Publications

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The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting research and development (R&D) activities within the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign to support the implementation of the DOE's 2013 Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste. R&D activities focus on storage, transportation, and disposal of used nuclear fuel (UNF) and wastes generated by existing and future nuclear fuel cycles and are ongoing at nine national laboratories. Additional relevant R&D is conducted at multiple universities through the DOE's Nuclear Energy University Program. Within the storage and transportation areas, R&D continues to focus on technical gaps related to extended storage and subsequent transportation of UNF. Primary emphasis for FY15 is on experimental and analysis activities that support the DOE s dry cask demonstration confirmatory data project initiated at the North Anna Nuclear Power Plant in Virginia by the Electric Power Research Institute in collaboration with AREVA and Dominion Power. Within the disposal research area, current planning calls for a significant increase in R&D associated with evaluating the feasibility of deep borehole disposal of some waste forms, in addition to a continued emphasis on confirming the viability of generic mined disposal concepts in multiple geologic media. International collaborations that allow the U.S. program to benefit from experience and opportunities for research in other nations remain a high priority.

Options for disposal of the spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste that are projected to exist in the United States in 2048 were studied. The options included four different disposal concepts: mined repositories in salt, clay/shale rocks, and crystalline rocks; and deep boreholes in crystalline rocks. Some of the results of this study are that all waste forms, with the exception of untreated sodium-bonded spent nuclear fuel, can be disposed of in any of the mined disposal concepts, although with varying degrees of confidence; salt allows for more flexibility in managing high-heat waste in mined repositories than other media; small waste forms are potentially attractive candidates for deep borehole disposal; and disposal of commercial SNF in existing dual-purpose canisters is potentially feasible but could pose significant challenges both in repository operations and in demonstrating confidence in long-term performance. Questions addressed by this study include: is a " 'one-size-fits-all ' repository a good strategic option for disposal?" and "do some disposal concepts perform significantly better with or without specific waste types or forms? " The study provides the bases for answering these questions by evaluating potential impacts of waste forms on the feasibility and performance of representative generic concepts for geologic disposal.

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This Update to the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign Implementation Plan provides summary level detail describing how the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign (UFDC) supports achievement of the overarching mission and objectives of the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Fuel Cycle Technologies Program, building on work completed in this area since 2009. This implementation plan begins with the assumption of target dates that are set out in the January 2013 DOE Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste (http://energy.gov/downloads/strategy-management-and-disposal-used-nuclearfuel- and-high-level-radioactive-waste). These target dates and goals are summarized in section III. This implementation plan will be maintained as a living document and will be updated as needed in response to available funding and progress in the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign and the Fuel Cycle Technologies Program.

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Regulations in the United States that govern the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in deep geologic repositories require the explicit consideration of hypothetical future human intrusions that disrupt the waste. Specific regulatory requirements regarding the consideration of human intrusion differ in the two sets of regulations currently in effect in the United States; one defined by the Environmental Protection Agency's 40 Code of Federal Regulations part 197, applied only to the formerly proposed geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and the other defined by the Environmental Protection Agencys 40 Code of Federal Regulations part 191, applied to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico and potentially applicable to any repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the United States other than the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain. This report reviews the regulatory requirements relevant to human intrusion and the approaches taken by the Department of Energy to demonstrating compliance with those requirements.

The safe management and disposition of used nuclear fuel and/or high level nuclear waste is a fundamental aspect of the nuclear fuel cycle. The United States currently utilizes a once-through fuel cycle where used nuclear fuel is stored on-site in either wet pools or in dry storage systems with ultimate disposal in a deep mined geologic repository envisioned. However, a decision not to use the proposed Yucca Mountain Repository will result in longer interim storage at reactor sites than previously planned. In addition, alternatives to the once-through fuel cycle are being considered and a variety of options are being explored under the U.S. Department of Energy's Fuel Cycle Technologies Program. These two factors lead to the need to develop a credible strategy for managing radioactive wastes from any future nuclear fuel cycle in order to provide acceptable disposition pathways for all wastes regardless of transmutation system technology, fuel reprocessing scheme(s), and/or the selected fuel cycle. These disposition paths will involve both the storing of radioactive material for some period of time and the ultimate disposal of radioactive waste. To address the challenges associated with waste management, the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy established the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign in the summer of 2009. The mission of the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign is to identify alternatives and conduct scientific research and technology development to enable storage, transportation, and disposal of used nuclear fuel and wastes generated by existing and future nuclear fuel cycles. The near-and long-term objectives of the Fuel Cycle Technologies Program and its' Used Fuel Disposition Campaign are presented. © 2012 Materials Research Society.