scholarly journals Applied Demography In Action: A Case Study of “Population Identification.”

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 133 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ◽  
Nuclear Waste Repository ◽  
Graduate Studies ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
Regulatory Commission ◽  
High Level

This case study deals with a problem quite different than the typical one facing most applied demographers. It involves the identification of a “population” using a set of criteria established by a regulatory agency. Specifically, criteria established by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission for purposes of Site Characterization of the High Level Nuclear Waste Repository proposed for Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Consistent with other recent studies, this one suggests that a wide range of skills may be needed in dealing with problems posed to applied demographers by clients and users in the 21st century. As such, budding applied demographers, especially those nearing completion of their graduate studies, should consider adopting a set of skills beyond traditional demography.

The Secret of Yucca Mountain: Reflections on an Object in Extremis

10.1068/d356t ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 735-756 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian P Bloomfield ◽  
Theo Vurdubakis
Keyword(s):  
Science Studies ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Nuclear Waste Repository ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Social Scientific ◽  
High Level

The processes through which boundaries are made and unmade—conceptually, socially, and materially—have been of enduring interest to a wide range of social scientific disciplines including sociology, anthropology, geography, science studies, etc. The subject matter of this paper—the Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste repository in Nye county, Nevada, which is meant to keep such waste safe for 10 000 years—constitutes, we contend, a case study of such processes taken to extremes. This, in turn, makes Yucca Mountain an interesting vantage point from which to (re)view the traditional ontological and epistemological preoccupations characteristic of social science, not so much in terms of abstract theory but rather in terms of concrete practical problems of spatial and temporal organisation.

scholarly journals Functions of the Materials Review Board

1984 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Steindler ◽  
W. B. Seefeldt
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Waste Package ◽  
Performance Predictions ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
Regulatory Commission ◽  
High Level ◽  
Nuclear Waste Policy

Some nuclear waste is destined for disposal in deep geological formations. The disposal system for wastes from commercial nuclear activities, and perhaps also for high-level wastes from defense-related activities, is to be designed and operated by the Department of Energy (DOE) and licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The Nuclear Waste Policy Act [1] outlines some of the procedures and schedules that are to be followed by DOE in carrying out its assignment in the disposal of high-level nuclear waste (HLW). The regulations of the NRC that deal with HLW [2] are only partly in place, and amendments (e.g., related to the unsaturated zone) are yet to be approved and issued. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued only draft versions of the regulations pertaining to HLW disposal [3], but key features of these drafts are at present in adequate agreement with NRC documents. On the basis of the trends that have become evident in the last few years, the DOE will be required to substantiate performance predictions for all pertinent aspects of a repository, especially the performance of the engineered waste package. The basis for demonstrating that the waste package performance in the repository will be in concert with the requirements is data on the waste package materials. These key materials data must clearly be highly reliable, and DOE will be required to assure this reliability. This paper addresses the organization and functions that have been assembled to aid in establishing the quality of materials data that are important in the licensing of a waste repository.

scholarly journals Applications of in Situ Cosmogenic Nuclides in the Geologic Site Characterization of Yucca Mountain, Nevada

1995 ◽  
Vol 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Gosse ◽  
C. D. Harrington ◽  
J. W. Whitney
Keyword(s):  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Nuclear Waste Repository ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Exposed Rock ◽  
Exposure Age ◽  
Significant Movement ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
High Level

AbstractThe gradual buildup of rare isotopes from interactions between cosmic rays and atoms in an exposed rock provides a new method of directly determining the exposure age of rock surfaces. The cosmogenic nuclide method can also provide constraints on erosion rates and the length of time surface exposure was interrupted by burial. Numerous successful applications of the technique have been imperative to the complete surface geologic characterization of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a potential high level nuclear waste repository. The 10Be exposure age of Black Cone lava, within a ten mile radius of the proposed repository site, is 840 ± 210 kyr (in agreement with previous K/Ar dates of 1.0 ± 0.1 Ma). Rates of erosion of the tuff bedrock (< 0.4 cm/kyr from 7 10Be measurements) and of hillslope colluvium (∼ 0.5 cm/kyr from 10Be dates on boulder deposits) preclude denudation of the mountain as a concern. Neotectonic concerns (rate of slip and timing of last significant movement along faults) are also being addressed with in situ 14C and 10Be measurements on scarp surfaces and on fault-dissected landforms where no surficial expression of the fault is preserved.

