's Transuranic Waste Characterization Approval Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joglekar, R.D.; Feltcorn, E.M.; Ortiz, A.M.

2003-01-01

This paper describes the changes to the waste characterization (WC) approval process proposed in August 2002 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency or we). EPA regulates the disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) repository in Carlsbad, New Mexico. EPA regulations require that waste generator/storage sites seek EPA approval of WC processes used to characterize TRU waste destined for disposal at WIPP. The regulations also require that EPA verify, through site inspections, characterization of each waste stream or group of waste streams proposed for disposal at the WIPP. As part of verification, the Agency inspects equipment, procedures, and interviews personnel to determine if the processes used by a site can adequately characterize the waste in order to meet the waste acceptance criteria for WIPP. The paper discusses EPA's mandate, current regulations, inspection experience, and proposed changes. We expect that th e proposed changes will provide equivalent or improved oversight. Also, they would give EPA greater flexibility in scheduling and conducting inspections, and should clarify the regulatory process of inspections for both Department of Energy (DOE) and the public

Analysis of Waste Isolation Pilot Plan (WIPP) Underground and MGO Samples by the Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, J. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Ajo, H. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Brown, L. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Coleman, C. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Crump, S. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Diprete, C. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Diprete, D. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Ekechukwu, A. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Gregory, C. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Jones, M. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); Missimer, D. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); O' Rourke, P. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States); White, T. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States)

2014-12-31

Analysis of the recent WIPP samples are summarized in this report; WIPP Cam Filters 4, 6, 9 (3, 7, 11 were analyzed with FAS-118 in a separate campaign); WIPP Drum Lip R16 C4; WIPP Standard Waste Box R15 C5; WIPP MgO R16 C2; WIPP MgO R16 C4; WIPP MgO R16 C6; LANL swipes of parent drum; LANL parent drum debris; LANL parent drum; IAEA Swipe; Unused “undeployed” Swheat; Unused “undeployed” MgO; and Masselin cloth “smears”. Analysis showed that the MgO samples were very pure with low carbonate and water content. Other samples showed the expected dominant presence of Mg, Na and Pb. Parent drum debris sample was mildly acidic. Interpretation of results is not provided in this document, but rather to present and preserve the analytical work that was performed. The WIPP Technical Analysis Team is responsible for result interpretation which will be written separately.

Optimization of TRU burnup in modular helium reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yonghee, Kim; Venneri, F.

2007-01-01

An optimization study of a single-pass TRU (transuranic) deep-burn (DB) has been performed for a block-type MHR (Modular Helium Reactor) proposed by General Atomics. Assuming a future equilibrium scenario of advanced LWRs, a high-burnup TRU vector is considered: 50 GWD/MTU and 5-year cooling. For 3-D equilibrium cores, the performance analysis is done by using a continuous energy Monte Carlo depletion code MCCARD. The core optimization is performed from the viewpoints of the core configuration, fuel management, TRISO fuel specification, and neutron spectrum. With regard to core configuration, two annular cores are investigated in terms of the neutron economy. A conventional radial shuffling scheme of fuel blocks is compared with an axial block shuffling strategy in terms of the fuel burnup and core power distributions. The impact of the kernel size of TRISO fuel is evaluated and a diluted kernel, instead of a conventional concentrated kernel, is introduced to maximize the TRU burnup by reducing the self-shielding effects of TRISO fuels. A higher graphite density is evaluated in terms of the fuel burnup. In addition, it is shown that the core power distribution can be effectively controlled by zoning of the packing fraction of TRISO fuels. We also have shown that a long-cycle DB-MHR core can be designed by using a small batch size for fuel reloading, at the expense of a marginal decrease of the TRU discharge burnup. Depending on the fuel management scheme, fuel specifications, and core parameters, the TRU burnup in an optimized DB-MHR core is over 60% in a single-pass irradiation campaign. (authors)

Independent monitoring of a release from the waste isolation pilot plant in New Mexico, USA. Results and purpose

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thakur, Punam; Ballard, Sally [Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center, Carlsbad, NM (United States)

