scholarly journals Milestones for disposal of radioactive waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in the United States

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBERT P. RECHARD
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Pilot Plant ◽  
The United States ◽  
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant

Materials Interface Interactions Test (MIIT); in-Situ Testing of Simulated Hlw Forms in Salt- Performance of Srs Simulated Waste Glass After up to 5 Years of Burial at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)

1991 ◽  
Vol 257 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.G. Wicks ◽  
A.R. Lodding ◽  
P.B. Macedo ◽  
D.E. Clark
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Pilot Plant ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Field Testing ◽  
The United States ◽  
Waste Glass ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant ◽  
High Level

ABSTRACTThe first field tests conducted in the United States involving burial of simulated high-level waste [HLW] forms and package components, were started in July of 1986. The program, called the Materials Interface Interactions Test or MIIT, is the largest cooperative field-testing venture in the international waste management community. Included in the study are over 900 waste form samples comprising 15 different systems supplied by 7 countries. Also included are approximately 300 potential canister or overpack metal samples along with more than 500 geologic and backfill specimens. There are almost 2000 relevant interactions that characterize this effort which is being conducted in the bedded salt site at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), near Carlsbad, New Mexico. The MIIT program represents a joint endeavor managed by Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., and Savannah River Laboratory in Aiken, S.C. and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. Also involved in MIIT are participants from various laboratories and universities in France, Germany, Belgium, Canada, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In July of 1991, the experimental portion of the 5-yr. MIIT program was completed. Although only about 5% of all MIIT samples have been assessed thus far, there are already interesting findings that have emerged. The present paper will discuss results obtained for SRS 165/TDS waste glass after burial of 6 mo., 1 yr. and 2 yrs., along with initial analyses of 5 yr. samples.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant Site: An International Center of Excellence

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Matthews
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Waste Management ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Scientific Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant ◽  
Disposal Area ◽  
The World ◽  
Waste Repository

The United States Department of Energy’s Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) is responsible for the successful management of transuranic radioactive waste (TRUW) in the United States. TRUW is a long-lived radioactive waste/material. CBFO’s responsibilities includes the operation of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), which is a deep geologic repository for the safe disposal of U.S. defense-related TRUW and is located 42 kilometers (km) east of Carlsbad, New Mexico. WIPP is the only deep-geological disposal site for long-lived radioactive waste that is operating in the world today. CBFO also manages the National Transuranic Waste Program (NTP), which oversees TRU waste management from generation to disposal. As of August 1, 2003, approximately 1890 shipments of waste have been safely transported to the WIPP, which has been operating since March 1999. Surface and subsurface facilities designed to facilitate the safe handling and disposal of TRU waste are located within the WIPP site. The underground waste disposal area is in a bedded salt formation at a depth of 650 meters (m). Approximately 176,000 m3 of TRU waste containing up to 17 kilograms of plutonium will be emplaced in disposal rooms 4 m high, 10 m wide and 91 m long. Magnesium oxide (MgO) backfill will be emplaced with the waste to control the actinide solubility and mobility in the disposal areas. Properties of the repository horizon have been investigated in an underground test facility excavated north of the waste disposal area, and in which seals, rock mechanics, hydrology, and simulated waste emplacement tests were conducted. Thus, in some areas of broad international interest, the CBFO has developed a leading expertise through its 25-years WIPP repository and TRU waste characterization activities. The CBFO’s main programmatic responsibilities during the disposal phase are to operate a safe and efficient TRU waste repository at the WIPP, to operate an effective system for management of TRU waste from generation to disposal, and to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and permits. This responsibility requires maintenance and upgrades to the current technologies for TRU waste operations, monitoring, and transportation. This responsibility also requires the maintenance of scientific capabilities for evaluating the performance of the WIPP repository. Every 5 years, WIPP must be recertified for operations by the regulator, the EPA. Currently, the CBFO is preparing for the 2004 recertification. The CBFO/WIPP has been designated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as an International Center of Excellence. The IAEA is working with CBFO, other designated centers of excellence, and other member states in the IAEA to foster collaborative training activities and experiments in order to address major radioactive waste disposal issues. As the only operating deep radioactive waste repository in the world today, CBFO/WIPP is an important participant in this IAEA initiative. In addition to participating in relevant and beneficial experiments, the CBFO is providing the international community convenient access to information by sponsoring and hosting symposia and workshops on relevant topics and by participation in international waste management organizations and topical meetings. The CBFO has agreed to exchange scientific information with foreign radioactive waste management organizations. These activities result in the cost-effective acquisition of scientific information in support of increased WIPP facility operational and post-closure assurance and reliability. It also demonstrates the CBFO’s intent and resolve to honor international commitments and obligations.

