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OCR for page 119
Glossary
. ~ .
20.4.1 (New Mexico Administrative Code [NMAC] Chapter 20, Section 4, Part 1~: New
Mexico Environment Department. Establishes the regulations for the management of
hazardous waste consistent with the New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act and federal
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations, Title 40 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 260 through 270.
20.4.~.200: New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). This regulation
(incorporating Title 40 CFR Parts 261.24, 261.31, and 361.33) requires the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) to identify and list hazardous wastes.
20.4.~.500: New Mexico Environment Department. This regulation (incorporating Title 40
CFR 264) requires DOE to conduct a detailed analysis of the hazardous waste
components of transuranic mixed waste to obtain all of the information on how to
treat, store, or dispose of the waste. DOE must demonstrate that the design and
operation of the facility will minimize the possibility of the release of transuranic
mixed waste, a fire, or an explosion. NMED prohibits the following at WIPP:
1. liquid waste;
2. pyrophoric materials;
3. non-mixed hazardous wastes;
4. chemically incompatible wastes;
5. explosives and compressed gases;
6. polychIorinated bipheny! (PCB) concentrations;
7. ignitable, corrosive, and reactive waste; and
8. remote-handIed transuranic mixed waste.
20.4.~.900: New Mexico Environment Department. This document contains the
hazardous waste permit program requirements issued by the NMED (incorporating
40 CFR 270~. These requirements must be met by DOE to receive NMED approval
of the Waste Analysis Plan submitted as Part B of the permit application (see
Hazarc/ous Waste Facility Permit) for mixed transuranic waste.
10 CFR 20: (TitIe 10 Cocle of Federal Regulations Part 20~: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (USNRC). Standards for Protection Against Radiation.
10 CFR 71: USNRC design requirements for Type B transportation packages.
10 CFR 835: U.S. Department of Energy. Occupation Radiation Protection. Establishes
standards, limits, and program requirements for protecting individuals from ionizing
radiation resulting from DOE activities.
119
OCR for page 120
120 Improving the Characterization Program for Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste
40 CFR 191: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Environmental Radiation
Protection Standards for Management and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-
·eve! and Transuranic Radioactive Wastes, Final Rule. December 20, ~ 993.
Federal Register (FR) 58~242~:66398-6641 6. This regulation prescribes EPA
environmental radiation protection standards that will apply to all sites (except
Yucca Mountain) for the deep geologic disposal of highly radioactive waste.
Congress required EPA to evaluate whether the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)
complies with Subparts B and C of the disposal regulations set forth in this
document for the management and disposal of transuranic radioactive wastes.
40 CFR 194: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Criteria for the Certification and
Recertification of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's compliance with 40 CFR Part 191
Disposal Regulations, Final Rule. May 1S, 1998. Federal Register 63~95~:27353-
2740. This regulation stipulates that DOE must provide a list to the EPA that
identifies and describes waste characteristics that can impact WIPP's performance.
This list may be derived from methods that include process knowledge and
nondestructive assay or examination. On May 18, 199S, EPA issued a anal rule
certifying that WIPP was compliant with applicable EPA transuranic (TRW) waste
disposal regulations set forth in 40 CFR 191 and the compliance criteria of 40 CFR
194 (63 FR 27354~.
40 CFR 194.22(b): U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This section includes the
quality assurance requirements for waste characterization activities and
assumptions. The quality assurance provisions allow the characterization of waste by
~ ~ peer review 2) corroboration with new data, 3) confirmation by measurement, or 4)
qualification of previous quality assurance (QA) programs.
40 CFR 261: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Identification and Listing of
Hazardous Waste. This part identifies those solid wastes that are subject to
regulation as hazardous wastes under Parts 262-265, 26S, 270, 271, and ~ 24 of Title
40 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Codified in New Mexico as 20 NMAC 4.1,
Subpart Il.
40 CFR 264: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This part consists of "Standards for
Owners and Operators of Hazardous Waste Treatment, Storage, and Disposal
Facilities." This subpart establishes minimum national standards that define the
acceptable management of hazardous waste. Codified in New Mexico as 20 N MAC
4.1, Subpar[V.