2015-07-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a transuranic (TRU) waste repository operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The repository is emplacing defense-related transuranic (TRU) wastes into a bedded salt formation approximately 655 m (2150 ft.) below the surface of the Earth. Located near Carlsbad, New Mexico, an area with less than 30,000 people, the WIPP facility is licensed to accept TRU waste with activity concentrations of alpha-emitting isotopes >3700 Bq/m{sup 3} (> 100 nCi/g) and half-life >20 years. The upper waste acceptance limit is 0.85 TBq/liter (<23 Ci/liter) of total activity and 10 Sv/hr dose rate on contact. The repository, which opened in March 1999 will eventually contain the equivalent of ∝176,000 m{sup 3} of TRU waste. The vast majority of the waste disposed in the WIPP repository is ''contact-handled'' waste, meaning it has a surface dose rate less than 2 mSv per hour. Local acceptance of WIPP is in part due to an independent environmental monitoring program that began before and continues after WIPP began receiving nuclear waste. This independent monitoring is being conducted by the Carlsbad Environmental Monitoring and Research Center (CEMRC), which is associated with New Mexico State University. CEMRC is funded by DOE through a grant process that respects its independence in carrying out and reporting the results of environmental monitoring at and near the WIPP site. The primary focus of CEMRC monitoring is on airborne radioactive particulate; however other pathways are also monitored. Pre-disposal baseline data of various anthropogenic radionuclides present in the WIPP environment is essential for the proper evaluation of the WIPP integrity. These data are compared against disposal phase data to assess whether or not there is any radiological impact from the presence of WIPP on workers and on the regional public. The program has capabilities to detect radionuclides rapidly in case of accidental releases

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Weaver, Douglas James [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-03-27

The mission of Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is to demonstrate the safe, environmentally sound, cost effective, permanent disposal of Transuranic (TRU) waste left from production of nuclear weapons.

Deep-Burn MHR Neutronic Analysis with a SiC-Gettered TRU Kernel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jo, Chang Keun; Noh, Jae Man; Kim, Yong Hee; Venneric, F.

2010-01-01

This paper is focused on the nuclear core design of a DB-MHR (Deep Burn-Modular Helium Reactor) core loaded with a SiC-gettered TRU fuel. The SiC oxygen getter is added to reduce the CO pressure in the buffer zone of TRISO. In the paper, the cycle length, reactivity swing, discharged burnup, and the burning rate of plutonium were calculated for the DB-MHR. Also, impacts of uranium addition to the TRU kernel were investigated. Recently, the decay heat of TRU fueled DB core was found to be highly dependent on the TRU loading: the higher the loading, the higher the decay heat. The high decay heat of TRU fuel may lead to unacceptably high peak fuel temperature during an LPCC (Low Pressure Conduction Cooling) accident. Thus, we tried to minimize the decay heat of the core for a minimal peak fuel temperature during LPCC

Vitrification of TRU wastes at Rocky Flats Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Williams, P.M.; Johnson, A.J.; Ledford, J.A.

1979-01-01

Immobilization of incinerator ash and various noncombustible TRU wastes was investigated. In three different research projects borosilicate glass proved to be the best candidate for TRU waste fixation. This glass has excellent chemical durability, long-term stability in the presence of radiation, and will withstand continuous temperatures up to 400 0 C without devitrification. In addition, wastes prepared in the form of glass will attain densities of approximately 2500 kg/m 3 (2.5 g/cc). The free forming method of producing glass buttons provides a very simple, consistent, low maintenance way of producing a final waste form for transporting and either retrievable or permanent storage for TRU waste. The vitrification process produces a durable glass from the low density ash generated by the fluidized bed incinerator process and provides volume and weight reductions that are superior to other fixation processes. This results in decreased transportation and storage costs

Defense transuranic waste program strategy document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-07-01

