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1
Welcoming Remarks
Daid N. McNelis
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
On behalf of George Russell, sponsor of this meeting, I would like to extend
a welcome to this second interacademy workshop focusing on Russia’s plans to
host a site for the storage of spent nuclear fuel of international origin.
As some of you are aware, George Russell developed an interest in stored
nuclear materials after traveling in Russia on numerous occasions and visiting
nuclear sites elsewhere in the world. Subsequently, he created a small organiza-
tion that I lead (Nuclear Fuel Cycle Technologies—NFCT), which has been spon-
soring activities with a primary focus on the destruction of spent nuclear fuel.
Currently, he is sponsoring a number of graduate students in the Department
of Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University. All of these students
are working on some aspect of transmutation technologies or the thermal impact
on repository design and performance.
George Russell also sponsored the first interacademy workshop on the inter-
national spent nuclear fuel (SNF) storage site, which was held in Moscow in May
2003. Russia is the first country that has offered to host a storage site for SNF of
foreign origin that is not linked to a reprocessing plant. NFCT’s interests include
ensuring that an international body, presumably the International Atomic Energy
Agency, would provide oversight for such an activity and develop international
standards for siting, safeguards, and operations. NFCT also has an interest in
reducing the number of sites around the world where SNF and other high-level
radioactive materials are placed. With this in mind, NFCT is interested in the Rus-
sian site, which might be operated as a regional pilot program. Perhaps eventually
there would be a small number of sites around the world where such materials
are stored, reprocessed, or placed in geological repositories.
The other Russian project of interest to NFCT is still in the design phase.
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SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL STORAGE FACILITIES
While here in Vienna and over the next few months, I hope to develop an accept-
able plan for the study. This work would be carried out in Dmitrovgrad, where
one of the research reactors with an appropriate neutron spectrum would be used
to expose partitioned components of the SNF or SNF segments. The isotopic
inventory would be periodically assessed to determine the efficacy of the process
and to compare the results with those produced by simulations of mathematical
models. Although it is widely accepted that beneficial transmutation is possible,
results to date have only been simulated.
With that brief background on NFCT’s interests, welcome and best wishes
for a productive workshop.