40 CFR 270: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This regulation establishes
provisions for the Hazardous Waste Permitting Program under Subtitle C of the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. This regulation and the associated State
of New Mexico regulations require the permitting of WIPP as a hazardous waste
management unit. Codified in New Mexico as 20 N MAC 4.1, Subpart fX.
49 CFR 171-~80: U.S. Department of Transportation regulations for transporting
hazardous material addressing issues, such as payload container types,
transportation modes, route designations, and emergency response and training.
Acceptable Knowledge (AK): A term used by the EPA that encompasses process
knowledge and results from previous testing, sampling, and analysis of waste. AK
OCR for page 121
Glossary
121
includes information regarding the raw materials used in a process or operation,
process description, products, and associated wastes. AK documentation includes
the site history and mission, site-specific processes or operations, administrative
building controls, and all previous and current activities that generate a specific
waste.
ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable): Radiation protection program for
minimizing personnel exposure to radiation. ALARA means making every reasonable
effort to maintain exposures to radiation as far below the dose limits in the DOE
guidance as is practical consistent with the purpose for which the activity is
undertaken.
Audit: A planned and documented investigative evaluation of an item or process to
determine its adequacy and effectiveness as well as compliance with established
procedures, instructions, drawings, and other applicable documents.
Becquerel: The disintegration of one radioactive atom per second.
Buried Transuranic Waste: Radioactive waste meeting the current definition of TRU
waste, that was disposed by shallow land burial and other techniques at a number of
sites owned and operated by the federal government in support of the nuclear
weapons program from the ~ 940s through ~ 970. In ~ 970 the Atomic Energy
Commission first identified TRU waste as a separate category of radioactive waste,
and all TRU waste generated after 1970 has been segregated from low-level waste
and placed in retrievable storage pending shipment to and disposal in an approved
geologic repository. DOE has been evaluating retrieval of these materials, but no
decision has been made.
Certified Waste: Containers of waste that meet the WIPP Waste Acceptance Criteria.
Cocle of Fecleral Regulations (CFR): 1) A codification of the general and permanent
rules published in the Feciera/ Register by the departments and agencies of the
federal government. The CFR is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas
subject to federal regulation. It is issued quarterly and revised annually. 2) All federal
regulations in force are published annually in codified form in the CFR.
Compliance Certification Application (CCA): DOE submits this application (Title 40
CFR Part 191, Compliance Certification Application for the Waste Isolation Pilot) to
the EPA in order to request certification from the EPA for the WIPP facility.
Compressed Gas: Any material or mixture having in the container an absolute pressure
exceeding 40 psia (pounds per square inch absolute) at 70 degrees F (49 CFR
~ 73.300~.
Consultation and Cooperation Agreement: An agreement that affirms the intent of the
Secretary of Energy to consult and cooperate with the State of New Mexico with
respect to state public health and safety concerns. "Agreement" refers to the July 1,
1981, Agreement for Consultation and Cooperation, as amended by the November
30, 1984, "First Modification," the August 4, 1987, "Seconcl Modification," and the
March 22, ~ 98S, modification to the Working Agreement.
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122 Improving the Characterization Program for Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste
Contact-HancIlect Transuranic (CH-TRU) Waste: Transuranic waste that has a
measured radiation dose rate at the container surface of 200 millirem per hour or
less and can be handled safely without special equipment when in closed containers.
Corrosives: Aqueous materials with a pH less than or equal to 2 or greater than or
equal to ~ 2.5 (TRAMPAC, page 4-2 [EPA 40 CFR 261 .22~.
Curies (Ci): Unit of radioactivity. One curie equals 3.7 x ~ 04° nuclear transformations per
second. This unit reflects the intensity of a radioactive source.
Data Quality Objectives (DQOs): Qualitative and quantitative statements that clarify
program technical and quality objectives, define the appropriate type of clata, and
specify tolerable levels of potential decision errors that will be used as the basis for
establishing the quality and quantity of data needed to support decisions.