This document summarizes the strategy for managing transuranic (TRU) wastes generated in defense and research activities regulated by the US Department of Energy. It supercedes a document issued in July 1980. In addition to showing how current strategies of the Defense Transuranic Waste Program (DTWP) are consistent with the national objective of isolating radioactive wastes from the biosphere, this document includes information about the activities of the Transuranic Lead Organization (TLO). To explain how the DTWP strategy is implemented, this document also discusses how the TLO coordinates and integrates the six separate elements of the DTWP: (1) Waste Generation Site Activities, (2) Storage Site Activities, (3) Burial Site Activities, (4) Technology Development, (5) Transportation Development, and (6) Permanent Disposal. Storage practices for TRU wastes do not pose short-term hazards to public health and safety or to the environment. Isolation of TRU wastes in a deep-mined geologic repository is considered the most promising of the waste disposal alternatives available. This assessment is supported by the DOE Record of Decision to proceed with research and development work at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico - a deep-mined geologic research and development project. In support of the WIPP research project and the permanent disposal of TRU waste, the DTWP strategy for the near term will concentrate on completion of procedures and the design and construction of all facilities necessary to certify newly-generated (NG) and stored TRU wastes for emplacement in the WIPP. In addition, the strategy involves evaluating alternatives for disposing of some transuranic wastes by methods which may allow for on-site disposal of these wastes and yet preserve adequate margins of safety to protect public health and the environment

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant remote-handled transuranic waste disposal strategy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

The remote-handled transuranic (RH-TRU) waste disposal strategy described in this report identifies the process for ensuring that cost-effective initial disposal of RH-TRU waste will begin in Fiscal Year 2002. The strategy also provides a long-term approach for ensuring the efficient and sustained disposal of RH-TRU waste during the operating life of WIPP. Because Oak Ridge National Laboratory stores about 85 percent of the current inventory, the strategy is to assess the effectiveness of modifying their facilities to package waste, rather than constructing new facilities. In addition, the strategy involves identification of ways to prepare waste at other sites to supplement waste from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. DOE will also evaluate alternative packagings, modes of transportation, and waste emplacement configurations, and will select preferred alternatives to ensure initial disposal as scheduled. The long-term strategy provides a systemwide planning approach that will allow sustained disposal of RH-TRU waste during the operating life of WIPP. The DOE's approach is to consider the three relevant systems -- the waste management system at the generator/storage sites, the transportation system, and the WIPP disposal system -- and to evaluate the system components individually and in aggregate against criteria for improving system performance. To ensure full implementation, in Fiscal Years 1996 and 1997 DOE will: (1) decide whether existing facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory or new facilities to package and certify waste are necessary; (2) select the optimal packaging and mode of transportation for initial disposal; and (3) select an optimal disposal configuration to ensure that the allowable limits of RH-TRU waste can be disposed. These decisions will be used to identify funding requirements for the three relevant systems and schedules for implementation to ensure that the goal of initial disposal is met

Certification Plan, Radioactive Mixed Waste Hazardous Waste Handling Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albert, R.

1992-01-01

The purpose of this plan is to describe the organization and methodology for the certification of radioactive mixed waste (RMW) handled in the Hazardous Waste Handling Facility at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL). RMW is low-level radioactive waste (LLW) or transuranic (TRU) waste that is co-contaminated with dangerous waste as defined in the Westinghouse Hanford Company (WHC) Solid Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) and the Washington State Dangerous Waste Regulations, 173-303-040 (18). This waste is to be transferred to the Hanford Site Central Waste Complex and Burial Grounds in Hanford, Washington. This plan incorporates the applicable elements of waste reduction, which include both up-front minimization and end-product treatment to reduce the volume and toxicity of the waste; segregation of the waste as it applies to certification; an executive summary of the Waste Management Quality Assurance Implementing Management Plan (QAIMP) for the HWHF (Section 4); and a list of the current and planned implementing procedures used in waste certification

Radioactive waste shipments to Hanford retrievable storage from Westinghouse Advanced Reactors and Nuclear Fuels Divisions, Cheswick, Pennsylvania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duncan, D.; Pottmeyer, J.A.; Weyns, M.I.; Dicenso, K.D.; DeLorenzo, D.S.

