Nuclear fuel waste and aboriginal concerns : Canada's nuclear fuel waste management concept public hearings--a content analysis

This thesis examined Aboriginal views on nuclear fuel waste management in Canada and assessed the concerns and issues Aboriginal people are likely to voice at future interactions and deliberations in the next siting phase. A content analysis method was used to examine the entire public record produced during the 1996/1997 Federal Environmental Assessment Review Panel hearings held on the Environmental Impact Statement for the concept of geological disposal of nuclear fuel waste. The content analysis indicated that Aboriginal peoples have continued to express opposition to the geologic disposal concept with intensity and consistency as demonstrated by measures of issue frequency and number of lines expended on each issue in the testimony. Further, the study indicated that native views remained consistent when compared with earlier scoping hearings in 1991, and that their positions were substantively and culturally different than non-native responses to the concept. In addition, two case studies were examined where natives in North America have been confronted with, and expressed views on, nuclear fuel waste storage or disposal, in order to further demonstrate the consistency of native views. The study found that Aboriginal responses have likely influenced the consideration of alternative disposal concepts in the long-standing Canadian nuclear waste management process.

Nuclear fuel waste and aboriginal concerns : Canada's nuclear fuel waste management concept public hearings--a content analysis

This thesis examined Aboriginal views on nuclear fuel waste management in Canada and assessed the concerns and issues Aboriginal people are likely to voice at future interactions and deliberations in the next siting phase. A content analysis method was used to examine the entire public record produced during the 1996/1997 Federal Environmental Assessment Review Panel hearings held on the Environmental Impact Statement for the concept of geological disposal of nuclear fuel waste. The content analysis indicated that Aboriginal peoples have continued to express opposition to the geologic disposal concept with intensity and consistency as demonstrated by measures of issue frequency and number of lines expended on each issue in the testimony. Further, the study indicated that native views remained consistent when compared with earlier scoping hearings in 1991, and that their positions were substantively and culturally different than non-native responses to the concept. In addition, two case studies were examined where natives in North America have been confronted with, and expressed views on, nuclear fuel waste storage or disposal, in order to further demonstrate the consistency of native views. The study found that Aboriginal responses have likely influenced the consideration of alternative disposal concepts in the long-standing Canadian nuclear waste management process.

Direct mass analysis of water absorption onto ceria thin films

ABSTRACTPlutonium oxide (PuO2) is one of the most highly radioactive components of nuclear fuel waste streams and its storage poses particular challenges due to the high temperatures produced by its decay and the production of gases (particularly H2and steam). Its high radiotoxicity necessitates the use of analogues, such as CeO2, to allow the comprehensive study of its interaction with water under storage conditions.We have developed a method which enables direct gravimetric measurement of water adsorption onto CeO2thin films with masses in the microgram region. Porous CeO2films were fabricated from a surfactant based precursor solution. The absorption of water onto the CeO2coating at different relative humidities was studied in a closed reactor. Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) gravimetry was used as a signal transducer, as changes in crystal resonant frequency due to absorbed mass are directly and linearly related to mass changes occurring at the crystal surface. Using this method, we have determined the enthalpy of absorption of water onto CeO2to be 49.7 kJmol–1at 75°C, 11 kJmol-1greater than the enthalpy of evaporation. This enthalpy is within the range predicted for the absorption of water onto PuO2, indicating this method allows for investigation of water absorption using microgram samples.

Radiation-Resistant Valve-Inductor-Type Motor as a Part of Technological Installation for Recycling Nuclear Industrial Waste

Induction motors with conventional organic insulation are used at technological plants designed for recycling nuclear fuel waste of nuclear power stations. In the nuclear radiation environment, the service life of these asynchronous motors does not typically exceed 3-4 months as the winding insulation is destructed being exposed to nuclear radiation. This results in costs increase. To prolong the motor service life and reduce the costs, a valve-inductor-type motor is being developed for this application field due to a simple construction of the stator windings and the feasibility of using non-organic insulation.