Defense Waste: Radioactive waste from any activity performed in whole or in part in
support of DOE atomic energy defense activities; excludes waste under purview of
the USNRC or generated by the commercial nuclear power industry. It consists of
nuclear waste derived mostly from the manufacturing of nuclear weapons, weapons-
related research programs, the operation of naval reactors, and the decontamination
of weapons production facilities.
Environmental Evaluation Group: see New Mexico Environmental Evaluation Group.
Explosive: Any chemical compound, mixture, or device, the primary or common
purpose of which is to function by explosion (i.e., with substantial instantaneous
release of gas and heat (TRAMPAC, page 4-1 t49 CFR ~ 73.50~.
Fingerprinting: Tests typically performed at waste facilities regulated under the RCRA
to ensure that incoming waste meets permit requirements. Fingerprinting is not
allowed at WIPP.
G Value: Measure of the amount of radiolytic decomposition caused by a specific
amount of radiation. It is expressed in terms of how much of a material is produced
or destroyed per unit of radiation absorbed, customarily as molecules produced or
destroyed per 100 electron volts of energy absorbed. G values are often in the range
of 0.01 to2.
Gray (Gy): Standard unit of absorbed dose of ionizing racliation. One gray is equivalent
to one joule of energy absorbed per kilogram of matter. One gray is equal to ~ 00 red.
Half-Life: The time for half of the atoms in a radioactive substance to disintegrate.
Half-PACT: Payloacl container certified by the USNRC for road transportation of TRU
waste to WIPP. Although the design is similar to TRUPACT-~! (see below), Half-
PACT is approximately 71/2 feet high and about ~ feet in diameter, and therefore
lighter, than the TRUPACT-~. Each HalfPACT can carry up to seven 1,000-pound
waste drums, and each WIPP transport truck can haul up to three HalfPACTs.
Hazardous Constituent: Chemicals identified in Appendix VIll of 20 N MAC 4.1 Subpart
11 (40 CFR Part 261 ).
OCR for page 123
Glossary
123
Hazardous Waste: Waste that, because of its quantity, concentration, physical,
chemical, or infectious characteristics, may cause, or significantly contribute to, an
increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating
reversible, illness or pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health
or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or
otherwise managed (40 CFR 261.3~. Hazardous wastes are listed in 20 N MAC 4.1
Subpart t! (40 CFR Part 261 ~ and/or exhibit one of the four characteristics
(ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity) in 20 N MAC 4.1 Subpart I! (40 CFR
Part 261).
Hazardous Waste Cocies: Numbers assigned to identify the EPA category of hazardous
waste. Hazardous waste code assignment for remote-handIed transuranic (RH TRU)
waste ensures that only wastes that are permitted at WIPP are disposed of and
ensures waste compatibility during the operational phase at WiPP.
Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (HWFP): Permit issued by NMED to allow disposal of
DOE's contact-handIed transuranic mixed waste (hazardous waste) in WIPP. The
HWFP, issued on October 27 1999, addresses New Mexico regulations 20.4.~.500
and 20.4.~.900, see above.
Hazardous Waste Identification Number: A 12-character number used by state and
federal governments to track handlers of hazardous waste and used oil. The first two
characters are the postal code for the state (in Idaho, "ID"), the third character is
either a letter or number, and the next nine characters are numerals. A complete
identification number looks similar to ID0000123456.
Hazardous Waste Manifest: A set of forms, reports, and procedures designed to track
hazardous waste from the time it leaves the generator facility at which it was
produced until it reaches the off-site management facility that will store, treat, or
dispose of it. The manifest contains information on the type and quantity of waste
being transported, instructions for handling the waste, and signature lines for all
parties involved in the process. EPA and DOT require a copy of the manifest prior to
shipping hazardous waste off-site. Requirements to prepare and use the manifest
are set forth in 40 CFR 262.
Heactspace Gas: Gas within the free volume at the top of a payload container (between
the container lid and the waste inside the container), such as a 55-gallon drum. The
gas may be generated from biological, chemical, or radiolytic processes; this
includes contributions from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in the waste.
Heacispace Gas Analysis: Sampling using a gas-tight syringe to draw a headspace gas
sample from beneath the drum or box lid. The sample is analyzed by gas
chromatography and/or mass spectrometry for hydrogen, methane, and VOCs.