1994-04-01

During the next two decades the transuranic (TRU) waste now stored in the burial trenches and storage facilities at the Hanford Sits in southeastern Washington State is to be retrieved, processed at the Waste Receiving and Processing Facility, and shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, New Mexico for final disposal. Approximately 5.7 percent of the TRU waste to be retrieved for shipment to WIPP was generated by the decontamination and decommissioning (D ampersand D) of the Westinghouse Advanced Reactors Division (WARD) and the Westinghouse Nuclear Fuels Division (WNFD) in Cheswick, Pennsylvania and shipped to the Hanford Sits for storage. This report characterizes these radioactive solid wastes using process knowledge, existing records, and oral history interviews

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 15 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-11-01

WIPP 15 is a borehole drilled in Marformation.h, 1978, in section 18, T.23S., R. 35E. of south-central Lea County. The purpose of WIPP 15 was to examine fill in San Simon Sink in order to extract climatic information and to attempt to date the collapse of the sink. The borehole was cored to total depth (810.5 feet) and encountered, from top to bottom, Quaternary calcareous clay, marl and sand, the claystones and siltstones of the Triassic Santa Rosa Formation. Neutron and gamma ray geophysical logs were run to measure density and radioactivity. The sink was about 547 feet of Quaternary fill indicating subsidence and deposition. Diatomaceous beds exposed on the sink margin yielded samples dated by 14 C at 20,570 +- 540 years BP and greater than 32,000 years BP; these beds are believed stratigraphically equivalent to ditomaceous beds at 153 to 266 feet depth in the core. Aquatic fauna and flora from the upper 98 feet of core indicate a pluvial period (probably Tohokan) followed by an arid or very arid time before the present climate was established. Aquifer pump tests performed in the Quaternary sands and clays show transmissivities to be as high as 600 feet squared per day. As the water quality was good, the borehole was released to the lessee as a potential water well

Basic data report for drillhole WIPP 15 (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant-WIPP)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1981-11-01

WIPP 15 is a borehole drilled in Marformation.h, 1978, in section 18, T.23S., R. 35E. of south-central Lea County. The purpose of WIPP 15 was to examine fill in San Simon Sink in order to extract climatic information and to attempt to date the collapse of the sink. The borehole was cored to total depth (810.5 feet) and encountered, from top to bottom, Quaternary calcareous clay, marl and sand, the claystones and siltstones of the Triassic Santa Rosa Formation. Neutron and gamma ray geophysical logs were run to measure density and radioactivity. The sink was about 547 feet of Quaternary fill indicating subsidence and deposition. Diatomaceous beds exposed on the sink margin yielded samples dated by /sup 14/C at 20,570 +- 540 years BP and greater than 32,000 years BP; these beds are believed stratigraphically equivalent to ditomaceous beds at 153 to 266 feet depth in the core. Aquatic fauna and flora from the upper 98 feet of core indicate a pluvial period (probably Tohokan) followed by an arid or very arid time before the present climate was established. Aquifer pump tests performed in the Quaternary sands and clays show transmissivities to be as high as 600 feet squared per day. As the water quality was good, the borehole was released to the lessee as a potential water well.

Design, modeling, and current interpretations of the H-19 and H-11 tracer tests at the WIPP site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meigs, L.C.; Beauheim, R.L.; McCord, J.T.; Tsang, Y.W.; Haggerty, R.

1996-01-01

Site-characterization studies at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site in southeastern New Mexico, US identified ground-water flow in the Culebra Dolomite Member of the Rustler Formation as the most likely geologic pathway for radionuclide transport to the accessible environment in the event of a breach of the WIPP repository through inadvertent human intrusion. The results of recent tracer tests, as well as hydraulic tests, laboratory measurements, and re-examination of Culebra geology and stratigraphy, have led to a significant refinement of the conceptual model for transport in the Culebra. Tracer test results and geologic observations suggest that flow occurs within fractures, and to some extent within interparticle porosity and vugs connected by microfractures. Diffusion occurs within all connected porosity. Numerical simulations suggest that the data from the tracer tests cannot be simulated with heterogeneous single-porosity models; significant matrix diffusion appears to be required. The low permeability and lack of significant tracer recovery from tracers injected into the upper Culebra suggest that transport primarily occurs in the lower Culebra

Modification of the ventilation system at Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sethi, S.C.

