scholarly journals Science and Licensing: Let's Get off the Collision Course

1993 ◽  
Vol 333 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Van Konynenburg
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Future Behavior ◽  
Scientific Approach ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
High Level

ABSTRACTThe best possibility for gaining an understanding of the likely future behavior of a high level nuclear waste disposal system is use of the scientific method. However, the scientific approach has inherent limitations when it comes to making long-term predictions with confidence. This paper examines these limiting factors as well as the criteria for admissibility of scientific evidence in the legal arena, and concludes that the prospects are doubtful for successful licensing of a potential repository under the regulations that were binding until recently. Suggestions are made for remedying this situation.

Comparison of Granite, Tuff, and Basalt as Geologic Media for Long-Term Storage of High-Level Nuclear Waste

1990 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Grandstaff ◽  
V. J. Grassi ◽  
A. C. Lee ◽  
G. C. Ulmer
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Nuclear Waste Repository ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
Hydrothermal Experiments ◽  
Ion Activity ◽  
Activity Ratios ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
High Level ◽  
Term Storage

ABSTRACTSystematic differences in pH, cation/proton ion activity ratios, and redox have been observed between solutions produced in rock-water hydrothermal experiments with tuff, granite, and basalt. Stable pH values in tuff-water experiments may be as much as 1.5 pH units more acidic than basalt-water experiments at the same temperature and ionic strength. Redox (log fO2) values in 300°C tuff experiments are 4–7 orders of magnitude more oxidizing than basalt experiments and ca. 4 log units more oxidizing than the magnetite-hematite buffer. Such fluid differences could significantly affect the performance of a high-level nuclear waste repository and should be considered in repository design and siting.

scholarly journals Transporting and Storing High-Level Nuclear Waste in the U.S.—Insights from a Mathematical Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Wegel ◽  
Victoria Czempinski ◽  
Pao-Yu Oei ◽  
Ben Wealer
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Geological Repository ◽  
High Level Nuclear Waste ◽  
High Level ◽  
Interim Storage ◽  
Storage Facilities

The nuclear industry in the United States of America has accumulated about 70,000 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste over the past decades; at present, this waste is temporarily stored close to the nuclear power plants. The industry and the Department of Energy are now facing two related challenges: (i) will a permanent geological repository, e.g., Yucca Mountain, become available in the future, and if yes, when?; (ii) should the high-level waste be transported to interim storage facilities in the meantime, which may be safer and more cost economic? This paper presents a mathematical transportation model that evaluates the economic challenges and costs associated with different scenarios regarding the opening of a long-term geological repository. The model results suggest that any further delay in opening a long-term storage increases cost and consolidated interim storage facilities should be built now. We show that Yucca Mountain’s capacity is insufficient and additional storage is necessary. A sensitivity analysis for the reprocessing of high-level waste finds this uneconomic in all cases. This paper thus emphasizes the urgency of dealing with the high-level nuclear waste and informs the debate between the nuclear industry and policymakers on the basis of objective data and quantitative analysis.

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