Independent Technical Oversight of WIPP: An Operating Repository

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
James K. Channell ◽  
Matthew K. Silva
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Pilot Plant ◽  
The United States ◽  
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant ◽  
Environmental Evaluation ◽  
Geological Repository ◽  
Evaluation Group ◽  
Transuranic Wastes

Abstract The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a geological repository for the disposal of transuranic wastes from the United States defense programs, began disposing of waste in March 1999. The experience of the Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) indicates that a technical oversight group that focuses on objective technical evaluations can add credibility to a nuclear repository project. The group can also have an effect on a variety of design, regulatory, and operational details of the project.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: A Global Opportunity for Partnerships With a Purpose

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inés R. Triay ◽  
Mark L. Matthews ◽  
Leif G. Eriksson ◽  
Frank D. Hansen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Pilot Plant ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
International Programs ◽  
Strategic Partnerships ◽  
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant ◽  
Deep Geological Disposal ◽  
Scientific Technical ◽  
Underground Research Laboratory

Abstract On March 26, 1999, the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) opened the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico, United States of America (USA), for safe deep geological disposal of up to 175,584 cubic meters (m3) of long-lived radioactive wastes/materials (LLRMs). Twenty-four years of intensive, iterative interactions with scientific, environmental, public, institutional, political, and regulatory interest groups resolved all regulatory and legal challenges involved in bringing a deep geological repository for LLRMs to adequate scientific, technical, institutional, political, and public acceptance and fruition. International strategic partnerships and research and development (R&D) collaborations are cornerstones in both past and current strategies designed to timely, cost-effectively, and safely accomplish the CBFO mission. The primary objectives of the CBFO’s international programs are to: 1. Acquire information supporting the CBFO mission. 2. Present and share CBFO mission information, expertise, and facilities of potential interest and/or value to other radioactive waste management and disposal programs, including using the WIPP underground research laboratory (URL) for joint R&D and training.

The Role of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in the Cleanup of the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne K. Smith ◽  
Mary L. Bisesi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Nuclear Weapons ◽  
Pilot Plant ◽  
The United States ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
United States Department ◽  
National Academy Of Sciences ◽  
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
Transuranic Waste

As a result of nuclear weapons production, the United States of America produced significant quantities of transuranic waste, which consists of clothing, tools, rags, residues, debris and other items contaminated with small amounts of radioactive man-made elements — mostly plutonium — with an atomic number greater than that of uranium. Transuranic waste began accumulating in the 1940s and continued through the Cold War era. Today, most transuranic waste is stored at weapons production sites across the United States. In 1957, the National Academy of Sciences concluded that the most promising disposal option for radioactive wastes was disposal in deep geologic repositories situated in the salt formations. After nearly a decade of study, the United States Department of Energy decided in January 1981 to proceed with construction of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) at a site 41.6 km (26 miles) southest of Carlsbad, New Mexico. After years of study, construction, and permitting, the WIPP facility became operational in early 1999. As the United States continues to clean up and close its former nuclear weapon facilities, the operation of WIPP will continue into the next several decades. This paper will provide on overview of the history, regulatory, and public process to permit a radioactive repository for disposal of transuranic wastes and the process to ensure its long-term operation in a safe and environmentally compliant manner.

Lessons Learned at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: Share, Listen, and Learn to Earn Stakeholder Acceptance

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leif G. Eriksson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Pilot Plant ◽  
Role Model ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Department Of Energy ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Deep Geological Repository ◽  
Waste Isolation Pilot Plant ◽  
Geological Repository

Abstract On March 26, 1999, the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) opened the nation’s first deep geological disposal system (repository) for long-lived radioactive wastes/materials (LLRMs) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site, New Mexico, United States of America (USA). The opening of WIPP embodies gradually achieved acceptance, both local and global, on scientific, institutional, regulatory, political, and public levels. In the opinion of the author, five significant determinants for the successful siting, certification, and acceptance of WIPP, were the existence of: • A willing and supportive host community; • A strong, independent regulator; • A regulatory framework widely perceived to (over)protect public health and the environment; • A structurally simple, old, stable, host-rock with excellent radionuclide containment and isolation characteristics; and • An open siting, site characterization, repository development, certification and recertification process with regularly scheduled opportunities for information exchanges with affected and interested parties, including a) prompt responses to non-DOE concerns and b) transparency/traceability of external-input into, and the logic behind, the DOE’s decision-making process. The nation’s and the world’s next deep geological repository for LLRMs is currently scheduled to open in 2010. As follows, in addition to providing a national solution to safe disposal of LLRMs, the opening and continued safe operation of WIPP provides an international role model that effectively dispels the global myth that LLRMs cannot be safely disposed in a deep geological repository.

Engineered Components for Spent Fuel Radioactive Waste Isolation Systems—are They Technically Justified?

1981 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. C. Burkholder
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
The United States ◽  
Radioactive Waste Disposal ◽  
Radionuclide Transport ◽  
Spent Fuel ◽  
Isolation System ◽  
Waste Forms ◽  
Isolation Systems

In response to draft radioactive waste disposal standards, R&D programs have been initiated in the United States which are aimed at developing and ultimately using radionuclide transport-delaying (e.g., long-lived waste containers) and radionuclide transport-controlling (e.g., very low release rate waste forms) engineered components as part of the isolation system. Before these programs proceed significantly, it seems prudent to evaluate the technical justification for development and use of sophisticated engineered components in radioactive waste isolation.

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