1987-01-01

The WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) Project near Carlsbad, New Mexico, is a research and development project sponsored by the US Department of Energy, designed to demonstrate the safe disposal of radioactive waste. A mine (repository) is being developed 2,150 feet below the surface in a thick salt bed, which will serve as the disposal medium. The underground ventilation system for the WIPP project was originally designed based on a fixed project scope. The design criteria and ventilation requirements were developed for the performance of various activities as then envisioned towards the achievement of this goal. However, in light of new information and actual site-specific experience at WIPP leading to a clearer definition of the scope-related programs and activities, it was realized that the existing ventilation system may need to be modified

Leveraging Radioactive Waste Disposal at WIPP for Science

Science.gov (United States)

Rempe, N. T.

2008-12-01

Salt mines are radiologically much quieter than other underground environments because of ultra-low concentrations of natural radionuclides (U, Th, and K) in the host rock; therefore, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a government-owned, 655m deep geologic repository that disposes of radioactive waste in thick salt near Carlsbad, New Mexico, has for the last 15 years hosted highly radiation-sensitive experiments. Incidentally, Nature started her own low background experiment 250ma ago, preserving viable bacteria, cellulose, and DNA in WIPP salt. The Department of Energy continues to make areas of the WIPP underground available for experiments, freely offering its infrastructure and access to this unique environment. Even before WIPP started disposing of waste in 1999, the Room-Q alcove (25m x 10m x 4m) housed a succession of small experiments. They included development and calibration of neutral-current detectors by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, a proof-of-concept by Ohio State University of a flavor-sensitive neutrino detector for supernovae, and research by LANL on small solid- state dark matter detectors. Two currently active experiments support the search for neutrino-less double beta decay as a tool to better define the nature and mass of the neutrino. That these delicate experiments are conducted in close vicinity to, but not at all affected by, megacuries of radioactive waste reinforces the safety argument for the repository. Since 2003, the Majorana collaboration is developing and testing various detector designs inside a custom- built clean room in the Room-Q alcove. Already low natural background readings are reduced further by segmenting the germanium detectors, which spatially and temporally discriminates background radiation. The collaboration also demonstrated safe copper electro-forming underground, which minimizes cosmogenic background in detector assemblies. The largest currently used experimental

CsIX/TRU Grout Feasibility Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. J. Losinski; C. M. Barnes; B. K. Grover

1998-11-01

A settlement agreement between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Idaho mandates that liquid waste now stored at the Idaho Nuclear Technology Engineering Center (INTEC - formerly the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant, ICPP) will be calcined by the end of year 2012. This study investigates an alternative treatment of the liquid waste that removes undissolved solids (UDS) by filtration and removes cesium by ion exchange followed by cement-based grouting of the remaining liquid into 55-gal drums. Operations are assumed to be from January 2008 through December 2012. The grouted waste will be contact-handled and will be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico for disposal. The small volume of secondary wastes such as the filtered solids and cesium sorbent (resin) would remain in storage at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory for treatment and disposal under another project, with an option to dispose of the filtered solids as a r emote-handled waste at WIPP.

CsIX/TRU Grout Feasibility Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Losinski, S. J.; Barnes, C. M.; Grover, B. K.

1998-01-01

A settlement agreement between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the State of Idaho mandates that liquid waste now stored at the Idaho Nuclear Technology Engineering Center (INTEC - formerly the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant, ICPP) will be calcined by the end of year 2012. This study investigates an alternative treatment of the liquid waste that removes undissolved solids (UDS) by filtration and removes cesium by ion exchange followed by cement-based grouting of the remaining liquid into 55-gal drums. Operations are assumed to be FR-om January 2008 through December 2012. The grouted waste will be contact-handled and will be shipped to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico for disposal. The small volume of secondary wastes such as the filtered solids and cesium sorbent (resin) would remain in storage at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory for treatment and disposal under another project, with an option to dispose of the filtered solids as a r emote-handled waste at WIPP

Weatherization Innovation Pilot Program (WIPP): Technical Assistance Summary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hollander, A.

2014-09-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs Office (WIPO) launched the Weatherization Innovation Pilot Program (WIPP) to accelerate innovations in whole-house weatherization and advance DOE's goal of increasing the energy efficiency and health and safety of low-income residences without the utilization of additional taxpayer funding. Sixteen WIPP grantees were awarded a total of $30 million in Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) funds in September 2010. These projects focused on: including nontraditional partners in weatherization service delivery; leveraging significant non-federal funding; and improving the effectiveness of low-income weatherization through the use of new materials, technologies, behavior-change models, and processes.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) conceptual design report. Part I: executive summary. Part II: facilities and system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-06-01

The pilot plant is developed for ERDA low-level contact-handled transuranic waste, ERDA remote-handled intermediate-level transuranic waste, and for high-level waste experiments. All wastes placed in the WIPP arrive at the site processed and packaged; no waste processing is done at the WIPP. All wastes placed into the WIPP are retrievable. The proposed site for WIPP lies 26 miles east of Carlsbad, New Mexico. This document includes the executive summary and a detailed description of the facilities and systems

In Plant Measurement and Analysis of Mixtures of Uranium and Plutonium TRU-Waste Using a 252Cf Shuffler Instrument

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hurd, J.R.

1998-01-01

The active-passive 252 Cf shuffler instrument, installed and certified several years ago in Los Alamos National Laboratory's plutonium facility, has now been calibrated for different matrices to measure Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)-destined transuranic (TRU)-waste. Little or no data currently exist for these types of measurements in plant environments where sudden large changes in the neutron background radiation can significantly distort the results. Measurements and analyses of twenty-two 55-gallon drums, consisting of mixtures of varying quantities of uranium and plutonium in mostly noncombustible matrices, have been recently completed at the plutonium facility. The calibration and measurement techniques, including the method used to separate out the plutonium component, will be presented and discussed. Calculations used to adjust for differences in uranium enrichment from that of the calibration standards will be shown. Methods used to determine various sources of both random and systematic error will be indicated. Particular attention will be directed to those problems identified as arising from the plant environment. The results of studies to quantify the aforementioned distortion effects in the data will be presented. Various solution scenarios will be outlined, along with those adopted here

WIPP/SRL Program - characterization of samples for burial in WIPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holtzscheiter, R.C.; Wicks, G.G.

1984-01-01

The laboratory studies described in this report characterize the performance and homogeneity of waste glass from a 2-ft-dia glass slice taken from a full-scale 2 ft by 10 ft canister filled with glass at TNX. The leaching performance of glass samples extracted from the slice was determined as a function of radial position and will be used in support of existing programs. The waste glass produced at TNX and used for the burial tests in WIPP was very homogeneous. The extent of glass leaching in brine (using standard MCC-1 leach tests and based on boron extraction) was 15X less than that of leaching in deionized water

Compilation of historical radiological data collected in the vicinity of the WIPP site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradshaw, P.L.; Louderbough, E.T.

1987-01-01

The Radiological Baseline Program (RBP) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has been implemented to characterize the radiological conditions at the site prior to receipt of radioactive wastes. Because southeastern New Mexico was the site of an underground nuclear test in 1961, various sampling programs have intermittently monitored background and elevated radiation levels in the vicinity of the WIPP. In addition, radiological characterization of the site region was performed during the 1970's in support of the WIPP Environmental Impact Statement. The historical data are drawn primarily from monitoring activities of the US Public Health Service (PHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Geological Survey (USGS) and Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque (SNLA). Information on air and water quality, meat, milk, biota and vegetation is included in the report. This survey is intended to provide a source of reference for historical data on radiological conditions in the vicinity of the WIPP site prior to the establishment of a systematic Radiological Baseline Program. 31 refs., 1 fig

Prospects for regional groundwater contamination due to karst landforms in Mescalero caliche at the WIPP site near Carlsbad, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillips, R.H.