Lanc! WithcIrawal Act (LWA): Public Law 102-579 (as amended) withdraws the land at
the WIPP site from "entry, appropriation, and disposal." It transfers jurisdiction of the
land from the Secretary of the Interior to the Secretary of Energy and reserves the
land for activities associated with the development and operation of WIPP. It requires
DOE to comply with EPA's raclioactive waste stanclarcis and final disposal regulations
and to conduct studies to analyze the impact of RH-TRU wastes on repository
performance. It includes many other requirements and provisions pertaining to the
OCR for page 124
124
Improving the Characterization Program for Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste
protection of public health and the environment. The EWA was signed into law on
October 30, ~ 992.
Manifest: see Hazardous Waste Manifest.
Mixec! Waste: Toxic or hazardous waste contaminated with radioactive material
regulated under the Atomic Energy Act and hazardous material regulated under the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act as identified in 40 CFR 261, Subparts C
and D.
National TRU Waste Management Program: A DOE system-wicle approach to the
management and disposal of TRU waste stored and generated throughout the DOE
weapons complex. DOE's CarIsbad Field Office manages this program. Information
on the program is available at: .
New Mexico Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG): The New Mexico
Environmental Evaluation Group conducts an independent technical evaluation of
the operations of the WIPP to ensure the protection of public health and safely and
of the environment of New Mexico. The EEG has been serving New Mexico in this
capacity since 1978. Public Law 100-456 articulates EEG's role and responsibilities
relating to WIPP.
New Mexico Hazardous Waste Act (HWA): New Mexico legislation that establishes the
state's hazardous waste management program.
Newly Generated TRU Waste: DOE term for waste generated after the development,
approval, and implementation of the TRU waste characterization program that meets
requirements outlined in the TRU waste characterization Quality Assurance Program
Plan. Part of the inventory might not have been generated yet (see Section 2.1 ).
Nondestructive Assay (NDA): NDA is a general term for a number of techniques, such
as gamma spectroscopy and passive or active neutron measurement. These
techniques provide information on the radionuclide content of waste and sometimes
on its spatial distribution inside containers.
Nondestructive Examination (NDE): NDE is a general term for a number of
techniques, such as radiography or computer tomography. Radiography is a non
destructive, qualitative and semi-quantitative technique that involves X-ray scanning
of waste containers to identify and verify their contents. Because of the shielding
associated with RH-TRU waste, computer tomography, which involves several
sources to produce a three-dimensional image, may be required rather than the
more commonly used radiography.
Overpack: A container put around another container. In WIPP, overpacks would be
used on damaged or otherwise contaminated drums, boxes, and canisters that it
would not be practical to decontaminate.
Packaging: The assembly of components necessary to ensure compliance with
packaging requirements. It may consist of one or more receptacles, absorbent
material, spacing structures, thermal insulation, radiation shielding, and devices for
cooling or absorbing mechanical shocks.
OCR for page 125
Glossary
125
Payload Container: In this report, the term refers to containers, such as 55-gallon
drums, standard waste boxes, or ten drums overpack, that may be placed within the
inner containment vessel of a transportation package, such as TRUPACT-~! and
HalfPACT, and to its requirements, such as package configuration, weight, heat
generation, material content (e.g., pressurized gases and liquicis), and criticality limits.
Performance Assessment: A quantitative assessment of the long-term performance of
the WIPP repository. The performance assessment organizes information relevant to
long-term (i.e., over a 10,000-year periocl) repository behavior by assessing the
probabilities and consequences of major scenarios by which radionuclides can be
released to the environment surrounding the WIPP site. Important scenarios include
those due to human activities, whether deliberate or unintentional, that might occur
near the WIPP site and potentially compromise the integrity of the repository.
Process Knowledge: Information about the characteristics of a waste gathered during
the process that generated the waste.
Pyrophoric Material: Any material, other than one classed as an explosive, that under
normal conditions is liable to cause fires through friction or through heat retained from
manufacturing or processing, or that can be ignited readily and when ignited burns
so vigorously and persistently as to create a serious transportation, handling, or
disposal hazard. Spontaneously combustible and water-reactive materials are
included (TRAMPAC, p. 4-1 t10 CFR 61.2.~.
