Radiation Effects Issues Related to U.S. Doe Site Remediation and Nuclear Waste Storage
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RADIATION EFFECTS ISSUES RELATED TO U.S. DOE SITE REMEDIATION AND NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE
William J. Weber* and Rodney C. Ewing** "PacificNorthwest Laboratory, P.O. Box 999, Richland, WA 99352, USA ".Departmentof Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA ABSTRACT
Site restoration activities at DOE facilities and the permanent disposal of nuclear waste generated at the same DOE facilities involve working with and within various types and levels of radiation fields. Radionuclide decay and the associated radiation fields lead to physical and chemical changes that can degrade or enhance material properties. This paper reviews the impact of radiation fields on site restoration activities and on the release rate of radionuclides to the biosphere from nuclear waste forms. INTRODUCTION
The high-level wastes (HLW) from the nuclear weapons, nuclear propulsion, and test reactor programs are currently in temporary storage in hundreds of large tanks at several DOE sites as crystalline salts, liquids, and sludges. The ultimate objectives of the U.S. DOE site restoration activities are: 1) the immobilization of the DOE HLW in a stable solid form, which has a low potential for radionuclide release, 2) the permanent disposal of the HLW form in a geologic repository licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and 3) the restoration of the DOE sites to a condition that is safe for use in other activities. In addition, the disposal of the plutonium recovered from nuclear weapons under the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties is a growing issue in nuclear waste management that has been historically tied to site restoration. Site restoration at DOE facilities involves working with various levels of radiation fields. The most significant issues regarding radiation effects are associated with the remediation efforts
for the high-level tank wastes, the clean-up of high-level radioactive sludge in the fuel storage basins, and the disposal of recovered nuclear weapons material. These remediation activities in high radiation fields range from monitoring and analysis of waste in tank storage and fuel basins; safe retrieval and transfer of high-level waste, sludges, and weapons material to pretreatment facilities; processing of the final waste forms; and permanent disposal of the waste packages in a geologic repository. Current technologies for meeting these objectives are inadequate [1], and the effects of radiation are seldom considered in technology implementation, improvement, or development. Consequently, new technologies and materials will be required that are based on an improved understanding of the interaction of radiation with materials. Such an understanding will lead to radiation-tolerant materials and new classes of materials or technologies that utilize the radiation fields in remediation activities. The principal sources of radiation at the DOE sites are the actinides and fission-products contained in high-level wastes currently in storage. Alpha decay of the actinide elements and
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