1987-01-01

Plutonium from nuclear weapons production will be permanently buried in Permian salt beds at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), located in the Nash Draw watershed. Overlying the salt beds are cavernous Rustler dolomite aquifers, the most likely flow paths for contaminated water from WIPP to the biosphere. Overlying the Rustler are sandstones, siltstones, Mescalero caliche, and windblown sand. The WIPP site contains thousands of closed topographic depressions. If some are karst features, the ability of WIPP to isolate nuclear waste cannot be demonstrated. A water balance and geochemical analysis of the Nash Draw watershed and nearby brine springs were undertaken to determine: (1) which Rustler aquifers discharge where, and in what quantities; (2) the rates of evapotranspiration and natural groundwater recharge; (3) the most likely discharge point for contaminated water from WIPP. Laguna Grande, a natural salt lake in Nash Draw, is the outlet for the Rustler dolomite aquifers and for plutonium contaminations from WIPP. The recharge time for the Rustler may be only 6 to 8 years. WIPP is unsuitable for nuclear waste isolation because: (1) Rustler groundwater flow paths and travel times are inherently unpredictable; (2) caliche and sandstones allow rainwater recharge of the Rustler; (3) pressurized brine underneath WIPP can carry dissolved waste up the WIPP shafts to the Rustler; (4) geologic barriers between the brine and WIPP are unreliable; and (5) WIPP is vulnerable to human intrusion

A data automation system at Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Betts, S.E.; Schneider, C.M.; Pickrell, M.M.

2001-01-01

Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) has developed an automated computer program, Data Review Expert System (DRXS), for reviewing nondestructive assay (NDA) data. DRXS significantly reduces the data review time needed to meet characterization requirements for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is in the process of developing a computer program, Software System Logic for Intelligent Certification (SSLIC), to automate other tasks associa ted with characterization of Transuranic Waste (TRU) samples. LANL has incorporated a version of DRXS specific to LANL's isotopic data into SSLIC. This version of SSLIC was audited by the National Transuranic Program on October, 24, 2001. This paper will present the results of the audit, and discuss future plans for SSLIC including the integration on the INEELLANL developed Rule Editor.

Hybrid Microwave Treatment of SRS TRU and Mixed Wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wicks, G.G.

1999-01-01

A new process, using hybrid microwave energy, has been developed as part of the Strategic Research and Development program and successfully applied to treatment of a wide variety of non-radioactive materials, representative of SRS transuranic (TRU) and mixed wastes. Over 35 simulated (non-radioactive) TRU and mixed waste materials were processed individually, as well as in mixed batches, using hybrid microwave energy, a new technology now being patented by Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC)

Final environmental assessment: TRU waste drum staging building, Technical Area 55, Los Alamos National Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

Much of the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) research on plutonium metallurgy and plutonium processing is performed at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), in Los Alamos, New Mexico. LANL's main facility for plutonium research is the Plutonium Facility, also referred to as Technical Area 55 (TA-55). The main laboratory building for plutonium work within the Plutonium Facility (TA-55) is the Plutonium Facility Building 4, or PF-4. This Environmental Assessment (EA) analyzes the potential environmental effects that would be expected to occur if DOE were to stage sealed containers of transuranic (TRU) and TRU mixed waste in a support building at the Plutonium Facility (TA-55) that is adjacent to PF-4. At present, the waste containers are staged in the basement of PF-4. The proposed project is to convert an existing support structure (Building 185), a prefabricated metal building on a concrete foundation, and operate it as a temporary staging facility for sealed containers of solid TRU and TRU mixed waste. The TRU and TRU mixed wastes would be contained in sealed 55-gallon drums and standard waste boxes as they await approval to be transported to TA-54. The containers would then be transported to a longer term TRU waste storage area at TA-54. The TRU wastes are generated from plutonium operations carried out in PF-4. The drum staging building would also be used to store and prepare for use new, empty TRU waste containers

Construction quality assurance program plan for the WIPP project, Carlsbad, NM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-05-01