Quanta Assurance: The planned and systematic actions necessary to provide adequate
confidence that a structure, system, or component will perform satisfactorily.
Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP): Document that describes the overall
program plans and activities to meet a project's quality assurance goals.
Racl: Unit of absorbed close. It represents 0.01 joule of energy absorbed per kilogram of
maker. Rad and rem are important units with regards to WIPP because requirements
are expressed in rem, a derivative, or red.
Raclioassay: Term used to define measurement methods for determining the
radionuclide content of waste, it includes both nondestructive assay and destructive
assay (e.g., radiochemistry).
Radiography: A nondestructive, nonintrusive radiographic examination technique that
enables a qualitative (and in some cases quantitative) evaluation of the contents of a
waste container. Radiography utilizes X-rays to inspect the contents of the waste
container in real time. It is used to examine and verify the physical form of the waste
for certain waste forms, identify individual waste components, and verify the absence
of certain noncompliant items.
Racilologicat Survey: Measurements of radioactive contamination levels or dose rates
associated with a site together with the appropriate documentation and data
evaluation. When AK indicates that some containers may approach 1,000 rem per
hour or that some containers exceed 100 rem per hour, then radiological surveys of
each container may be requirecl. Inclustry standarcl survey instruments can be used in
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126
Improving the Characterization Program for Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste
this process and are required to discriminate at 100 rem per hour and 1,000 rem per
hour.
RCRA: See Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
l
, .
Rem (Roentgen Equivalent Man): Unit of absorbed radiation dose used to derive a
quantity called equivalent dose. This relates the absorbed dose in human [issue to the
effective biological damage of the radiation. Not all radiation has the same biological
effect, even for the same amount of absorbed dose. Equivalent dose is often
expressed in terms of thousandths of a rem, or mrem. The equivalent dose (rem) is
determined by multiplying the absorbed close (racl) by a quality factor (Q) that
accounts for different biological effects caused by different types of radiation. Dose
requirements regarding WIPP are expressed in this unit.
Remote-HanctIed Transuranic (RH-TRU) Waste: Transuranic waste that has a
measured radiation dose rate at the container surface of 200 mrem per hour or
greater but not more than 1,000 rem per hour. This waste must be handled remotely
(i.e., with machinery designed to shield the handier from radiation).
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA): A Congressional act that
established a system for tracking and regulating hazardous wastes from the time they
are generated through disposal. The law requires that hazardous waste generators
use safe and secure procedures in treating, handling, transporting, storing, and
disposing of hazardous substances. RCRA is designed to prevent new uncontrolled
hazardous waste sites. The law also regulates the disposal of solid waste that may
not be considered hazardous. Note: 20 N MAC 4.1 and 40 CFR Parts 260-281 are the
regulations for complying with RCRA with respect to hazardous waste and hazardous
waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities in New Mexico.
Retrievably Stored TRU Waste: Waste generated after 1970. In 1970 the Atomic
Energy Commission (predecessor of DOE) first identified TRU waste as a separate
category of radioactive waste. The same year, the commission determined that all
TRU waste generated after 1970 must be segregated from low-level waste and
placed in retrievable storage pending shipment to and disposal in an approved
geologic repository. Federal facilities in Washington, Iclaho, California, Colorado, New
Mexico, Nevada, South Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and Illinois are currently storing
TRU waste. See also Buried Transuranic Waste.
Roentgen: Unit used to measure a quantity called exposure. The roentgen is that
quantity of X- or gamma radiation less than 3 MeV in energy that produces ~
electrostatic unit of charge (2.58 x 10-4 coulombs), in ~ kilogram of dry air at 0
degrees C and an atmospheric pressure of 760 mm Hg. Many radiation measuring
instruments measure the roentgen (ionization) directly. It is a measure of the
ionizations of the molecules in a mass of air.
Safety Analysis: A documented process with the following purposes: 1) to provide
systematic identification of hazards within a given DOE operation; 2) to describe and
analyze the adequacy of the measures taken to eliminate, control, or mitigate
identified hazards; and (3) to analyze and evaluate potential accidents and their
associated risks.
