Socio-Technical Challenges of Finland's Nuclear Waste Policy: Discussion of the Techno-Scientific Community on the Geological Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 83-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tapio Litmanen ◽  
Matti Kojo ◽  
Anna Nurmi
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Scientific Community ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Geological Disposal ◽  
Waste Policy ◽  
Technical Challenges ◽  
Nuclear Waste Policy ◽  
Policy Discussion

Review of the Development of the Proposed Yucca Mountain Geologic Repository

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 ◽  
pp. 115-120
Author(s):  
Charlotta E. Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Geologic Repository ◽  
Used Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Waste Policy ◽  
High Level ◽  
Nuclear Waste Policy ◽  
The U.S

It can be said that the nuclear community neglected the issue of final storage of nuclear waste in the first era of nuclear power production, with many nations not looking at this topic until some years into its program. This is a matter that must not be neglected now during the ‘renaissance’ of nuclear if nuclear energy is to have a part on the stage of the play in world energy supplies. In 1982, the United States (U.S.) Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), which outlines the screening process for selecting a national site for used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste storage. This paper describes the U.S. nuclear waste policy dilemma and its impact on the selection and development of the nation's first long-term geologic repository for over 70,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. In 1987, the U.S. Congress designated Yucca Mountain, which can be described as the "most studied real estate on the planet", as the repository site to be characterized. However, due to political pressures, the fate and realization of the Yucca Mountain repository is uncertain.

scholarly journals Management of the Energy and Economic Potential of Nuclear Waste Use

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3709
Author(s):  
Bader Alshuraiaan ◽  
Sergey Pushkin ◽  
Anastasia Kurilova ◽  
Magdalena Mazur
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
Nuclear Waste Storage ◽  
Scientific Discussion ◽  
Management Algorithm ◽  
Waste Storage ◽  
The Eu

Recently, issues related to the effects (benefit or harm) of processing nuclear waste and its further use as fuel have been increasingly often raised in the scientific discussion. In this regard, the research aims to investigate issues related to the assessment of the economic potential of nuclear waste use, as well as the cooperation between states in the context of the reduction of risks associated with nuclear waste storage and processing. The research methodology is based on an integrated approach, including statistical, factor analysis, and the proposed system of performance indicators for managing spent nuclear fuel use. The research was carried out on the basis of materials from Russia and the EU countries. In the course of the study, a model of cooperation between states has been developed (based on the example of technologies and methods of processing nuclear waste used in the EU and Russia) according to the nuclear waste (spent nuclear fuel) management algorithm. The model considers the risks and threats associated with ecology and safety. The developments and other results described in the study should be used in further research devoted to the use of nuclear waste as heat-producing elements.

scholarly journals Nuclear Data Uncertainty Quantification in Criticality Safety Evaluations for Spent Nuclear Fuel Geological Disposal

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6499
Author(s):  
Matthias Frankl ◽  
Mathieu Hursin ◽  
Dimitri Rochman ◽  
Alexander Vasiliev ◽  
Hakim Ferroukhi
Keyword(s):  
Uncertainty Quantification ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Evaluation Method ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Data ◽  
Data Uncertainty ◽  
Evaluation Methodology ◽  
Geological Disposal ◽  
Fuel Assemblies ◽  
Criticality Safety

Presently, a criticality safety evaluation methodology for the final geological disposal of Swiss spent nuclear fuel is under development at the Paul Scherrer Institute in collaboration with the Swiss National Technical Competence Centre in the field of deep geological disposal of radioactive waste. This method in essence pursues a best estimate plus uncertainty approach and includes burnup credit. Burnup credit is applied by means of a computational scheme called BUCSS-R (Burnup Credit System for the Swiss Reactors–Repository case) which is complemented by the quantification of uncertainties from various sources. BUCSS-R consists in depletion, decay and criticality calculations with CASMO5, SERPENT2 and MCNP6, respectively, determining the keff eigenvalues of the disposal canister loaded with the Swiss spent nuclear fuel assemblies. However, the depletion calculation in the first and the criticality calculation in the third step, in particular, are subject to uncertainties in the nuclear data input. In previous studies, the effects of these nuclear data-related uncertainties on obtained keff values, stemming from each of the two steps, have been quantified independently. Both contributions to the overall uncertainty in the calculated keff values have, therefore, been considered as fully correlated leading to an overly conservative estimation of total uncertainties. This study presents a consistent approach eliminating the need to assume and take into account unrealistically strong correlations in the keff results. The nuclear data uncertainty quantification for both depletion and criticality calculation is now performed at once using one and the same set of perturbation factors for uncertainty propagation through the corresponding calculation steps of the evaluation method. The present results reveal the overestimation of nuclear data-related uncertainties by the previous approach, in particular for spent nuclear fuel with a high burn-up, and underline the importance of consistent nuclear data uncertainty quantification methods. However, only canister loadings with UO2 fuel assemblies are considered, not offering insights into potentially different trends in nuclear data-related uncertainties for mixed oxide fuel assemblies.

Site Investigations of Potential Repository Sites in Sweden

2003 ◽  
Vol 807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Wikberg ◽  
Kaj Ahlbom ◽  
Olle Olsson
Keyword(s):  
Waste Management ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Site Investigation ◽  
Management Programme ◽  
Nuclear Waste Management ◽  
Geologic Repository ◽  
The Public ◽  
Site Investigations

ABSTRACTThe Swedish nuclear waste management programme has entered the site investigation phase. Early 2002 SKB received permission from the municipalities of Östhammar and Oskarshamn to perform site investigations for a potential deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel. The goal of the site investigation phase is to obtain a permit to build the deep repository for spent nuclear fuel. In parallel with the investigations, consultations will be held with county administrative boards, regulatory authorities and municipalities, as well as with members of the public.

Developing a Concept for a National Used Fuel Interim Storage Facility in the United States

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Wayne Lewis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nuclear Fuel ◽  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Spent Nuclear Fuel ◽  
The United States ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Storage Facility ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Geological Repository ◽  
Interim Storage

In the United States (U.S.) the nuclear waste issue has plagued the nuclear industry for decades. Originally, spent fuel was to be reprocessed but with the threat of nuclear proliferation, spent fuel reprocessing has been eliminated, at least for now. In 1983, the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 [1] was established, authorizing development of one or more spent fuel and high-level nuclear waste geological repositories and a consolidated national storage facility, called a “Monitored Retrievable Storage” facility, that could store the spent nuclear fuel until it could be placed into the geological repository. Plans were under way to build a geological repository, Yucca Mountain, but with the decision by President Obama to terminate the development of Yucca Mountain, a consolidated national storage facility that can store spent fuel for an interim period until a new repository is established has become very important. Since reactor sites have not been able to wait for the government to come up with a storage or disposal location, spent fuel remains in wet or dry storage at each nuclear plant. The purpose of this paper is to present a concept developed to address the DOE’s goals stated above. This concept was developed over the past few months by collaboration between the DOE and industry experts that have experience in designing spent nuclear fuel facilities. The paper examines the current spent fuel storage conditions at shutdown reactor sites, operating reactor sites, and the type of storage systems (transportable versus non-transportable, welded or bolted). The concept lays out the basis for a pilot storage facility to house spent fuel from shutdown reactor sites and then how the pilot facility can be enlarged to a larger full scale consolidated interim storage facility.

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