Title: Technology Needs for Developing the Next Generation of U.S. Department of Energy Landfills/Disposal Areas - 10013
Abstract: This paper identifies applied research and technology development intended to resolve many key issues affecting current and future low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) on-site disposal facilities (OSDFs) across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) complex. Over the past two years, DOE sponsored a team of experts to provide an independent technical review of DOE LLRW and mixed waste (MW) disposal operations to ensure that applicable complex-wide lessons learned from its waste disposal operations are implemented effectively at all DOE waste management sites. The team’s efforts culminated in a workshop held in October 2008 that was attended by technical leadership within DOE, National Laboratories, the disposal industry, and academia. A key outcome of this workshop was a broad-based consensus on a set of technical issues that should be addressed as DOE embarks on designing and constructing its next generation of landfills. Four key topics were identified for applied research and technology development through independent technical reviews of DOE operations and from a collective discussion at the October 2008 landfill workshop: 1. Radionuclide Transport in Engineered Barriers, 2. Life Span of Engineered Barriers, 3. Long-Term Mechanical Behavior of DOE Waste Forms, and 4. Evolutionary Final Covers of On-site Disposal Facilities. All these issues are important to multiple sites in the DOE complex, and to DOE stakeholders such as regulators and community groups. Tackling theses and other evolving technology issues will permit development of cost-effective solutions to some of the key technical issues, avoid potential future problems in meeting performance objectives, and ensure near and long-term safe waste disposal at DOE sites.
Publication Year: 2010
Publication Date: 2010-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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