OCR for page 127
f
GlossarJ/
Safety Analysis Report: see W/PP Safely Analysis Report.
127
Sievert: Unit of measurement of radiation dose equivalent. One sievert is the absorbed
dose, expressed in gray, multiplied by a quality factor to account for different
biological effects caused by different types of radiation.
Summary Category Group: Categorizes each waste stream based on its physical form
to facilitate RCRA waste characterization and reflect the final waste forms acceptable
for WIPP disposal. The waste summary categories are identified by the generators
and are the following:
· Homogeneous Solids (S3000~: Homogeneous solids, or solid process residues,
are defined as solid materials, excluding soil, that do not meet the NMED criteria
for classification as debris (20.4.~.800 N MAC [incorporating 40 CFR §268.2~9]
and Chit. Included in the series of solid process residues are inorganic process
residues, inorganic sludges, salt waste, and pyrochemical salt waste. Other
waste streams are included in this Summary Category Group based on the
specific waste stream types and final waste form. This Summary Category Group
is expected to contain toxic metals and spent solvents. This category includes
wastes that are at least 50 percent by volume solid process residues.
.
.
Soils or Grave/ (S4000~: This Summary Category Group includes waste streams
that are at least 50 percent by volume soil or gravel. This Summary Category
Group is expected to contain toxic metals. Soil and grave! are further categorized
by the amount of debris included in the matrix.
Debris Wastes (S5000~: This Summary Category Group includes heterogeneous
waste that is at least 50 percent by volume materials that meet the criteria
specified in 20.4.~.800 N MAC (incorporating 40 CFR §268.2 (9~. Debris means
solid material exceeding a 2.36-inch (60-millimeter) particle size that is intended
for disposal and that is a manufactured object, plant or animal maker, or a
natural geologic material. Particles smaller than 2.36 inches in size may be
considered debris if the debris is a manufactured object and if it is not a particle
of homogeneous solids or soil or gravel.
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA): Act enacted by Congress in ~ 976 to give EPA
the ability to track the 75,000 industrial chemicals currently produced or imported into
the United States. EPA repeatedly screens these chemicals and can require reporting
or testing of those that may pose an environmental or human health hazard. EPA can
ban the manufacture and import of those chemicals that pose an unreasonable risk.
TRAMPAC: TRUPACT-~' Authorized Methods for Payload Control. Implementation
document for the USNRC TRUPACT-~! certificate of compliance.
Transuranic Waste: Radioactive waste consisting of radionuclides with atomic numbers
greater than 92 in excess of agreed limits on half-life and concentration. A more
precise definition, in DOE Order 435.~-1 (July 9, 1999), is waste that is not high-level
waste "contaminated with alpha-emiding radionuclides of atomic number greater than
92 and half-lives greater than 20 years in concentrations greater than 100 nanocuries
per gram." The regulatory definition excludes actinide elements with atomic numbers
between 90 and 92 (most significantly, thorium and uranium isotopes), in agreement
OCR for page 128
128 Improving the Characterization Program for Contact-Handled Transuranic Waste
with the literal meaning of"transuranic." However, common usage of "transuranic
waste" is often understood to include all actinides.
TRUPACT-~: Transportation package certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission for road transportation of CH-TRU waste to WIPP. The acronym stands
for Transuranic Packaging Transporters. The main components are two stainless
steel containment vessels, one inside the other. A vacuum is drawn in between
containment vessels. To prevent radioactive releases from the transportation
package, the vessels are not vented. Up to fourteen 55-gallon drums or two standard
waste boxes fit into the TRUPACT-~. The drums are banded together in groups of
seven and stacked two high in the waste payloacl. The dimensions of the TRUPACT-~!
are 10 feet high by ~ feet in diameter. The maximum gross shipping weight of the
TRUPACT-~! is 19,265 pounds. Up to three TRUPACT-~! transportation packages can
be carried on a specially designed flatbed truck.
Type A Packages: Transportation containers that meet guidelines for certification in 49
CFR 173. These guidelines are less restrictive than those for Type B packages (see
below). Examples of Type A packages are 55-gallon drums, standard waste boxes,
and ten-drum overpacks, that have been previously determined to meet the
applicable performance requirements for Type A packages.