A Review Process and a Database for Waste-Package Documents

1990 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles G. Interrante ◽  
Carla A. Messina ◽  
Anna C. Fraker
Keyword(s):  
Information Needs ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ◽  
Waste Package ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
Regulatory Commission ◽  
High Level ◽  
Term Storage

ABSTRACTThe work reported here is part of a program conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the efficacy of proposed plans for radionuclide containment for long-term storage of high-level nuclear waste (HLW). An important element of that program is the review and evaluation of available literature on components of a waste package. A review process and a database have been developed and tailored to provide information quickly to an individual who has a question about a particular material or component of a waste package. The database is uniquely suited to serve as a guide to indicate special areas where data and information needs exist on questions related to radionuclide containment. Additions to the database are made as information becomes available, and this source is as current as the published literature. A description of the review process and the database is given.

Conductivity Behavior of Salt Deposits on the Surface of Engineered Barrier Materials for the Potential High-Level Nuclear Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

2004 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lietai Yang ◽  
Miriam R. Juckett ◽  
Roberto T. Pabalan
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductance ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Nuclear Waste Repository ◽  
Conductivity Measurements ◽  
Barrier Materials ◽  
Salt Mixtures ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
Waste Repository ◽  
High Level ◽  
Conductivity Behavior

AbstractThe electrical conductance or conductivity of three salt mixtures, Na-K-Cl-NO3, Ca-K-Cl and Ca-Na-Cl, were measured at 25, 50 and 70°C [77, 122, and 158 °F] as a function of relative humidity (RH). Mutual deliquescence and efflorescence RH (MDRH and MERH) values were determined based on the conductivity measurements. It was found that the conductivity of the three salt mixtures started to increase at RH values that are approximately 40 % of their MDRH and increased by 1to 2 orders of magnitude just before reaching the MDRH. At the MDRH, a significant increase in conductivity was observed. The MDRH and MERH for the Ca-K-Cl and Ca-Na-Cl mixtures were found to be approximately 15 % in the temperature range of 50 to 70 °C [122 to 158 °F]. The MDRH and MERH for the Na-K-Cl-NO3system were found to be approximately 54 % at 50 °C [122 °F] and decreased significantly with an increase in temperature.

scholarly journals Review of Practice for Deeply Embedded/Buried NPP Structures Subject to Seismic Loadings

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Xu ◽  
C. Miller ◽  
C. Hofmayer ◽  
H. Graves
Keyword(s):  
National Laboratory ◽  
Earth Pressure ◽  
Nuclear Regulatory Commission ◽  
Brookhaven National Laboratory ◽  
Nuclear Containment ◽  
The Us ◽  
Reactor Building ◽  
Seismic Loadings ◽  
Knowledge And Practice ◽  
Regulatory Commission

Motivated by many design considerations, several conceptual designs for advanced reactors have proposed that the entire reactor building and a significant portion of the steam generator building will be either partially or completely embedded below grade. For the analysis of seismic events, the soil-structure interaction (SSI) effect and passive earth pressure for these types of deeply embedded structures will have a significant influence on the predicted seismic response. Sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) is carrying out a research program to assess the significance of these proposed design features for advanced reactors, and to evaluate the existing analytical methods to determine their applicability and adequacy in capturing the seismic behavior of the proposed designs. This paper summarizes a literature review performed by BNL to determine the state of knowledge and practice for seismic analyses of deeply embedded and/or buried (DEB) nuclear containment type structures. Included in the paper is BNL’s review of the open literature of existing standards, tests, and practices that have been used in the design and analysis of DEB structures. The paper also provides BNL’s evaluation of available codes and guidelines with respect to seismic design practice of DEB structures. Based on BNL’s review, a discussion is provided to highlight the applicability of the existing technologies for seismic analyses of DEB structures and to identify gaps that may exist in knowledge and potential issues that may require better understanding and further research.