The purpose of this plan is to describe the Quality Assurance (QA) Program to be established and implemented by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) Project Office (WPO) and by the Major Project Participants: the Architect-Engineer (Bechtel), the Construction Manager (US Army Corps of Engineers), the Scientific Advisor (Sandia National Laboratory), and the Management and Operating Contractor (Westinghouse Electric Corporation). This plan addresses the construction, including site evaluation, design, and turnover phases of WIPP. Other work in progress during the same period is controlled by DOE documents applicable to that work effort. The prime responsibility for ensuring the quality of construction rests with the DOE WIPP Project Office and is implemented through the combined efforts of the Construction Manager, the Construction Contractors, the Management and Operating Contractor, and the Architect-Engineer. Inspection and burden of proof of acceptability rests with the Construction Contractor as defined by the technical provisions of the contract and as otherwise specified by the DOE WIPP Project Office on an individual work-package basis. To the maximum extent possible, acceptance of work will be based upon first-hand witnessing by the Construction Manager and other representatives of the DOE organization

Green certificates and carbon trading in the Netherlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boots, M.

2003-01-01

The combination of trading schemes for green certificates and for carbon, as they are implemented and planned in the Netherlands, imply a complete separation of green certificates and CO 2 markets. This means that the costs of CO 2 reduction will be reflected in the spot price of electricity and that the price of green certificates only reflects the additional cost of RE development. However, since the green certificate scheme is already implemented, while the carbon trading scheme is not, it is unclear if currently the green certificate value includes the CO 2 reduction value of RE production. It is important that buyers and sellers in the market for green certificates agree on what they are trading, therefore this issue should be clarified

Quality assurance criteria for Waste Isolation Pilot Plant performance assessment modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-07-01

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is developing the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) as a deep geologic repository for transuranic (TRU) and TRU-mixed wastes generated by DOE Defense Program activities. Regulatory agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and New Mexico Environment Department, will be forced to rely upon system modeling to determine the potential compliance of the WIPP facility with federal regulations. Specifically, long-term modeling efforts are focused on compliance with 40 CFR Part 268, ''Land Disposal Restrictions,'' and 40 CFR Part 191, ''Environmental Radiation Protection Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level, and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes.'' DOE plans to use the similar conceptual models and numerical codes to demonstrate compliance under both of these regulations. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has been developing a system model that will be used to demonstrate potential waste migration from the WIPP facility. Because the geologic system underlying the WIPP site is not completely understood, the software code to model the system must be developed to exacting standards for its predictions to be reliable and defensible. This is a complex model that consists of many submodules used to describe various migration pathways and processes that affect potential waste migration

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Site Environmental Report for calendar year 1989

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

This is the 1989 Site Environmental Report (SER) for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in southeastern New Mexico. The WIPP is a government owned and contractor-operated facility. The WIPP project is operated by Westinghouse Electric Corporation for the US Department of Energy (DOE). The mission of the WIPP is to provide a research and development facility to demonstrate the safe disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste generated by the defense activities of the US Government. This report provides a comprehensive description of environmental activities at the WIPP during calendar year 1989. The WIPP facility will not receive waste until all concerns affecting opening the WIPP are addressed to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Energy. Therefore, this report describes the status of the preoperational activities of the Radiological Environmental Surveillance (RES) program, which are outlined in the Radiological Baseline Program for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WTSD-TME-057). 72 refs., 13 figs., 20 tabs

Report on the emergency response training and equipment activities through fiscal year 1992 for the transportation of transuranic waste to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-11-01

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a research and development facility with the mission of demonstrating the safe shipment, emplacement, and retrieval of radioactive transuranic (TRU) wastes resulting from the defense activities and programs of the United States. It is the only long-term storage facility constructed for TRU waste. This report provides the status on the Department of Energy (DOE) efforts as of September 30, 1992, regarding emergency response training provided to local, state, and tribal governments for waste shipments to the WIPP, as required by section 16(c)(1)(A) of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Land Withdrawal Act (Public Law 102-579). This is an update to the April 1992 report (DOE/WIPP 92003) which provided status through 1991. This report will be updated and issued annually. Because of a growing public awareness of transportation-activities involving nuclear materials, this report was prepared to provide a status of the DOE's activities in this regard, as well as the cooperative efforts between the DOE and state and tribal governments