Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Performance Assessment:2001 Version
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IMMOBILIZED LOW-ACTIVITY WASTE PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT: 2001 VERSION Frederick M. Manna, Raymond J. Puighb, S.H. Finfrockb, R. Khaleelb, D.H. Baconc, M.P. Bergeronc, B.P. McGrailc, S.K. Wurstnerc a CH2M Hill Hanford Group, Inc., P.O. Box 1500, Richland, Washington 99352 b Fluor Federal Services, P.O. Box 1050, Richland, Washington 99352 c Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, Washington 99352 ABSTRACT The Hanford Immobilized Low-Activity Waste Performance Assessment[1] examines the longterm environmental and human health effects associated with the planned disposal of the vitrified low-activity fraction of waste presently contained in Hanford Site tanks. The tank waste is the byproduct of separating special nuclear materials from irradiated nuclear fuels over the past 50 years. This waste is stored in underground single- and double-shell tanks. The tank waste is to be retrieved, separated into low-activity and high-level fractions, and then immobilized by vitrification. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to dispose of the low-activity fraction in the Hanford Site 200 East Area. The high-level fraction will be stored at the Hanford Site until a national repository is approved. This report provides the site-specific long-term environmental information needed by the DOE to modify the current Disposal Authorization Statement for the Hanford Site[2]. The original Disposition Authorization Statement was based on the 1998 version[3] of this performance assessment, which was conditionally accepted by DOE [4]. The calculations in this performance assessment show that a “reasonable expectation” exists that the disposal of the immobilized low-level fraction of tank waste from the Hanford Site can meet environmental and health performance objectives. As shown by the sensitivity studies, this conclusion remains valid despite the conceptual designs of the disposal facility and the ILAW packaging having undergone changes. BACKGROUND DOE and its predecessor agencies have used the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State extensively for producing defense materials. Over the last 50 years, radioactive and mixed waste from materials production and related activities have been stored and disposed on the Hanford Site. The largest fraction (in terms of activity) is stored in underground single- and double-shell tanks in 18 tank farms. As part of the Hanford Site’s environmental restoration and waste management mission, DOE is proceeding with plans to retrieve to the maximum extent possible, the waste from the tanks, some of which have already leaked part of their contents. The mission is to accomplish the following:
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Separate the waste into a small quantity of high-level waste and a much larger quantity of low-activity waste Immobilize both waste streams Store the immobilized high-level waste until it can be sent to a federal geologic repository Dispose of the immobilized low-activity waste on Site in near-surface low-activity waste disposal facilities.
This plan is based on Revisi
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