Microearthquakes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

1992 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 164-174
Author(s):  
James N. Brune ◽  
Walter Nicks ◽  
Arturo Aburto
Keyword(s):  
Great Basin ◽  
Narrow Band ◽  
High Gain ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Continuous Operation ◽  
Nuclear Waste Repository ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
Waste Repository ◽  
High Level ◽  
Approximate Magnitude

Abstract We operated a microearthquake array in the neighborhood of the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The array consists of four high-gain (up to 34 million), narrow band (25 Hz) telemetered stations. Based on approximate magnitude calibration of the array we expect during quiet periods, for distances less than 15 km, complete recording of events at Yucca Mt. for M ≧ −1. We have operated the four stations for 12-hour periods overnight between August and October 1990 and intermittently afterward, until April 1991, when we began more or less continuous operation. The pattern of microearthquake activity confirms the existence of a zone of seismic quiescence in the vicinity of proposed repository. We recorded only about 10 events with S-P times of less than 3 sec (D &lt; 24 km). Most events had S-P times between 3 and 6.5 sec, consistent with the higher seismic activity at distances between 24 and 52 km observed by Rogers et al. (1987) and Gomberg (1991). Oliver et al. (1966) found, contrary to what has been observed by us for Yucca Mountain, that in seismically active areas most of the events had S-P times of less than 3 sec. We confirmed this expectation for four microearthquake stations near Mammoth Lakes, where we observed microearthquake rates of over 100 per day, most with S-P times of less than 3 sec. Extrapolation of seismicity data from the Southern Great Basin Seismic Network confirms the low microearthquake activity in the immediate vicinity of Yucca Mountain.

Neptunium(V) Sorption Behavior on Clinoptilolite, Quartz and Montmorillonite

1995 ◽  
Vol 412 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. P. Bertetti ◽  
R. T. Pabalan ◽  
D. R. Turner ◽  
M. G. Almendarez
Keyword(s):  
Nir Spectroscopy ◽  
Electrolyte Solutions ◽  
Yucca Mountain ◽  
Sorption Behavior ◽  
Surface Loading ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
Ph Range ◽  
High Level ◽  
Carbonate Complexes

AbstractPerformance assessment models have identified 237Np as a radionuclide of concern in meeting release limits established for the geologic disposal of high-level nuclear waste at the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In this study, quartz, clinoptilolite, and montmorillonite, which are minerals representative of phases that occur both in the rock matrix and as fracture coatings at Yucca Mountain, were reacted with 237Np-bearing solutions to characterize the sorption behavior of Np(V) on these minerals.Batch experiments were conducted over a wide range of conditions in which pH of solution, surface loading, sorbent surface area, initial concentration of Np(V), and partial pressure of CO2 were varied. Initial Np(V) concentrations were between 1 × 10-7 and 1- 10-6 M in electrolyte solutions of 0.1 or 0.01 M NaNO3. The oxidation state of Np in solution was verified with NIR spectroscopy and by solvent extraction. Prior to the start of experiments, minerals were pretreated to eliminate impurities, and the clinoptilolite and montmorillonite were converted to Na-form by ion exchange with NaCI solutions.Results indicate that, for all three minerals, Np(V) sorption begins at pH values coincident with the start of hydrolysis in solution (-7). For solutions undersaturated with respect to atmospheric CO2, sorption increases continuously with increasing pH. Under equilibrium with atmospheric CO2, Np(V) sorption is important in the pH range (7–9.5) where NpO2(OH)°(aq) is significant, whereas sorption is inhibited at higher pH where neptunyl carbonate complexes are the predominant species.

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