Type B Packages: Transportation containers that meet stringent guidelines for
certification designed to ensure that the packages will not release their contents under
normal transportation conditions or various accident scenarios (1 0 CFR 71 ).
Examples of Type B packages are TRUPACT-~! and Half-PACT transportation
packages.
Visual Examination (VE): Process consisting of physically examining TRU waste by
opening the container and handling the waste. Visual examination can be performed
in a gIovebox.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): RCRA-regulated organic compounds that
readily pass into the vapor state and are present in transuranic mixed waste.
Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC): Set of conditions established for permitting
transuranic wastes to be packaged, shipped managed, and disposed of at the WIPP.
The WAC constrain the physical, chemical, and radiological properties of TRU waste
and its packaging as determinecl by WIPP's authorization basis requirements. TRU
waste will not be approved for shipment to and disposal at the WIPP until it has been
certified as meeting the WAC. Waste Acceptance Criteria ensure that CH-TRU waste
is managed and disposed of in a manner that protects human health and safely and
the environment.
Waste Analysis Plan (WAP): Part of the Hazardous Waste Facility Permit (HWFP)
describing the procedures that wit! be carried out at a facility to obtain chemical and
physical analysis of each waste managed so that ail information will be known to
treat, store, or dispose of the waste in accordance with 40 CFR 264. ~ 3.
Waste Characterization: Sampling, monitoring, and analysis activities to determine the
nature of the waste.
OCR for page 129
Glossary
129
Waste Matrix Cocte: Code assigned by the TRU waste generator or storage sites to
categorize mixed and some non-mixed waste streams in the DOE system into a
series of five-digit alphanumeric codes (e.g., S5400; Heterogeneous Debris) that
represent different physical or chemical matrices. These codes were developed by
DOE in response to the Federal Facility Compliance Act of 1992.
Waste Profile Form: Paper form that the waste generator must complete to identify and
document properly the characterization of any solid, liquid, hazardous, radioactive, or
mixed waste. The Waste Profile Form must provide a complete and concise
description of the waste, including details of the generating process. The Waste
Profile Form process provides generators with guidance for determining the waste's
physical, chemical, and radiological characteristics with sufficient accuracy to allow
proper segregation, treatment, and disposal according to the final treatment or
disposal facility's Waste Acc.
i
Waste Stream: Waste material generated from a single process or activity or as multiple
containers with similar physical, chemical, or radiological characteristics. In the WIPP
Certificate of Compliance certification application, DOE identified 569 waste streams,
while EPA sorted WIPP waste inventory by volume in 10 classes. The 11 NMED
types of waste streams, called Waste Matrix Code Groups, are the following: solidified
inorganics, solidified organics, salt waste, soils, lead/cadmium metals, inorganic
nonmetal waste, combustible waste, graphite, fillers, heterogeneous debris waste,
and uncategorized metal (HWFP, 2003; Attachment B. page Bob. The ~ 0 EPA
categories are the following: uncategorized metals, heterogeneous waste, solidified
inorganic waste, combustibles, soils, fillers, graphite, lead or cadmium metal waste,
salt waste, and solidified organic materials (DOE-TWBIR, 1996; Table 1, pages B2-5
through B2-19~.
WIPP Safety Analysis Report (SAR): Document representing a statement and
commitment by DOE that WIPP can be operated safely and at acceptable risk. This
document summarizes the safely analyses to ensure the safely of workers, the public,
and the environment from the hazards posed by WIPP waste handling and
emplacement operations during the disposal phase and hazards associated with the
decommissioning and decontamination phase. The WIPP SAR is prepared: 1) to
satisfy the commitments in the Working Agreement for Consultation and Cooperation
between the State of New Mexico and the U.S. Department of Energy; and 2) to
ensure compliance with DOE's 10 CFR 830 about nuclear safely management.
WIPP Waste Information System: Database that contains information developed
during the characterization process used to verify that the waste meets WIPP Waste
Acceptance Criteria and the requirements in the HWFP.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
tru waste
