An International Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility
EXPLORING A RUSSIAN SITE AS A PROTOTYPE
PROCEEDINGS OF AN INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP
Glenn E. Schweitzer and A. Chelsea Sharber, Editors
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by a grant from The Russell Family Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.
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NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON THE SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS OF AN INTERNATIONAL SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL STORAGE FACILITY IN RUSSIA
Milton Levenson, Chair,
Bechtel International (retired)
John F. Ahearne,
Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
John H. Kessler,
Electric Power Research Institute
Study Staff
Glenn E. Schweitzer, Program Director,
National Research Council
Kelly Robbins, Senior Program Officer,
National Research Council
A. Chelsea Sharber, Senior Program Associate,
National Research Council
Amy Moore, Program Assistant,
National Research Council
RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Nikolay P. Laverov,
Russian Academy of Sciences
Vasily I. Velichkin,
Institute of Geology of Ore Deposits, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences
Yury K. Shiyan,
Foreign Relations Department, Russian Academy of Sciences
Preface
After several years of contentious debate in Russia, the Russian government enacted three laws that permit the importation and storage in Russia of spent nuclear fuel from reactors. A number of foreign governments have expressed interest to the Russian government concerning the possibility of transferring their material to Russia on a temporary or permanent basis.
Much of the material that might be shipped to Russia is of U.S. origin, that is, uranium provided by the United States to other governments that has been used in fuel rods. Some might not be of U.S. origin. The transfer of U.S.-origin spent fuel to Russia requires U.S. government approval, and the U.S. government is not prepared to approve such transfers at this time.
Despite this political uncertainty, Russian officials and scientists are preparing for shipments within the next decade. The income that Russia could potentially derive during the initial few years from accepting and storing spent fuel has been estimated in billions of dollars, although the interest of governments in shipping spent fuel to Russia has yet to be determined.
The details of the plans for establishing a repository in Russia are in their early stages of formulation. The location of the site is still being debated. The exact configuration of the site is under discussion. The view of many Russian specialists is that it should be able to accommodate interim storage of 25–50 years or longer and also provide for permanent burial, even though current Russian law prohibits permanent retention in Russia. There are many technical questions concerning the design and operation of the facility and, of course, there are concerns over the ecological aspects and the security of the material both at the site and en route.
At the suggestion of the Russian Academy of Sciences to the National Academies, an interacademy workshop of international experts on the scientific issues relevant to the establishment and operation of a storage facility was held in Moscow on May 14–15, 2003. The participants discussed a range of issues drawing on related experience in the United States, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and
Switzerland. There was no attempt to be comprehensive in the discussions, and many relevant topics were left for consideration at other meetings.
Following the workshop a group of the participants traveled to Krasnokamensk, a small town near the Siberian city of Chita close to the border with China. There they viewed uranium mining activities and discussed the possibility of locating the international facility at this site.
We have not attempted to summarize in this report the papers presented at the workshop or the discussions at the workshop or in Krasnokamensk. We simply note that these two venues provided excellent opportunities for informative discussions and exchanges of ideas concerning the international facility.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This publication was made possible by a grant from The Russell Family Foundation. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the individual authors and do not represent the positions of the foundation, the National Academies, the Russian Academy of Sciences, or other organizations where the authors are employed.
This volume has been reviewed in draft form by several individuals chosen for their technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in ensuring that the report is as sound as possible and meets institutional standards for quality. The review comments and original draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the process.
We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of selected papers: William Arnold, Westinghouse Electric Corporation (retired); James Crook, Independent Consultant; Rodney Ewing, University of Michigan; Kathryn Higley, Oregon State University; Frank Parker, Vanderbilt University; and Alvin Trivelpiece, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (retired).
Although these reviewers have provided constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the content of the individual papers. Responsibility for the final content of the papers rests with the individual authors.
Special thanks are extended to Kelly Robbins for her translation of the Russian language papers into English, and to Amy Moore for her work in editing the papers.
Milton Levenson, Chair, National Research Council Committee on the Scientific Aspects of an International Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility in Russia
Glenn E. Schweitzer, Director, Office for Central Europe and Eurasia
Contents
Opening Remarks |
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IAEA Activities in Nuclear Spent Fuel Management |
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Analysis of U.S. Experience with Spent Fuel |
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Problems of Spent Nuclear Fuel Management and Storage Site Selection |
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Feasibility of Transmutation of Radioactive Elements |
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The High-Level Waste Disposal Technology Development Program in Korea |
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The Use of Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors for Effectively Reprocessing Plutonium and Minor Actinides |
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SITE SELECTION FOR SPENT FUEL STORAGE AND DISPOSAL OF HIGH-LEVEL WASTE |
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Site Selection for Spent Fuel Storage and Disposal of High-Level Waste: Experience of European Countries |
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Types of High-Level Radioactive Wastes Formed as a Result of Dry Methods of Spent Fuel Regeneration and Technologies for Their Management |
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Chemical Treatment of High-Level Waste for Utilization |
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Immobilization of High-Level Waste: Analysis of Appropriate Synthetic Waste Forms |
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Management of High-Level Radioactive Wastes from the Mayak Production Association and Plans for the Creation of an Underground Laboratory |
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Concluding Observations |
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Environmental Effects of Radiation in the Russian Federation |
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Geochemistry of Actinides During the Long-Term Storage and Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel |